Hossam Heiba, CEO of the General Authority for Investment
and Free Zones (GAFI), revealed that the government’s plan to increase the
mining sector’s share of GDP to 5% includes deepening industrial capacity and
establishing value-added supply chains for mining industries. The plan also
aims to expand access to related logistics services such as shipping,
transportation, warehousing, and supply chain management.
Heiba made these remarks during his participation in the
session titled Unleashing Egypt’s Mining Potential: Building an Investor-Ready
and Globally Competitive Sector at the Egypt Mining Forum 2025. The event was
held under the auspices of the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, and
brought together key stakeholders from both the local and international mining
communities.
He stressed that the mining sector has long reflected the
strategic, long-term partnership between the government and the private sector.
In recent years, the Egyptian government has prioritized improving the sector’s
readiness by offering investment incentives and developing infrastructure to
support a high-value-added, labor-intensive mining industry, particularly as
Egypt holds vast potential in this domain.
The GAFI chief reviewed key incentives available under the
Investment Law for companies operating in the mining sector. These include the
option to recover up to 50% of investment costs via tax deductions over a
period of seven years from the start of the project. Mining ventures are also
eligible to apply for a Golden License, which consolidates all permits into a
single approval issued within just 20 working days.
Heiba further noted the availability of several investment
frameworks tailored to the needs of mining projects, chiefly, private free
zones and special investment zones, which offer one-stop-shop approvals and
licensing. He added that GAFI currently hosts both the national digital
platform for company establishment and the unified investment licensing
platform, emphasizing that digital transformation has significantly enhanced
the mining sector in recent years.