Sunday 01/March/2026 – 10:12 AM
Engineer Khaled Hashem’s contract, Minister of IndustryAn expanded meeting was held in the presence of Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, along with representatives of 5 investment banks, to direct investment and financing tools, most notably investment funds, to support industrial projects eligible for export and enable them to expand and increase production, which contributes to promoting industrial development, increasing exports, and providing new job opportunities.
This came in the presence of representatives of the Industrial Development Authority, the Financial Supervision Authority, the Egyptian Stock Exchange, and the Sovereign Fund, as well as officials and representatives of EFG Hermes, Beltone, Cairo Capital, CI Capital, and Al Ahly Pharos.
The Ministers of Industry and Investment discuss innovative financing paths to support the manufacturing sector
Engineer Khaled Hashem stressed that the meeting aims to link the liquidity available in the financial market to the needs of the actual industry and spread the culture of industrial investment among citizens, thus contributing to increasing the volume of financing directed to the productive sector, raising the competitiveness of the Egyptian industry locally and internationally, and enhancing its contribution to the gross domestic product.
He explained that the Ministry of Industry is focusing on qualifying factories to be ready to obtain the necessary financing, noting that supporting the industry is not limited to providing financing, but rather includes ensuring the readiness of the project and its ability to grow and achieve real economic feasibility.
He said that the ministry will cooperate with investment and investment banks in examination and evaluation processes to ensure that financing is directed to promising projects for export, deepen local industrialization, reduce dependence on imports, and open new export markets.
The Minister of Industry called on investment banks to move quickly according to specific timetables, stressing that time is a crucial factor in enabling factories to exploit available opportunities, and that the Ministry is ready to provide data and technical support to accelerate evaluation processes and pump financing.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh stressed that the Ministry plays the role of an “enabler” that brings together the concerned parties and creates the necessary environment without being a party to the activity itself, pointing to the institutional dimension that the Ministry has pursued since assuming responsibility, and pointed out that Egypt has an appropriate legislative environment to establish various investment funds that can be directed directly to support the real economy, especially the industrial sector.
The Minister explained that the growth of any industrial project no longer depends only on the quality of the product, but rather on the availability of flexible and innovative financing tools that help it expand and improve its operational efficiency, noting that there are industrial companies that have achieved a noticeable improvement in their financial and operational performance after listing and offering on the Egyptian Stock Exchange, which confirms the importance of the capital market as a strategic tool for financing and enabling factories to move to greater stages of expansion.
He added that the proposed package includes various investment funds, including transferable value funds, direct investment, and equity and debt financing funds, allowing flexible financing solutions that are compatible with the needs of different factories, while leaving the success of the experiment to market evaluation. He pointed out that in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry, work will be done on preparing a financing database, which will facilitate investment banks to evaluate opportunities and pump financing quickly, and link financing products to the state’s development needs, especially in priority industrial sectors.
The Minister of Investment also stressed that mobilizing savings and directing them towards productive investment is a priority, calling on investment banks to accelerate the transformation of what has been agreed upon into clear implementation steps, stressing that simplifying procedures, clarity of standards, and speed of decision-making are essential factors for increasing industrial investments and creating new job opportunities.
The Minister of Investment stressed that the sovereign fund may contribute to promoting industrial opportunities and attracting investment partners, thus increasing capital flows to the industrial sector. It will also be a strategic partner for investment banks in launching industrial investment funds, noting that this cooperation aims to enhance the financial sector’s ability to direct financing directly towards promising industrial projects, increase their production capacity, and support the sustainable growth of the Egyptian economy.
The Minister announced the start of an intensive schedule of meetings with export councils and chambers of commerce to provide presentations and simplify procedures, to ensure that financing products are linked to the development needs of the Egyptian state.
Representatives of the investment community welcomed these trends, and announced their pledges to establish specialized investment funds to support the industrial sector, in a way that strengthens the link between finance and production, increases industrial capacity, raises employment rates, and supports sustainable economic growth.
