Minister of Local Development and Qena Governor Inspect the Industrial Zone in Qift

Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development and Acting Minister of Environment, along with Dr. Khaled Abdel Halim, Governor of Qena, inspected the industrial zone in Qift to follow up on the status of ongoing infrastructure projects in the area, review achievements within the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt, and ensure the readiness of industrial zones to receive new investments in the coming period. This is part of the government's commitment to supporting industrial development and enhancing the investment climate in the governorates, especially those in Upper Egypt.

Accompanying the minister and governor during the tour were Dr. Hazem Omar, Deputy Governor of Qena; Dr. Hesham Helbawy, Director of the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt; Major General Sami Allam, Secretary-General of the Governorate; several members of the program's coordination office; a World Bank team including Melin Rosanali, Senior Private Sector Development Specialist at the World Bank, and Vincent Balmad, Lead Economist for the Africa Region at the Bank; as well as several executive leaders from the governorate, representatives of the General Authority for Industrial Development, and representatives of companies and factories operating in the industrial zone.

At the start of the tour, the Minister of Local Development and the Governor of Qena listened to a presentation by representatives of the General Authority for Industrial Development about the general status of the Qift industrial zone, which covers an area of approximately 4,069 acres. The Local Development Program in Upper Egypt has invested about 1.7 billion Egyptian pounds aiming for comprehensive development of all infrastructure facilities and services in the area.

The planning, marketing, procedural framework, basic services, and business development services carried out in the industrial zone were reviewed, along with the increase in occupancy rates, the number of factories, and the variety of activities present in the zone.

Dr. Manal Awad, Minister of Local Development, emphasized that the Qift industrial zone represents a promising model for integrated industrial development in Upper Egypt governorates.

She stressed the ministry's keenness to cooperate with ministries and relevant government bodies to support governorates in developing industrial zones and removing obstacles for investors, contributing to providing real job opportunities, advancing economic development, and achieving the state's goals of localizing industry and maximizing the use of local resources.

She pointed out that equipping industrial zones and involving the private sector in their management are essential steps to attract investments.

She explained that the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt contributes to establishing effective plans for promoting and marketing the Qift industrial zone.

For his part, the Governor of Qena noted that the Qift industrial zone enjoys a distinguished strategic location on the Qift - El Quseir road, about 150 km from Safaga Port and 40 km from Luxor Airport. It is also connected to the regional road network, located on the railway line (Qift station), and 7 km south of the new Qena - Safaga axis, which links the governorate east and west to the seaports, enhancing investment opportunities and facilitating transportation and export.

The governor explained that the zone offers promising investment opportunities in various industrial activities and includes several supporting facilities and services such as a power station, fuel station, sugar factory, vocational training center, police station, and ambulance unit. The industries established there according to the general plan include chemical, food, engineering, building materials, agricultural, and tourism industries.

Dr. Khaled Abdel Halim added that during his visit to Qena Governorate, Dr. Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, directed new extensions and expansions for the Qift industrial zone to support the governorate's industrial development plans.

The Governor of Qena indicated that the total number of factories in the Qift industrial zone is 160, including 70 operating factories, 37 under construction, 48 not yet operational, and 5 factories withdrawn but with existing buildings.

The Minister of Local Development and the Governor of Qena visited the Abdelwahab Metal Industries factory in the Qift industrial zone and listened to a briefing about the factory's activity, which operates in metal industries and produces metal sanitary tools and parts, with an annual production capacity of 400,000 brass faucets and 800,000 brass valves. The factory has investments estimated at about 120 million Egyptian pounds and provides about 20 direct job opportunities. They praised the quality of the product and the factory's role in supporting local industry.

At the end of the visit, the Minister of Local Development took commemorative photos with the female workers and engineers at the factory and representatives of the General Authority for Industrial Development.

Dr. Manal Awad praised the role of the Local Development Program in Upper Egypt in enhancing job opportunities targeting women in Upper Egypt.

The minister called on industrial investors to expand this approach to help provide employment opportunities for women in Upper Egypt governorates.