"Egypt will be a hub for vehicle manufacturing and a significant player in the auto production and trade system within the AfCFTA.." says Mike Whitfield, President of the association and Group Strategic Advisor Policies, Political Affairs
The African Association of Automotive Manufacturers (AAAM) recently held its regular meeting in the East Port Said industrial zone, with the aim of advancing regional value chains and fortifying the automotive sector throughout the continent.
Minister Ahmed Samir, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Adel El Ghadban, Governor of Port Said attended the meeting. Representatives from leading car manufacturers and component suppliers worldwide gathered for the meeting, including Mike Whitfield, President of the association and Group Strategic Advisor Policies, Political Affairs, and External Relations at Nissan Motor Corporation, and Martina Biene, Chairperson and Managing Director of the Volkswagen Group, South Africa.
Gerhard Botha, General Manager of Toyota South Africa Motors, Sharon Nishi, Managing Director of General Motors Egypt - North Africa, and Markus Thill, President of Robert Bosch - Africa, were also present.
“The automotive industry and its feeding industries are one of the industrial sectors targeted to
be localized in SCZONE's strategic plan for 2020/2025, in terms of its prime and unique location,
especially with the integration of East Port Said industrial zone with its Port and the ease of
access to regional markets, also the investment incentives for the automotive industry that
launched by the Egyptian government last October, to meet the needs of the increasing
demand for this sector during the coming years in both the local and African markets," said Waleid Gamal El Dien, SCZONE Chairman.
"Egypt will be a hub for vehicle manufacturing and a significant player in the auto production and trade system within the AfCFTA, which will see a growth in demand from 1.1 million new vehicles to 5 million in the next 15 years. This will enable deep industrialization of the value chain in Egypt and across Africa," explained Whitfield.
David Coffey, CEO of AAAM, commended Egypt's East Port Said for developing a world-class ecosystem of logistics, infrastructure, and services that will support the evolving auto industry in Africa.
Following the meeting, the delegation visited East Port Said Port to familiarize themselves with its components, which was recently ranked among the top 10 global ports in terms of efficiency according to a World Bank report. The delegation also inspected the container berth operated by the Suez Canal Container Terminal and the Suez Canal Ro-Ro Terminal, operated by an international consortium including Toyota Tsusho, NYK, and AGL.
