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Gamal El-Din: Suez Canal deepens African ties, expands value chains

Businessmen Team news 19 November 2025 01:06 PM
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Gamal El-Din: Suez Canal deepens African ties, expands value chains

Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), concluded a two-day promotional tour in France, emphasizing the Zone's role in bolstering regional integration, expanding value chains, and attracting foreign investment, particularly from French and African companies.

Gamal El-Din participated as a speaker on a panel titled "Transport and Logistics: Catalysts for Regional Integration" at the seventh Ambition Africa conference. He affirmed that the SCZone is a pivotal platform for supporting regional and international trade, leveraging its strategic ports and advanced infrastructure to enhance integration with African and European markets.

He highlighted that the Zone's strategic location and investment incentives open vast opportunities for French and African companies. He stressed that international cooperation, especially with French partners, is essential for supporting industrial expansion, logistics services, and sustainable development across Egypt and Africa.

The SCZone Chairman held a series of bilateral meetings with key international figures:

Nicolas Forissier (French Minister Delegate for Foreign Trade and Economic Attractiveness): Discussions focused on strengthening economic and commercial cooperation between Egypt and France and increasing the presence of French companies within the SCZone. The French Minister and a delegation are expected to visit the Zone soon to assess investment opportunities firsthand.

Isabelle Eyhmonet (A.G. PARTNERS AFRICA Chairwoman): They explored boosting cooperation in attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to the SCZone, specifically targeting export-oriented industrial projects.

Azmeen Goolamallee (Chairwoman of the OCEINDE Group): They discussed enhancing cooperation across diverse industries, including chemicals, construction materials, telecommunications, data centers, and energy efficiency. They explored transferring some production operations and expanding manufacturing capabilities within the SCZone to support the group's regional expansion in African markets.

Frédéric Baque (Airbus SE Sales Director for Egypt): Discussions centered on bolstering cooperation in aircraft manufacturing and related technologies, emphasizing the SCZone's capacity to host advanced aviation industries.

Stéphane Vautrin (IVECO Regional Sales Manager for Egypt): They reviewed IVECO's expansion plans for the Egyptian and African markets and discussed opportunities for establishing manufacturing and assembly operations within the SCZone, aligning with the Zone's strategy to attract specialized industries.

The meetings consistently emphasized the SCZone’s advanced infrastructure and supportive investment incentives as key factors for attracting industrial and service projects aimed at regional and international markets.