Egypt’s Ministry of Industry has opened talks with ABB Egypt on expansion plans, higher local content and the company’s role in national projects, placing electrical industries and engineering products at the centre of Cairo’s drive to deepen manufacturing and raise exports.Industry Minister Khaled Hashem met Ahmed Hammad, chairperson of ABB Egypt, to review the group’s manufacturing base, export performance and energy-saving plans. The meeting was attended by Hussein El Ghazawy, the minister’s adviser for energy affairs, Ahmed Osama, supervisor of the minister’s technical office, and AbdAllah Kassem, head of power systems solutions sectors and factories manager at ABB Egypt.
The discussions focused on ABB Egypt’s main plant in 10th of Ramadan City, described as the company’s principal manufacturing hub for the Middle East and Africa, as well as two other facilities in the Nasr City Free Zone and the Suez Free Zone. The company said local content reaches 78 per cent in some products, a level that fits the ministry’s push to develop suppliers and retain more value inside the industrial chain.
ABB Egypt exported about 25 per cent of its total production in 2025 to more than 50 countries. During the first half of 2026, its export reach expanded to more than 60 markets, underlining Cairo’s effort to use multinational manufacturers as export platforms while the government seeks to narrow the trade deficit and lift non-oil sales abroad.
Hashem said electrical and engineering industries are among seven priority sectors in Egypt’s industrial strategy to 2030. The ministry views the segment as important for meeting local demand, increasing exports and localising technology, particularly because it carries relatively high added value and supports other industries from energy and infrastructure to manufacturing automation.
The minister said the government would provide support to help remove obstacles facing ABB Egypt, while urging the company to continue developing local suppliers, raising added value and increasing the proportion of locally sourced components in its products. The message reflects a wider policy shift towards manufacturing depth, not only assembly, as Egypt seeks to secure supply chains and attract technology-intensive investment.
Hammad said ABB regards Egypt as one of its most strategic markets in the region, pointing to a presence of more than a century and continuing investment in local capabilities. He said ABB continues to develop integrated solutions that help businesses across Egypt operate more efficiently and sustainably, improve productivity and reduce energy consumption, enabling them to compete globally while supporting the state’s target of building a more advanced and sustainable industrial sector.
The company’s operations in Egypt have grown into a manufacturing and services platform for electrification and automation. Its annual turnover has been put at about EGP 14bn, while investment over the past decade has reached around $300m. Its 10th of Ramadan complex covers nearly 100,000 square metres and includes 13 production lines.
Kassem said ABB Egypt’s localisation model is already visible in the high proportion of domestically sourced inputs across selected product lines. He also highlighted plans to cut energy use and carbon emissions at the company’s factories, including participation in the Shams Al-Sena’a initiative through rooftop solar systems that would reduce dependence on the national grid.
The solar plan is tied to a broader aim of improving the competitiveness of Egypt-made products in European and global markets, where carbon intensity and energy efficiency are becoming more important in procurement decisions. ABB Egypt has set a target for solar power to cover 70 per cent of its operations by 2028, while maintaining certifications covering quality, environment, occupational health and safety, energy management and testing standards.
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