Chairman of the General Organization for Export and Import Control states to Al-Ahram Newspaper: A Safety System (Aman) for ensuring entry of industrial products in compliance with the standards.
Saturday, Dhu al-Qi'dah 26, 1446 AH, May 24, 2025, Year 149, Issue No. 50573
Interview conducted by Aboud Maher [Photography: Ayman Yahya]
Major General Engineer Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the General Organization for Export and Import Control (GOEIC)
Major General Engineer Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the GOEIC, confirmed that Egyptian exports to global markets have witnessed a boom recently, and that the organization aims to increase Egyptian exports to $145 billion by 2030.
He demonstrated the GOEIC's efforts in developing goods inspection laboratories and increasing their number to 314 laboratories operating around the clock at all airports, seaports and land ports to inspect health and safety requirements for imported chemical and industrial products, issue certificates of origin for Egyptian exports, verify the origin of incoming shipments, open new export markets abroad, and register factories qualified to export to Egypt. He explained that the GOEIC works as a primary defense system to ensure the entry of industrial products that conform to standard specifications, especially food products, to preserve the citizens' safety and health.
Engineer Essam El-Naggar confirmed, in an interview with Al-Ahram, that a periodical following-up is being conducted at all times to reduce the release period and facilitate procedures. Here is the text of the interview:
Tell us first about the role of the GOEICV in supporting the economy?
We are a leading regulatory service Organization providing advanced electronic services in all areas of evaluation and quality control of goods and products to protect consumers, enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian goods and products in global markets, promote foreign trade and commercial exchange with other countries, as well as control industrial imports and some industrial goods exports, and conduct quality tests for industrial, food and chemical goods. The GOEIC has established integrated laboratories in all principal ports and developed laboratories with a total of 314 inspection laboratories located at Air, Sea and Land Ports of the Republic in the fields of food chemistry and examining health and safety requirements for imported chemical and industrial products. It also issues certificates of origin for Egyptian exports, verifies the origin of incoming shipments, issues certificates of conformity for some exported goods, especially to Saudi Arabia, and registers factories qualified to export to Egypt.
What is the role of the GOEIC in achieving Egypt's Vision 2030?
The GOEIC serves as one of the pillars supporting Egypt's Vision 2030, in light of the Egyptian government's work program to build a competitive economy that attracts investments, consolidate the foundations of economic progress, and maximize national economic capabilities by achieving strong, sustainable, comprehensive, and balanced growth rates. This includes increasing the competitiveness of Egyptian exports, establishing a number of factories that support carbon neutrality and green industries in line with Egypt's National Climate Change Strategy 2050 and Egypt's Sustainable Development Strategy 2030, and establishing a Carbon Certification Unit. The GOEIC also serves as a primary defense system to ensure the entry of non-food industrial products that comply with the required standards, contributing to increasing Egyptian exports to reach $145 billion by 2030.
Are there any plans to open new markets for Egyptian exports?
The GOEIC cooperates with the relevant entities, such as the Commercial Representation Authority and the export councils to open new export markets in Africa, Latin America, and Asia. It also guides exporters in adapting their products and provides them with the necessary information on the list of partner markets and countries, the most important products, and the development paths and corridors for Egyptian exports. It also enhances exporters' capabilities in identifying the most promising markets, opening new export markets, introducing them to export opportunities, and identifying the most important target markets.
How are Egyptian exporters supported in facing global challenges? What services are provided to them?
The GOEIC has taken several measures to develop Egyptian exports and protect and grow the national industry by establishing integrated laboratories in all major ports and creating an "Exporters' Facilitation Unit" to address obstacles and quickly resolve their problems in coordination with the relevant authorities. It has also established a Product Inspection Unit - in accordance with international standards and specifications - which provides inspection services to manufacturers and exporters of local or exported products to ensure that these products comply with the applicable standards and technical regulations. The unit is accredited in (paper and paper products - textiles and ready-made garments - footwear and leather products - batteries of all kinds - cooking utensils and tableware). It has also established of Conformity Certification Unit for industrial products in accordance with international Standards.
