Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, held an extensive meeting with Mark Mitchell, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce, on the sidelines of the Port Infrastructure and Maritime Innovation Conference organized by the Commercial Office of the US Embassy in Cairo.
The meeting was attended by Robert Silverman, Chargé d'Affaires of the US Embassy in Cairo; Major General Nihad Shahin, Deputy Minister of Transport for Maritime Transport; and Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.
The discussions focused on expanding bilateral cooperation across various transport and logistics sectors. At the outset of the meeting, El-Wazir underscored the depth of Egyptian-American relations, emphasizing that bilateral ties extend beyond trade and investment to constitute a firmly established strategic partnership.
He expressed Egypt's intent to deepen cooperation across the transport sector, highlighting the significant modernization of the country's national infrastructure. El-Wazir outlined promising opportunities for future joint initiatives, including managing port terminals, attracting American shipping lines, and establishing joint industrial-logistics zones adjacent to strategic ports.
These zones would facilitate the manufacturing of goods for export to the US market and streamline the processing of American raw materials, positioning Egypt as a central hub for US manufacturing and supply chains in the Middle East. The Minister highlighted several high-priority projects open to American investment and partnership.
These include the management, operation, and maintenance of a major container terminal at Al-Max Port, a general cargo terminal at the Port of Damietta, and an iron ore terminal at Al-Adabiya Port. He also presented opportunities to construct a commercial shipyard in Damietta and develop global logistics zones at the Port of Gargoub, the Port of Salloum, and the Sadat City Industrial Estate.
El-Wazir emphasized Gargoub Port’s strategic position along Mediterranean trade routes serving trans-Atlantic and Asian commerce. Additionally, he cited potential collaboration in electric traction systems and international trade corridors to reinforce Egypt's role as a regional transit and transport hub.
For his part, Mark Mitchell praised the strength of US-Egypt relations, noting that the portfolio of projects presented reflects the scale of development within Egypt's transport sector. He affirmed that these initiatives offer strong potential to support the national economy and expand bilateral trade.
Mitchell reaffirmed the US government's interest in fostering public and private sector partnerships in transport and logistics, adding that the US Department of Commerce will coordinate with interested American companies to identify and prioritize projects for joint implementation in the coming phase.
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