Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem reaffirmed on Thursday the ministry’s commitment to encouraging international companies operating in Egypt to expand their investments in priority industrial sectors in a manner that supports local market needs, increases exports and creates employment opportunities.
Minister Hashem met with Chairman of Unilever for North Africa, the Levant and Iraq Cem Tarik Yuksel and his accompanying delegation to discuss the company’s future plans in the Egyptian market.
Head of the Ministry’s Industry Affairs Sector Major General Sherif Al-Rashidi and Supervisor of the Technical Office of the Minister of Industry Ahmed Osama were present at the meeting.
The discussions reviewed Unilever’s operations in Egypt, which are currently spread across four factories producing personal care products, household products and food items, in addition to the company’s exports from Egypt to more than 30 countries across five continents.
During the meeting, Minister Hashem stressed the importance of supporting the expansion plans of major international manufacturers operating in Egypt and highlighted the need to strengthen local supply chains by increasing co-operation with domestic suppliers, thereby raising the local component in industrial products and enhancing the competitiveness of Egyptian manufacturing.
The minister also noted that the ministry’s recent decision to amend the licensing requirements for cosmetics factories in accordance with the international standard ISO 22716 reflects Egypt’s commitment to keeping pace with global developments in the cosmetics industry and ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality in manufacturing.
He explained that adopting ISO 22716 as a key reference for licensing procedures will facilitate access for Egyptian products to new export markets and further strengthen Egypt’s position as a regional hub for the cosmetics industry.
For his part, Chairman of Unilever for North Africa, the Levant and Iraq reaffirmed the company’s commitment to expanding its presence in Egypt, describing the country as Unilever’s largest and most important market in the region and its regional headquarters.
He added that the company is currently expanding its personal care products factory to raise production capacity to 150,000 tonnes annually and is preparing to launch a new production line for hair care products in the near future.