In addition to providing a variety of training services to exporters, and working within the customs release system to provide further facilitations for exporters and importers, in such way that contributes to the faster and more cost-effective entry and exit of products, improve Egypt's ranking in International Trade Indicators, and increase Foreign Trade Rates through working to reduce customs release time.
Are there any partnerships with international or local entities to support the GOEIC's efforts?
The GOEIC is keen to build effective partnerships with a number of local and international entities to support its technical capabilities and register on specialized international platforms. The GOEIC continuously coordinates with the regulatory agencies such as Consumer Protection Agency and the Customs Authority to control and regulate markets and prevent the entry of non-compliant goods.
How does the GOEIC ensure the quality of imported products in local markets and prevent the entry of substandard goods?
This can be achieved by tightening control over the shipments submitted by the Customs Authority, as the GOEIC conducts visual and laboratory inspections through its 314 inspection laboratories equipped with the latest devices and equipment, distributed in airports, seaports and land ports throughout the Republic. The laboratories for testing industrial, chemical and food goods have obtained International Accreditation from the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) for more than 3,900 tests, and work is underway to increase the number of accredited tests and update the infrastructure of the existing laboratories.
If a harmful or non-compliant imported product is discovered, what are the steps do you take immediately?
The importer will be notified of the final inspection results either electronically or in writing to the address shown on the import card. The relevant customs branch will be notified to take the necessary measures to re-export or destroy the rejected goods.
The health entity, where the shipment is stored, the port of arrival, the port from which it will be re-exported, and the General Administration of Food Control at the Ministry of Health are also notified of all data on the shipment intended to be re-exported, along with submitting a re-export request by the concerned party. All undertakings are also taken against the concerned party or his legal representative not to dismantle the impounded items (exhibits) or dissipate the shipment or any part of it. Finally, the port of arrival, the storage destination, the General Administration of Food Control are notified by sending a copy of the bill of lading for the shipment re-export, as well as the Supply and Internal Trade Investigations Department.
Does the GOEIC face challenges related to attempts to smuggle substandard or counterfeit goods? How are such cases handled?
In light of goods variations and the global trade pressures, some smuggling attempts or the passage of non-compliant goods have emerged, The GOEIC handles such cases in coordination with the Customs Authority and security agencies.
How does the GOEIC contribute to supporting the transition to the Green Economy through its services?
In view of the tendency of many countries around the world, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and some African Union countries, which represent a fertile market for Egyptian exports, towards relying on appropriate, high-quality alternatives that enable these countries to transition to the Green Economy, technical controls and specifications have been established for goods exported to them, and only biodegradable goods and products are permitted to enter their territories. Therefore, the GOEIC is keen to equip its laboratories with the state-of-art equipment and technologies.
What are the details of the project to develop a border risk management system using the Artificial Intelligence AI, and how will it contribute to accelerating the inspection procedures?
The project aims to develop and establish an integrated digital system for border risk management across all its phases and components, utilizing the latest artificial intelligence and data analysis applications in this field. Work is currently underway on the initial stages, which include laying the technical foundations and preparing the necessary digital infrastructure to ensure the project's effective implementation. The project is planned to be implemented in three phases, from 2025 to the end of 2029, at a total cost estimated at $11 million.
More than 477,000 messages were examined in 2024. How does the GOEIC evaluate this achievement?
Development of laboratories, with a total of (314) laboratories, contributes to liberalizing trade and reducing export obstacles while ensuring the quality of goods, as well as the speeding up release of the incoming shipments through increasing the absorption capacity, preventing the accumulation of samples and reducing the customs release time. These laboratories also obtained International Accreditation from the Egyptian Accreditation Council (EGAC) in several tests with a total of (3900) test according to the International Standard (ISO 17025).
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