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

Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, witnessed the inauguration ceremony and handover of modern laboratory equipment to support the technical capabilities of GOEIC's laboratories at Cairo International Airport, within the framework of the State’s efforts to develop the quality infrastructure system, enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian products, and support their access to the foreign markets.

This Ceremony was attended by Engineer Khaled Hashem, Minister of Industry, Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Environment, Engineer Essam El Naggar, President of the GOEIC, Mr. Yasuhiro Tsukamoto, Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Head of Mission of the Embassy of Japan in Egypt, Dr. Jehan Attia, Deputy Regional Representative of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), Professor Yasser Abdullah, CEO of the Waste Management Regulatory Authority (WMRA), in addition to a number of leaders of concerned authorities and representatives of development partners.

The new equipment is a part of the project “Supporting promotion of the circular economy practices in the value chain of single-use plastic products”, which is being implemented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) with the support of the Government of Japan, within the framework of joint cooperation to develop the technical and technological capabilities of Egyptian laboratories.

Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh stressed that developing GOEIC's laboratories is one of the main pillars for strengthening the foreign trade system, explaining that raising the efficiency of inspection, testing and conformity assessment services contributes to ensuring the quality of products and increasing their ability to meet the technical requirements of local and international markets.

The minister pointed out that the modern laboratory equipment represents a qualitative addition to the technical and technological capabilities of the GOEIC, which supports the state’s direction towards developing the quality infrastructure, providing more efficient services to the business community, and preparing Egyptian companies to expand into foreign markets.

On his part, Engineer Khaled Hashem stressed that the new equipment represents a real addition to the capabilities of GOEIC's laboratories, and enhances the inspection, testing and conformity assessment system as one of the basic pillars to support Egyptian industry and enhance market confidence in its products.

He explained that the equipment allows conducting technical tests and analyses of plastic materials, single-use plastic products and their alternatives to verify their conformity to the Egyptian standards, that supports the ability of the national industry to keep pace with the technical requirements of the markets and produce alternatives that conform to the approved specifications.

Dr. Manal Awad stressed the importance of cooperation between national authorities and development partners in building an integrated system that supports the rational use of resources and the development of more efficient production solutions, indicating that the new equipment enhances national capabilities in the areas of testing and verifying that products conform to requirements and standard specifications.

In the same context, Engineer Essam El Naggar confirmed that the new equipment represents a qualitative addition to GOEIC's laboratory system, and contributes to raising the efficiency and accuracy of inspection, testing and conformity assessment services, which enhances GOEIC's ability to provide advanced technical services to producers, exporters and importers.

He added that the GOEIC continues to implement an integrated plan to develop its laboratories, modernize its equipment, and raise the efficiency of its technical staff, in implementation of the directives of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, and in line with the rapid developments in the specifications and technical requirements in global markets.

Engineer Essam El Naggar pointed out that developing GOEIC's laboratory capabilities contributes to reducing the time for conducting tests, improving the quality of services provided to the business community, and supporting companies in verifying the conformity of their products before export, consequently enhancing foreign markets’ confidence in the Egyptian product.

President of the GOEIC praised the fruitful cooperation with the Government of Japan and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), stressing that this cooperation reflects the importance of the international partnerships in transferring expertise and modern technology, building national capacities, and supporting the competitiveness of Egyptian industry and exports.

On their part, representatives of the Japanese Embassy and the UNIDO organization affirmed the continuation of cooperation with the Egyptian government in developing the technical infrastructure and raising the capabilities of laboratories and national bodies, in order to support product quality and enhance the application of approved specifications.

The events concluded with an inspection tour inside the laboratories, during which the ministers and attendees were briefed on the new equipment, its technical capabilities, the tests it enables, and its role in raising the efficiency of the inspection and testing system at the GOEIC.