In recent years, the Ain Sokhna region has clearly begun to transform from just a port and a tourist destination into one of the most important industrial centers in Egypt and the region.
This major transformation is led by a very important sector, which is the chemical industry, which has become one of the basic sectors within the Suez Canal Economic Zone.
With the influx of local and foreign investments, Sokhna began to attract dozens of giant factories and projects, to the point that the number of chemical projects planned or being implemented reached about 130 industrial projects, a huge number that reflects the scale of industrial transformation in the region.
The industrial zone in Ain Sokhna has become one of the most important industrial points in Egypt currently, and this is due to its distinguished strategic location near the Suez Canal and the port of Sokhna, which greatly facilitates the movement of export and import.
This location has made it a strong attraction for international companies looking for a place close to international markets and easy access to ports
The chemical industry in particular has become a major focus of industrial expansion there, because it is one of the industries involved in hundreds of different products, starting from fertilizers, petrochemicals, and industrial resins, all the way to materials used in the electronic industries and batteries.
One of the most important projects currently heading to Sokhna is the establishment of huge industrial complexes for phosphate chemicals, which depend on converting phosphate ore into high-value industrial products instead of exporting it as a raw material.
These complexes will produce materials such as pure phosphoric acid and materials used in the manufacture of electric batteries, which are modern industries that are in demand globally.
The basic idea of this expansion is that Egypt will no longer be just a source of raw materials, but will become a country that manufactures and exports finished products whose economic value is much higher.
The region also receives various projects in the field of intermediate chemicals, such as factories that produce formaldehyde and its derivatives, which are used in many industries such as industrial wood, paints, and adhesives.
At the same time, the region is expanding in establishing factories and facilities that serve the chemical industries themselves, such as production lines for sodium carbonate, or what is known as soda ash, which is an essential material in the glass, detergent, and paper industries.
The major industrial expansion in Sokhna did not come out of nowhere, but it is part of a larger plan to transform the Suez Canal Economic Zone into a global industrial and logistics center.
In recent years alone, hundreds of industrial projects have been contracted with investments worth billions of dollars, which has contributed to the creation of thousands of new job opportunities.
The big advantage is that most of these factories are export-oriented, which means that Sokhna could transform in the coming years into a major gateway for exporting Egyptian chemical industries to the markets of Asia, Africa and Europe.
Most importantly of all, the presence of 130 chemical projects in one region creates what is called an integrated industrial cluster, meaning raw materials factories next to intermediate product factories and then finished product factories, and this reduces costs and increases production efficiency.
I mean, what is happening in Ain Sokhna currently is not just the establishment of new factories, but a major shift in the map of Egyptian industry.
With the gathering of dozens of international companies and giant projects, the region has gradually begun to transform into the largest center for chemical industries in the Middle East.
If investments continue at the same pace, within a few years we may hear about Sokhna not only as an important port on the Red Sea, but as one of the most important heavy and chemical industry cities in the entire region.
