The British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA) organized a panel discussion on the future of logistics in Egypt and the Suez Canal Economic Zone projects.

Cairo, September 23, 2025 — The British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA) held a roundtable titled: “The New Era of Logistics in Egypt: Monitoring Port Projects in the Suez Canal Economic Zone, Logistics, and Industry”, at the Sofitel Cairo Hotel.

Dr. Walid Gamal El-Din, CEO of the General Authority of the Suez Canal Economic Zone, delivered the keynote speech. The discussion featured Kjeld Moesgaard Christensen, CEO of Suez Canal Container Terminal; Mohamed Shehab, CEO of DP World – Egypt and North Africa; Amr El-Batrawy, CEO and Board Member of Orascom Industrial Zones; and Medhat El-Qadi, CEO of KADMAR Shipping – Egypt.

Dr. Gamal El-Din highlighted the remarkable progress in Egypt’s logistics and port sectors, noting in particular the significant development of East Port Said, which is expected to rank third globally by 2024 and first in Africa, according to the World Bank report. He attributed this achievement to the Egyptian government’s large-scale infrastructure investments. He also stressed that boosting productivity in industrial zones requires expanding market share to strengthen Egypt’s competitiveness in global markets.

Over the past 38 months, the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) has signed contracts for 34 projects worth $10.4 billion, most of them concentrated in the coastal cities of Ain Sokhna, Qantara, Ismailia, and East Port Said. A new industrial zone was recently inaugurated in Qantara, specializing in textiles and food production, which is expected to significantly improve Egypt’s exports via Mediterranean ports. With 40 companies currently exporting an average of $100 million each, Egypt’s exports — currently valued at $40 billion — are expected to grow by an additional $4 billion.

The SCZone is also boosting productivity by expanding services such as bunkering, which rose from zero to 1 million tons annually. While efforts continue to attract more value-added logistics services, the strongest economic benefits remain in manufacturing.

In the past eight months alone, the SCZone has opened 50–60 factories and attracted more than 334 projects, including 11 ports. Notably, 70% of the new industries are completely new to Egypt, such as local solar panel production and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs).

Foreign investment confidence has also surged, with over $6.3 billion invested in the last 14 months. Despite ongoing infrastructure spending, further capacity expansion is still needed. Overall, the SCZone is expected to play a major role in boosting exports and unlocking its full economic potential.

Kjeld Moesgaard Christensen, CEO of SCCT, emphasized that East Port Said’s achievement of third place worldwide in the 2024 Container Port Performance Index reflects a collective effort by the Suez Canal Authority, SCZone, and infrastructure partners. He explained that an efficient port not only expands its handling capacity but also enhances surrounding infrastructure.

Egypt has heavily invested in the port’s capacity, now standing at about 10 million TEUs, compared to current market demand of 2.5–3 million TEUs. Christensen said this reflects the government’s proactive vision to prepare for future growth, while stressing that full advantage of this opportunity requires stronger cooperation among stakeholders. “We are working closely with stakeholders and customs authorities to improve cargo flow and transparency for importers,” he added.

He also noted that the World Bank’s report highlights operational efficiency, and having an Egyptian port ranked third globally among hundreds is a major accomplishment. Looking forward, the focus remains on reducing customs waiting times to attract more companies and strengthen industry specialization and cooperation.

Mohamed Shehab, CEO of DP World – Egypt & North Africa, underlined the importance of integrating with the wider economic ecosystem to ensure efficient services. Ports, he said, are both the starting and ending points of the SCZone’s logistics chain, facilitating imports and exports and serving as the backbone of industrial and economic activity.

The SCZone enjoys a strategic location, supported by strong investments from East Asia, particularly India and China. DP World plays a central role in Egypt’s import sector, handling about 70% of all imports. The system integrates smoothly with Mediterranean ports, strengthening export markets and linking ports to industrial zones through unified infrastructure.

Amr El-Batrawy, Chairman and Managing Director of Orascom Industrial Zones, emphasized the company’s 25-year cooperation with the SCZone. He noted the company’s key role in facilitating foreign direct investment, particularly for major raw material importers and finished-goods exporters. These investors found the SCZone’s seamless port-to-industry integration and its one-stop-shop model highly attractive.

Orascom Industrial Zones currently serves about 120 clients, with 50 operational facilities and many more under construction, significantly enhancing export and logistics capacity to support future growth.

Medhat El-Qadi, CEO of KADMAR Shipping Egypt, presented an overview of KADMAR’s initiatives in the SCZone. Initially, the company secured sites in Abu Rawash and Alexandria, before finally choosing Ain Sokhna for its flagship project.

KADMAR launched a 12,000 m² warehouse with an investment of about EGP 100 million, built in just three weeks and quickly operational. The company later expanded into a 50,000 m² logistics complex — one of the largest in Egypt — with a total investment of EGP 1.2 billion.

Despite concerns about Red Sea shipping, demand has remained strong, with key clients including manufacturers, food importers, and the United Nations. The complex now provides storage capacity for 112,000 pallets and 200,000 containers, with future plans for an administrative building and showroom to further support local manufacturing.