Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, held an extensive meeting with a delegation from Dubai-based DP World, led by Mohamed Shehab, Chief Executive Officer for Egypt and the Levant, to discuss ways to leverage the group’s logistics and trade capabilities to support the expansion of Egyptian products into global markets, with a particular focus on Africa. The meeting brought together the heads of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), the Export Development Authority (EDA), the Export Development Fund (EDF), the Egyptian Commercial Service (ECS), as well as chairpersons and representatives of the Export Councils. The meeting forms part of the Ministry’s efforts to bring together key stakeholders in Egypt’s foreign trade ecosystem and one of the world’s leading logistics providers to establish direct partnerships between Egyptian exporters and DP World, while maximising the benefits of the group’s integrated logistics services to support the expansion of Egyptian exports into international markets. Farid said the Ministry is pursuing a strategy focused on building effective partnerships between the exporting community and leading international companies specialising in transport, logistics, and supply chain services to enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian products and support the state’s export growth objectives. He noted that advanced logistics solutions have become a key factor in improving the efficiency of foreign trade and attracting further investment. The cooperation aims to support exports of Egypt’s priority products, including food industries, agricultural crops, chemicals, building materials, ready-made garments, and engineering products, to African markets more efficiently and at lower cost. Farid explained that the Ministry organised the meeting with the participation of the Export Councils and all relevant entities involved in the foreign trade system to familiarise exporters with DP World’s integrated service offering and explore how these services could be tailored to the requirements of each export sector and its target markets. He said this would help reduce market entry costs and improve supply chain efficiency. He added that the Ministry continues to implement a comprehensive programme to modernise the investment and foreign trade system, including streamlining procedures, enhancing logistics services, and strengthening coordination among relevant authorities, in support of the state’s objectives to increase exports and expand the private sector’s contribution to economic growth. Farid stressed that Africa represents one of the key pillars of Egypt’s export strategy, given the free trade agreements linking Egypt with numerous African countries. He noted that cooperation with international partners possessing extensive logistics networks, such as DP World, provides practical solutions to support the expansion of Egyptian companies across African markets. He also highlighted the importance of establishing direct partnerships between the Export Councils and DP World to assess the needs of each sector and benefit from the group’s services in transport, warehousing, distribution, and supply chain management, thereby helping Egyptian products enter new markets and strengthen their competitiveness. For his part, Mohamed Shehab, Chief Executive Officer of DP World for Egypt and the Levant, reviewed the group’s global operations. He noted that the company operates in more than 85 countries and manages an integrated network of ports, logistics zones, distribution centres, and supply chains, making it one of the world’s largest logistics service providers. He added that DP World handles approximately 10% of global trade, while around 23% of Egypt’s foreign trade passes through Ain Sokhna Port, which is operated by the group. Shehab said that over the past few years the group has expanded beyond port operations to provide an integrated range of services, including maritime and inland freight, warehousing, market distribution, and end-to-end supply chain management, offering exporters comprehensive solutions that improve market access while reducing costs. He added that DP World is implementing strategic investments in Egypt, including the development of Ain Sokhna Port and the establishment of the Sokhna Logistics Park, reinforcing Egypt’s position as a regional hub for trade, re-export, and logistics services. DP World officials also outlined the group’s logistics capabilities across African markets, including ports, distribution centres, specialised warehouses, and transport networks. They stressed the group’s readiness to support Egyptian exporters in sectors such as food industries, pharmaceuticals, chemicals, fertilisers, building materials, and textiles by providing transport, storage, distribution, and collection services across multiple African markets, thereby facilitating the entry of Egyptian products into those markets. Additionally, the officials said Egypt is a strategic hub for DP World’s regional operations and that its current and future investments are designed to support trade flows and strengthen regional market integration, in line with the Egyptian government’s vision of developing the logistics sector and positioning Egypt as a regional hub for trade and supply chains. The meeting featured extensive discussions between DP World officials, representatives of the Export Councils, and stakeholders from Egypt’s foreign trade ecosystem on the key logistics challenges facing Egyptian exporters and ways to utilise the group’s global network for transport, warehousing, distribution, supply chain management, and collection services. The discussions focused on reducing the cost of accessing foreign markets, enhancing the competitiveness of Egyptian products, and opening new export destinations, particularly across Africa. At the conclusion of the meeting, both sides agreed to continue coordination through specialised technical meetings between DP World and the Export Councils, in cooperation with the relevant foreign trade authorities, to assess the needs of various export sectors and develop implementation mechanisms that maximise the benefits of the group’s services. The initiative aims to support Egypt’s export growth targets while reinforcing the country’s position as a regional hub for trade, investment, and logistics services. The post Egypt explores partnership with DP World to expand global reach of exports first appeared on Dailynewsegypt.
