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

The Minister was accompanied during the visit by Engineer Essam El Naggar, Chairman of the General Organization for Export and Import Control; Dr. Tarek El-Hobi, Chairman of the National Food Safety Authority; Eng. Mohamed El-Gouski, Assistant Minister for Planning, Development, and Digital Transformation; Dr. Amani El-Wasal, Head of Agreements and Foreign Trade Sector; and Mr. Abed Mahran, Assistant Minister for Enhancing Investment Climate and Economic Competitiveness.

The Minister asserted, during the visit, the importance of continuing development of customs release system, referring to the resolution adopted by the Cabinet in its Session No.19 held on November 14, 2024 headed by the Prime Minister, which states that all entities responsible for the customs release will work throughout the week including official vacations and weekends based upon shift- system, shall be a part of the first phase of  a group of integrated phases for the purpose of decreasing customs release time at a percentage of 75% in order that customs release time reaches only two working days by the end of 202 . Twenty-nine joint procedures were declared and agreed upon between Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade and Ministry of Finance, that aims at improving customs release procedures, enhancing efficiency of inspection and facilitating trade movement in a way that reduces time and cost for customers, that positively reflects upon decreasing export and import costs, and boosting competitiveness of Egyptian products in global markets. 

The Minister demonstrated that Egypt owns strategic geographic advantages that must be efficiently exploited for achieving its aim to be one of the best 50 countries in global trade during the upcoming two years, and one of the best 20 countries by the end of 2030, confirming that the political leadership provides full and sustainable support for achieving these reforms. 

The Minister indicated the necessity of full coordination among Ministry of Finance, Customs Authority, Ministry of Transport and the entire entities concerned with customs release system, and work in an integrated manner for achieving goals of development and reform. 

During the visit, the Minister listened to an explanation from Rear Admiral/ Ahmed Abdel Moaty Hawaash, Chairman of Alexandra Port Authority regarding efforts exerted to achieve the highest rates of goods circulation, as Alexandria Port set a record in 2024, for circulating 74.5 million tons of goods, representing about 60% of Egypt's Foreign Trade volume.

The Minister's inspection visit included visiting Logistics Center and premises of joint inspection committees at Tahya Misr Multipurpose Terminal, Alexandria Container and Cargo Handling Company, and National Single Window for Trade "Nafeza" Platform, confirming the need for enhancing the digital transformation, facilitating procedures and speeding up their implementation for 24 hours throughout the week, for ensuring continuous flow of goods from and to Egyptian Markets at the shortest possible time and the lowest cost.   

During the visit, the Minister also listened to the opinions and suggestions of customs brokers and employees of regulatory bodies, stressing the importance of these opinions in enhancing the efficiency of the system, serving customers, and ensuring the quality of products traded in the markets. His Excellency directed the rapid study of the submitted proposals, particularly those related to facilitating procedures, reducing costs, and activating mechanisms for direct communication with customers through joint working committees that include representatives of all concerned parties. This will contribute to formulating practical and applicable solutions that take into account the nature of work inside ports and contribute to improving the customers' experience and raising their level of satisfaction with the provided services.