Egypt’s industry minister said the government is reviewing its National Industrial Strategy as part of efforts to boost competitiveness, expand production, and tackle structural problems in the manufacturing sector.
 

Industry Minister Khaled Hashem said the updated strategy would be prepared in coordination with the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI) to reflect manufacturers’ priorities and market needs. The revised document will be presented to federation members for feedback before it is finalised.

Hashem, who was appointed in a cabinet reshuffle in February, made the remarks during a meeting with the FEI’s board, chaired by Mohamed El-Sewedy, and heads of its 21 industrial chambers.

Industrial Development Authority (IDA) officials, including Chairperson Nahed Youssef, were also in attendance.

“The coming phase will witness a new approach,” Hashem said, noting that the ministry will hold periodic meetings with the federation in addition to sector-specific meetings with each industrial chamber, and carry out field visits to factories in industrial zones to assess challenges directly.

The aim, he said, is to adopt practical measures to support production and investment.

Hashem also outlined plans to introduce a new financing approach, based on launching industrial investment funds to channel capital into manufacturing projects, expanding production capacity, and supporting sustainable economic growth.

He said the draft strategy includes the concept of “productive villages”, aimed at supporting local industries in governorates outside Cairo and reducing illegal and internal migration by leveraging regional comparative advantages.

Participants at the meeting raised a range of sector concerns, including conditions in industrial zones, implementation of labour law provisions, shortages of skilled workers, export risk guarantees for African markets, and barriers to adopting modern technologies.

Discussions also covered food exports, international accreditation of testing laboratories, access to state-backed financing initiatives, the status of factories located in residential areas, and support for handicrafts and heritage industries.

Hashem also underscored the importance of closer coordination with the FEI, describing alignment of visions as a cornerstone for achieving the country’s targeted industrial renaissance.

He added that communication with the federation and industrial chambers will be intensified to assess the impact of ongoing global developments on the industrial sector and explore ways to mitigate potential challenges arising from these events.

For his part, El-Sewedy welcomed the ministry’s move to open effective communication channels with the business community, expressing the federation’s readiness to cooperate in achieving industrial development goals.

At the end of the meeting, both sides agreed to study the creation of a joint digital platform to streamline data-sharing and industrial services between the ministry and the federation.