Egypt's Ministry of Industry under Khaled Hashem has stepped up efforts to reclaim unused industrial land and production units from non-serious investors and reallocate them to investors capable of launching productive projects that expand industrial capacity and support the national economy.
The move is part of the state's strategy to maximize the utilization of industrial assets, promote serious investment, and eliminate the practice of holding industrial land without development. The Ministry's approach aims to ensure that industrial land is directed toward projects that generate added value, in line with Egypt's goals of deepening local manufacturing and attracting more industrial investment.
In this context, the minister instructed the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) to intensify field inspection campaigns, in coordination with the relevant authorities and law enforcement agencies, to enforce decisions to withdraw industrial land and units that remain unused or whose owners have failed to meet the agreed implementation timelines.
The campaigns resulted in the recovery of a number of idle industrial plots and units across key industrial zones, including New Cairo, Katameya, and Badr City in Cairo Governorate, as well as several industrial areas in Alexandria. The withdrawals followed confirmation that some investors had failed to implement their projects or had violated land allocation conditions.
The reclaimed land and units will be re-offered to serious investors capable of commencing production without delay. The Ministry said that the measures are intended to strengthen discipline in the industrial land allocation system, prevent speculative landholding, and link continued land ownership to compliance with project implementation schedules and the launch of actual industrial activity.
Meanwhile, the ministry stressed that it is balancing the protection of state assets with support for committed investors by granting extensions and facilitation measures to projects that have achieved tangible implementation progress or face legitimate challenges requiring assistance.
Withdrawal procedures will continue to apply only to cases where a lack of seriousness has been established. The IDA will continue, in coordination with the relevant authorities and law enforcement agencies, to conduct inspection campaigns across industrial zones to ensure the optimal use of industrial land and prevent it from remaining idle or being used for purposes other than those for which it was allocated.
The Ministry of Industry emphasized that re-allocating unused industrial land and making it available to serious investors is a key pillar of its industrial development strategy, helping to establish new projects, increase production, create jobs, and strengthen the manufacturing sector's contribution to Egypt's gross domestic product.
The Ministry said that the policy reflects its commitment to promoting transparency, discipline, and the efficient use of industrial assets by transforming idle land into operational factories and production lines that support the national economy, enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian industry, and advance the country's sustainable industrial development goals.