Prime Minister Dr. Moustafa Madbouly and Japan's State Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Yoichiro Koga were also present, along with senior officials and business leaders from both nations.
Gamal El-Din gave an opening address highlighting the
decades-long relations between Egypt and Japan, built on mutual respect and a
shared vision for sustainable development. He said SCZONE, launched in 2015, is
an integrated platform for investment, manufacturing and logistics.
He noted that its strategic location, connecting the Red and
Mediterranean Seas, makes it a pivotal hub for global trade.
Gamal El-Din pointed to the success of SCZONE's four
industrial zones in attracting international investments. He listed 21 targeted
sectors, including pharmaceuticals, medical industries, electric batteries,
automotive manufacturing, and green industries. He stressed that SCZONE offers
a wide range of financial, customs, and tax incentives, along with integrated
infrastructure and digital services through a single-window system.
SCZONE also signed two cooperation agreements with Japanese
partners. The first was with ITOCHU Corporation and Orascom Construction to
establish integrated facilities to supply ships with ammonia as a marine fuel
in the ports of Sokhna and East Port Said. The project aims to reduce emissions
and help SCZONE transition to sustainable energy in maritime transport.
The second agreement, with the Tokyo Metropolitan Government
(TMG), focuses on cooperation in green hydrogen for ship bunkering. The
partnership will involve exchanging knowledge and information to promote clean
energy applications.
On the forum's sidelines, Gamal El-Din and his delegation
met with Japan's Sumitomo Corporation. Discussions, which included Shohei
Takenouchi, Assistant Head of Global Strategy and Coordination for the Middle
East and Africa team, focused on creating an industrial developer zone within
SCZONE to draw in Asian investments.
Gamal El-Din outlined the investment incentives and free trade agreements available in the zone. They also explored cooperation on ship bunkering with various types of fuel, the possibility of collaborating on green hydrogen production for export, ship bunkering, or use in industries such as low-emission steel, Sumitomo's potential involvement in local infrastructure projects, including water desalination plants and a hydrogen services corridor.