Egypt and South Africa are exploring opportunities to deepen industrial integration and expand joint investments in key sectors, particularly automotive manufacturing and components, pharmaceuticals, metals, agro-processing, and logistics infrastructure.
The discussions took place during a meeting between Egyptian Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem and South African Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition Mabo Parks Tau, along with their respective delegations, to build on the outcomes of the African Automotive Investment Forum recently held in El Alamein.
Hashem said that Egypt and South Africa have longstanding economic ties and that the Ministry of Industry is seeking to expand cooperation towards greater industrial integration by making better use of the resources and production capabilities available in both countries.
He added that Egypt is seeking to attract automotive manufacturers and component producers to establish production facilities in the country to serve the domestic market and export to foreign markets.
Egypt has also taken steps to localise and deepen domestic manufacturing of automotive components and attract major international companies to invest in the production of tyres and electric vehicle batteries, Hashem said.
He noted that Egypt and South Africa could cooperate in vehicle and component testing and certification, which would help facilitate trade and strengthen industrial integration between Egypt and African markets.
The minister also highlighted opportunities for joint projects in iron and steel and manganese alloys, which are key inputs for the steel and heavy industries. Such projects could help leverage the mineral resources of both countries and increase the value added of locally available raw materials.
Tau said that South Africa is keen to strengthen cooperation with Egypt in automotive manufacturing and components and explore additional areas for partnerships that could support the economies of both countries.
He highlighted the recent African Automotive Investment Forum in El Alamein, which resulted in several agreements, including a deal between Egypt’s ElAraby Group and South African engineering company Malben Engineering to establish a joint industrial platform for manufacturing automotive components.
The forum also saw the signing of a protocol to launch the Egyptian-South African Business Council, which Tau described as an initial step towards expanding industrial and investment cooperation between the two countries.
