BOLSTERING the country’s industrial potential constitutes an integral part of the national strategy for achieving comprehensive and sustainable development as so contained in the Vision Egypt 2030, the framework instrument that defines the targets and approaches of the overall developmental drive. Recently, this issue has acquired fresh impetus with the considerable emphasis placed on the need to increase local production’s share in industrial development especially in light of the state’s keenness on boosting the size and quality of the localistion of industries and associated technologies. Several presidential review meetings have been devoted to following up the progress of action to localise the industries and technologies deemed necessary for the overall growth of the national economy. And last week, this newspaper editorialised on an earlier meeting President Sisi called with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and Trade and Industry Minister Nevine Gamea. By the weekend, the prime minister called a meeting with a group of public and private industrialists to exchange views on the modalities of invigorating the industry and technology localisation process.
Economists and industrialists share the view that industrial production has an inherent capacity to bring about a real economic leap especially given the industrial sector’s potential to meet the needs of local market, increase exports and create job opportunities. The noticeable emphasis on the role of the industrial sector also comes in harmony with the state’s intensive efforts to upgrade the agricultural sector, attract fresh and additional investments, modernise the national transport system, expand up-to-date urbanisation and improve the living conditions in the entire countryside. The attention being paid to industrial development ensures the comprehensiveness and balance of the developmental process. Furthermore, the push being given to the industry and technology localisation drive makes good use of and complements the efforts that have been made over the past years for infrastructure renewal, the setting up of industrial zones and cities and the establishment of industrial complexes.
One more advantage of boosting the industry and technology localisation drive is that it contributes to making the requirements of production available, consequently reducing reliance on imports; hence Prime Minister Madbouli’s meeting last Thursday with industrialists operating in the multiple production sectors of engineering, electronics, metallurgy, domestic appliances, pumps, valves, electric transformers, dairies and food stuffs. In his introductory remarks, Dr. Madbouli emphasised that the government stands willing to extend to industrialists such further facilities as would help achieve the common target of advancing the country’s industrial potential. And in reiteration of this willingness on the part of the government, the prime minister indicated that meeting with representatives of each sector would be convened with a view to getting acquainted with their views and proposals on the approaches to realising industry and technology localisation.
It was also in reflection of the government’s seriousness in promoting industry and technology localisation that Trade and Industry Minister Gamea informed the meeting that a list has been compiled of the production requirements that could be manufactured including through co-operation with the private sector, stressing in this context the importance of observance of specification and quality standards as well as the sustenance of production and technology upgrading efforts. Such efforts are in fact as much important to the industry and technology localisation as the actual process of manufacturing production requirements, given that it is through such efforts that the localisation drive can establish and maintain its competitiveness and growth.
