The Prime Minister was accompanied during the tour by Engineer Karim Badawi, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, a parliamentary delegation from the House of Representatives and the Senate, a number of members of the parliamentary committees' bureau in both houses, as well as representatives of the Red Sea Governorate.
Participants in the tour were Engineer Moataz Atef, First
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Petroleum, Geologist Yasser Ramadan, Chairman
of the Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority, leaders of the Ministry of
Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Accountant Mohamed Mahmoud, Chairman of Sukari
Gold Mines Company, Engineer Hoda Mansour, Managing Director and Vice Chairman
of the company, and officials from AngloGold Ashanti, the global investor in
the mine's development.
Dr. Madbouly commenced the tour by underscoring the critical
importance of Egypt's mineral resources sector. He noted that the state, guided
by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, has formulated a strategy to maximize the
economic benefits of this sector. A roadmap is in place to implement this
strategy through various initiatives aimed at enhancing the mining sector's
performance, leveraging Egypt's diverse mineral wealth, and expanding
extractive industries.
He further stated that the government is taking an integrated
approach with Parliament to advance the state's mining sector development plan.
This primarily involves reforming and modernizing legislative, financial, and
investment frameworks to meet international standards. He noted the agreement
to develop new models for gold and mineral exploitation agreements with major
international companies, which is expected to significantly boost investment in
the Egyptian mining sector and increase its contribution to the national GDP.
Engineer Karim Badawi stressed that establishing an
attractive investment environment in the mining sector is a key priority to
maximize its contribution to the national economy. He explained that the
transformation of the Mineral Resources Authority into an economic authority,
following parliamentary discussions, is a crucial step and a significant
advancement that will attract investments and increase added value. He further
noted the full support these efforts have from the political leadership, the
government, and Parliament in order to leverage Egypt's potential and mineral
wealth.
The Minister highlighted the Sukari mine as a leading mining site in Egypt, noting its advanced operations and the highly efficient Egyptian workforce managing it. He emphasized the state's strong interest in this successful mining investment model, a partnership between the Mineral Resources Authority and AngloGold Ashanti, the world's fourth-largest gold producer.