Arab Republic of Egypt Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade General Organization for Export and Import Control

Eng. Essam El-Naggar started with welcoming the attendees, members of the Organization's Board of Directors and representatives of the Export Councils, His Excellency then opened the meeting by displaying the Organization's achievements of the year 2024, represented in statement showing number of customs shipments submitted to the Organization of industrial and non-industrial imports, shipments that were laboratory-tested in the Organization's laboratories, either chemical or industrial, number of contracting samples, number of certificates of origin issued according to trade agreements concluded with countries and multilateral trade blocs, a statement of the number of cards issued by Organization's commercial registrations, either for exporters, importers, or commercial agents and requirements of production, advertising, publicity and real estate brokerage, and a statement of the services provided to customers, represented in the number of visitors to the website, the number of followers of the Organization's pages on social media, and service of "Ask and We Answer", the number of incoming calls, and the number of Business Sector reports for the repository of foreign trade data.

 Afterwards, His Excellency displayed the Organization's vision and strategy represented in supporting trade and investment community, and stressed that the Organization has developed a clear and ambitious plan of action for keeping pace with environmental variables and digital transformation by focusing on a number of strands of work to ensure integration and comprehensiveness, including communication, transparency, evaluation and monitoring, risk management, cooperation and partnerships, supporting digital transformation  and investment in the human element.

Eng. Essam El Naggar discussed in details elements of communication and transparency through which he asserted that the Organization launched its first annual forum entitled “Developing Concepts to Unleash Export Potentials” in coincidence with its 50th anniversary, with the participation of the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Minister of Planning, Economic Development and International Cooperation, USA Ambassador, representatives of the Ministries of Investment, Finance and Environment, chairmen of authorities and chambers of commerce, in addition to a number of business community leaders, symbols of the industrial and exporting sector, and representatives of Egyptian Export Councils. The forum’s activities included delivery of the first Carbon Footprint Verification Report issued by the GOEIC's EVVU to Helwan Fertilizers Company and awarding a prize to Sidi Kerir Petrochemicals Company (SIDPEC) for its distinguished role in reducing carbon emissions according to the Industrial Pollution Control Program.

His Excellency reviewed the most prominent meetings and events the GOEIC participated, particularly important the meeting held at the GEOIC premises with representatives of the Export Councils, Commercial Representation, Gosoor Company, and Maritime Transport Sector with the aim of organizing trade of transit and re-export for increasing the volume of exports to Africa, and participation in the first conference of food industry exporters organized by Food Export Council for enhancing Egypt's targets in developing exports and reaching $145 billion of Egyptian exports, and meeting with members of the Paper and Cardboard Division of the Chemical Industry Chamber at the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and the GOEIC's participation in inaugurating the first ever production line to recycle used cardboard packages, and also meeting with members of the American Chamber of Commerce in Cairo to inform the business community of the latest services provided by the GOEIC, and the GOEIC's participation in ceremony of the Ministry of Transport operating and launching the first phase of the Ro-Ro line that connects Port of Damietta to Port of Trieste in Italy.

Among the most prominent meetings with foreign entities was receiving delegations from several countries (UNIDO - representatives of the British company BSI - a delegation from the Saudi Specialized Laboratories Co. (MOTABAQAH) in the field of (Testing, Inspection and Certification) - a delegation from the BESTSELLER company with representatives from the Austrian Embassy in Egypt - a delegation from the Global Company BOSCH - a delegation from the State Administration for Market Regulation in China SAMR - and finally receiving the Commercial and Investment Attaché of Pakistan).

Then he moved to the exhibitions the GOEIC participated in, including (Egypt Energy Show - International Leather Exhibition - Food Africa Exhibition - Paper and Cardboard Exhibition - Textiles and Production Supplies Exhibition - Our Country Opportunities Exhibition - Aswan Toshka Agricultural Exhibition - Furniture and Mattresses Exhibition. 

In light of the continuous improvement of the GOEIC’s services, His Excellency reviewed the technical units established at the GOEIC, that provide services of inspection, auditing, technical and logistical support for Egyptian exports and imports including the following:

• Technical Proficiency Unit (PT) that aims to improving the quality and efficiency of laboratories through documenting results according to the highest International Standards.
• Conformity Certification Unit for industrial products according to the international standards ISO/IEC17065. The unit has been enlisted on SABER platform as a Conformity Assessment Body approved by Kingdom of Saudi Arabia as a prerequisite for products to access the Saudi markets.
• Products Inspection Unit according to the international standard ISO/IEC17020 for issuing Certificates of Conformity for exported products for conformity verification before exporting goods and products to different countries according to the standards of the importing country.
• Environment Validation and verification Unit (EVVU) for verifying Certificates of  Greenhouse Gas Emissions, that will enable the GOEIC of issuing the required certificates to verify Carbon Emission Reduction Certificates, in a way that provides a competitive advantage, and also enhances Egyptian environment-friendly exports, and their accreditation by the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) in accordance with the International Standards, in addition to establishing a laboratory to conduct biodegradation testing for exported products that include detergents, textile products and leather products and their compliance with the International Legislation OECD/OCDE TG310, which will have a positive impact on reputation of the national industry, in addition to its significant impact on reducing emissions, in support of the clean economy and encouraging Egyptian exports.

