Egypt has launched three key bodies dedicated to implementing the country’s national automotive strategy, according to a cabinet statement, pushing ahead on its plan for localizing car component manufacturing and vehicle assembly.

Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly chaired the Supreme Council for Vehicle Manufacturing’s inaugural meeting yesterday, highlighting the automotive industry’s importance in supporting the Egyptian economy in the coming phase.

The council will be responsible for drafting policies, strategies, regulations, and legislation that will govern the automotive industry, including electric vehicles.

The Ministry of Trade and Industry appointed four independent experts to join the council; Nissan Egypt’s Managing Director, Mike Whitfield; local auto parts manufacturer AutoTec’s Managing Director, Hossam Abdelaziz; African Association of Automotive Manufacturers’ Vice President Ahmed Fikry A. Wahab, also MD of Egyptian German Automotive and chairman of FAW Industrial Group; and Ihab Awad, general manager for German exhaust system manufacturer Boysen’s Egypt operations.

Chaired by Madboouoly, the council also includes several cabinet ministers, as well as representatives from the Customs Authority, the Federation of Egyptian Industries, and other state authorities.

The government also launched a fund that will offer incentives for sustainable and greener vehicles, and a new unit dedicated to auto localization plans was established by the Ministry of Trade.

Dubbed the Environmentally Friendly Car Production Fund, the newly-formed fund will support the development of domestic production of environmentally friendly cars – electric vehicles, dual-fuel, and other hybrid cars – as well as create and promote incentive programs to encourage innovation and competition in the sector.

The trade ministry’s new unit has been trusted to develop the mechanism to calculate incentives for local manufacturers under the Egyptian Automotive Industry Development Program (AIDP), providing accreditation and eligibility guidelines for auto manufacturers joining the program.