Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Minister of Industry, and Minister of Labor held an expanded meeting with the Ready-Made Garments Export Council, with the participation of a number of government agencies, to discuss ways of enhancing competitiveness of the sector and increasing exports.
Within the framework of cooperation between Public and Private Sector to develop Egyptian industry and enhance its export capabilities, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Eng. Khaled Hashem, Minister of Industry, and Mr. Hassan Raddad, Minister of Labor, held an expanded meeting with members of Ready-Made Garments Export Council. The meeting was also attended by Eng. Essam El-Naggar, President of the GOEIC, and representatives from several relevant government agencies, including Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA), the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), Egypt Expo & Convention Authority (EECA), and Trade Representation Authority.
The meeting aims to discuss mechanisms to support the ready-made garment industry and enhance its competitiveness in the international markets, through developing financing, training, and technology tools within production chains, in addition to strengthening institutional coordination between government agencies and the private sector in a way that supports industrial and export development plans, raises the quality of Egyptian products, and increases their contribution to grow the national exports
Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, affirmed that developing the work system inside the industrial sector is one of the fundamental pillar for ensuring the stability of production processes and improving the quality of Egyptian products. He explained that the discussions also tackled ways of improving business environment and addressed challenges related to labor relations and employment contracts through flexible mechanisms that achieve a balance among parties of the production process and support continuity of the industrial activity.
The minister added that developing human skills is a pivotal element in developing Ready-Made Garment Sector, indicating the significance of expanding the scope of specialized training programs to keep pace with the rapid developments in global production patterns, and to contribute to preparing qualified personnel capable of supporting the growth of the national industry.
He demonstrated that the State's efforts also focus on improving the industrial investment climate by streamlining procedures and accelerating the issuance of licenses, which contributes to reducing the time required to establish and operate industrial projects and enhancing the attractiveness of investment in this sector.
He explained that the next phase will focus more on supporting the expansion of ready-made garment companies in foreign markets and maximizing the benefits of the international trade agreements that allow wider access for Egyptian products, indicating the continuous implementation of exports rebate program linking it with companies' actual performance indicators, which contributes to stimulating export growth and achieving the State's targets for increasing exports.
He added that the meeting witnessed agreement on a set of executive paths that will be followed by the participating entities during the coming period, which will enhance cooperation between the Ready-Made Garments Export Council and the relevant government agencies to support industrial and export development plans.
On his part, Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem affirmed the ministry's commitment to supporting and localizing the ready-made garment industry with its entire stages of production, that will contribute to increasing the added value and improving the competitiveness of the Egyptian product in local and global markets, especially this industry enjoys competitive advantages and positive reputation with several international brands.
The minister pointed out that the ministry periodically offers industrial lands every three months through Egypt's Digital Industrial Platform to meet the needs of the investors, explaining that the latest offer includes 1,272 industrial land plots with a total area estimated at about 9 million and 780 thousand square meters distributed across 35 industrial zones in 23 governorates, including about 800 land plots in Upper Egypt governorates in support of industrial development efforts in these areas.
On his part, Mr. Hassan Raddad, Minister of Labor, listened to the remarks of the representatives of the Export Council for Ready-Made Garments regarding the most prominent challenges facing the sector, especially those related to working hours, the minimum wage, and procedures of work permits for foreign workers, stressing the Ministry’s keenness to remove any obstacles that may face investors and to work on improving the work environment in a way that supports investment and production.
He referred to the ministry’s readiness to enhance continuous communication with the business community and the joint work to address any challenges that may arise, in order to provide a appropriate business environment that supports increased production and enhances the export capacity of Egyptian industry.
For their part, members of the Ready-Made Garments Export Council expressed their appreciation for the efforts of government agencies in promoting cooperation with the private sector, stressing that the sector has promising opportunities to enhance its presence in the international markets during the next stage.
They also pointed to the importance of developing technical support and specialized training programs that contribute to improving the production quality and increasing the added value of Egyptian products, while confirming the need to continue joint work to support plans of production and export expansion.
The Council representatives also stressed the importance of increasing the industrial projects in Upper Egypt governorates during the coming period, while providing more incentives and investment facilities that contribute to attracting industrial and export investments and providing sustainable job opportunities.
The discussions covered a number of topics related to improving the industrial operating environment, including energy pricing mechanisms, providing industrial land with greater flexibility, as well as developing customs clearance procedures for production inputs in a way that supports the smooth flow of supply chains and enhances the stability of operational processes within factories.
The meeting also reviewed chances of introducing smart operating applications and modernizing production lines and industrial equipment, in such way that contribute to increasing the productivity, improving product quality, and reducing industrial waste, while enhancing cooperation with the private sector in transferring and localizing modern technology within the industrial sector.
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