Then His Excellency reviewed the GOEIC's laboratories, their development and the transition towards a sustainable economy, as the GOEIC implemented many procedures towards updating its services to support exporters and investors to comply with environmental standards to support Egyptian exports and increase their competitiveness in global markets, the most important of which is the establishment of integrated laboratories in all major ports and developing laboratories with a total of 310 laboratories and 3300 tests internationally accredited by the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) according to the International Standards (ISO 17025). 

Within the framework of the uninterrupted keenness for continuous improvement, His Excellency mentioned the approval of the Economic Affairs Committee and the Senate on a draft law amending some provisions of Law No. 121 of 1982 on the Importers’ Registry, which is currently studied by the Legislative Committee. The amendments aim at improving the investment climate and reducing financial and administrative burdens on companies, with a focus on enhancing the role of the private sector in the economy. The most important features of the amendment: Facilitating the procedures for re-registration and updating data in the Importers’ Registry, especially in case of changing the legal status of companies,  allowing use of convertible foreign currencies in some procedures, Enabling the heirs of the owner of the establishment to continue the commercial activity under specific conditions and amending the reconciliation mechanism in case of violations to be at a lower cost for companies, while maintaining a balance of penalties for ensuring compliance with the law.

 Within the framework of the plan of evaluation and monitoring followed by the GOEIC, El Naggar confirmed the use of the latest statistical programs, Tableau Server, through which the performance rate can be monitored and measured in all branches of the GOEIC in all stages of the customs release system.

In this regard, El Naggar confirmed that based upon the assignment of the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade to the GOEIC, a study was prepared that includes the most significant obstacles and issues that lead to an increase in customs release time and examination of import shipments. Upon submission to the cabinet, the Prime Minister issued a Resolution in session No. (19) held on 14^th of November, 2024, as well as the periodical letter issued by the Cabinet Advisory Board No. 3- 30534 dated 20^th of November, 2024 regarding the work of all entities responsible for the customs release system throughout the week, including official holidays and weekly vacations, so that work continues without interruption based upon shifts system, starting from Friday, December 12, 2024

The GOEIC has received a grant from the Korean government to develop the System of Conformity Assessment Procedures for inspection based on the risk management system in controlling imports of industrial and engineering goods within the framework of facilitating trade at ports as it is scheduled to implement the project in three phases starting from  beginning of 2025 until the end of 2029 at a total cost estimated at 10 million US dollars, in light of the approval issued by the Korean government during August 2024 

Within the framework of digital transformation, "El Naggar" asserted that the aim of digital transformation in the GOEIC is buildiing a smart work environment that facilitates operations and provides innovative solutions to save time and cost for the service recipients in line with Egypt's digital strategy and Egypt's vision for sustainable development. In this regard, the website has been developed with new features such as electronic payment, foreign trade reports, and training course reservations. A new system of data repository has also been created, integrating many data sources, and enhancing the accuracy of information and an interactive system is being created for extracting foreign trade reports in cooperation with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID (. 

Regarding the investment in the human element, El Naggar noted the accreditation of the GEOIC's Center of Excellence by the Central Agency for Organization and Administration, contributing to providing various training services to exporters and importers through the center and its branches at the GOEIC’s branches in various fields. One of the most significant courses was the implementation of specialized training courses on International Trade Agreements (MERCOSUR Agreement - African Continental Free Trade Area "AfCFTA" Agreement - COMESA Agreement) in attendance of various categories of entrepreneurs, exporters, importers, academics and researchers to help them understand the dynamics of the common market and offer greater opportunities to open new export markets.

- El Naggar also reviewed the GOEIC's investment plan and the most important future projects represented in:

1. Establishing a headquarter for the Central Department for the GOEIC's branch in Alexandria.
2.  Developing the GOEIC's buildings in Dekheila Port.
3.  Establishing a warehouse complex in Badr City.
4.  Establishing a firefighting capacity testing center and firefighting equipment
5.  Establishing a second floor for the industrial laboratories building in Ain Sokhna

El Naggar concluded the meeting with a presentation regarding Export Councils classified according to the field of work of the GOEIC's Units. In the end, Eng. Essam El Naggar thanked the attendees, members of the Board of Directors, representatives of the Export Councils, and representatives of other entities.