Minister of Industry Eng. Khaled Hashem held talks on Wednesday with Ireland’s Ambassador to Egypt Aidan O’Hara, and a delegation from Enterprise Ireland. The two sides discussed avenues for boosting industrial co-operation between the two countries.
Discussions during the meeting focused on promising areas of collaboration, including pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, life sciences, renewable energy, technology transfer in research and development, waste management and industrial recycling, telecommunications, and financial technologies (FinTech).
The talks coincided with the current visit of the Enterprise Ireland delegation to Egypt, aimed at exploring trade and investment opportunities and fostering stronger partnerships between the Egyptian and Irish business communities.
Minister Hashem underscored the longstanding and distinguished relations between Egypt and Ireland, which are built on a rich history of co-operation across various fields.
He highlighted Egypt’s commitment to leveraging Irish expertise in localising industrial production, transferring advanced technologies, and enhancing knowledge exchange to support the development of Egypt’s industrial sector.
The minister noted that integrating renewable and clean energy into industrial operations is currently among the ministry’s top priorities.
This is part of efforts to boost the competitiveness of local industries, reduce production costs, and cut down dependence on conventional energy sources.
In this context, Minister Hashem highlighted the ministry’s ongoing implementation of the “Solar Industry Initiative,” aiming to install solar power systems on the rooftops of approximately 7,000 factories across Egypt, with a combined capacity of up to 1,000 megawatts.
The initiative is being implemented through a variety of financing and execution models and is expected to reduce energy costs for manufacturers, lower natural gas consumption, and enhance the competitiveness of Egyptian products in both domestic and international markets.
The minister expressed Egypt’s interest in drawing on Ireland’s advanced experience in applying artificial intelligence and quantum computing to pharmaceutical research and development, particularly given the strategic importance Egypt places on the pharmaceutical sector.
For his part, Ambassador Aidan O’Hara reaffirmed Ireland’s commitment to enhancing economic co-operation with Egypt, describing the country as one of Ireland’s key partners in the region.
Meanwhile, the Enterprise Ireland delegation stated that it would prepare a comprehensive report on its meetings with Egyptian ministers, government officials, and private-sector companies during the current visit. The report will be presented to Irish companies interested in exploring investment opportunities in Egypt and expanding their engagement with the local market.
