Egypt Signs Protocol to Ease Manufacturers Access to Foreign Markets

The Industrial Modernization Centre and the General Organization for Export and Import Control have signed a cooperation protocol to help Egyptian manufacturers meet international standards and improve access to foreign markets.

The agreement will combine technical support, training, testing, inspection and conformity assessment for industrial companies preparing to export. It is also intended to reduce the cost and administrative burden of obtaining quality certifications required in overseas markets.

The Industrial Modernization Centre, the Industry Ministry’s technical and executive arm, will work with companies on production upgrades and export readiness, while the General Organization for Export and Import Control will provide access to its laboratory network and technical expertise.

That network includes more than 300 laboratories and over 4,000 accredited tests covering areas such as product testing, inspection, conformity assessment, environmental certification and technical consultation.

The protocol also provides for financial support and capacity-building programmes aimed at helping manufacturers identify technical gaps that could prevent their products from meeting export requirements.

The agreement follows a separate June programme between the Industrial Modernization Centre and the Export Development Fund, which allocated EGP 557 million to support around 200 industrial facilities across priority sectors.

Export support has also been expanded through the state rebate programme. In July, the Export Development Fund allocated EGP 6 billion for a third instalment of overdue payments to exporters, while EGP 48 billion has been set aside in the current fiscal year’s budget for export reimbursements and support.

Annual exports are targeted to reach USD 115.8 billion by 2030, with supported companies expected to increase exports by around 20% to 25%.