Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel Al-Wazir held an extensive meeting with South Africa's Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Parks Tau and his accompanying delegation to discuss ways to enhance cooperation in the fields of industry and transport. At the outset of the meeting, Al-Wazir emphasised the strength of the longstanding friendship between Egypt and South Africa, built on decades of cooperation across various sectors. He expressed Egypt's keenness to elevate industrial and trade relations between the two countries to reflect the depth of their bilateral ties. He explained that strengthening industrial cooperation is a key step towards expanding trade relations through the establishment of joint and complementary industrial projects between Egypt and South Africa—two of the continent's leading industrial nations—to produce goods that can be exchanged between them. Al-Wazir noted that potential cooperation could cover several key sectors, particularly the automotive industry, in which South Africa has achieved remarkable progress, as well as the iron and steel industries. The minister directed the formation of a joint working group between the two ministries, which will include—on the Egyptian side—the Head of International Relations at the Ministry of Industry, the Head of the Industrial Affairs Sector, and a representative from the Federation of Egyptian Industries. The group will coordinate and define areas of mutual industrial cooperation that best serve both economies. Al-Wazir also highlighted the potential for collaboration in establishing joint logistics zones to boost intra-African trade. These could include a logistics area dedicated to South African products near one of Egypt's ports, and a reciprocal zone in South Africa for Egyptian goods—particularly in the automotive and feeder industries—building on successful models Egypt has already implemented with Rwanda, Djibouti, and Tanzania. For his part, Parks Tau reaffirmed South Africa's commitment to deepening its partnership with Egypt and building on their strong bilateral relations. He expressed his ministry's interest in developing cooperation in logistics zone projects and in addressing challenges related to the maritime route between Egypt and South Africa to facilitate trade. Al-Wazir also instructed coordination with the Maritime Ports Authority to ensure the sustainability of this shipping line, serving the movement of goods between Egypt, South Africa, and other countries along the route. Concluding the meeting, Al-Wazir reaffirmed Egypt's commitment—under the leadership of President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi—to strengthening and expanding cooperation frameworks with African nations across various sectors, particularly in industry and transport, to promote regional integration and enhance value chains across the continent. He stressed that Egypt and South Africa possess the industrial and human capabilities needed to form a strong industrial and trade hub that supports sustainable development throughout Africa.
