Egypt offers Pakistan manufacturing hub to access US market

Egypt has offered Pakistani companies opportunities to establish manufacturing operations in the North African country to benefit from its preferential trade arrangements with the United States.

The development came during Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan series of bilateral meetings with Fareed S. Alasaly, Deputy Governor for International Organizations and Agreements of Saudi Arabia; Mohamed Farid Saleh, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade of Egypt; and Samir Abid, Minister of Trade and Export Development of Tunisia, on the sidelines of the 42nd Session of the Standing Committee for Economic and Commercial Cooperation (COMCEC) in Istanbul, Türkiye, read a statement on Thursday.

In a bilateral meeting with Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Mohamed Farid Saleh, Jam Kamal Khan discussed opportunities to enhance bilateral trade, investment and industrial cooperation, particularly in the cotton and textile sectors.

The Egyptian minister highlighted investment opportunities in Egypt and encouraged Pakistani companies to explore manufacturing and industrial partnerships.

He drew attention to Egypt’s preferential trade arrangements with the United States, which offer opportunities for Pakistani investors to establish manufacturing operations in Egypt and access the American market, subject to applicable trade requirements.

Saleh also requested details of Pakistani companies expected to participate in the upcoming business forum to facilitate direct engagement between the business communities and identify potential investment partnerships.

He further highlighted educational opportunities for Pakistani students in Egypt, particularly in science, technology, medicine, healthcare and engineering, noting the availability of educational facilities at competitive costs.

Jam Kamal emphasised the need to develop joint ventures between Pakistani and Egyptian private-sector companies and explore opportunities in textiles, manufacturing and other mutually beneficial sectors.

He stressed that closer business-to-business engagement and stronger institutional linkages could help both countries expand their commercial partnerships and explore new international markets.

During his meeting with Fareed S. Alasaly, Deputy Governor for International Organizations and Agreements of Saudi Arabia, both sides agreed to further strengthen cooperation in agriculture and industrial development, particularly in human resource development, livestock and food security.

Jam Kamal Khan emphasised the importance of identifying new avenues for mutually beneficial joint ventures between Pakistani and Saudi companies. He particularly proposed partnerships between leading businesses of the two countries to explore emerging trade opportunities in African markets.

The commerce minister also stressed the need for greater institutional and private-sector engagement to translate economic potential into practical business partnerships.

Meanwhile, during his bilateral meeting with Tunisia’s Minister of Trade and Export Development, Samir Abid, Jam Kamal discussed possibilities for enhancing bilateral trade and exploring new avenues of economic and industrial cooperation between Pakistan and Tunisia.

Both ministers acknowledged that the existing volume of bilateral trade remains significantly below its true potential and emphasized the need for coordinated efforts to identify new opportunities and strengthen commercial linkages between the two countries.

The discussions particularly focused on expanding cooperation in agriculture, minerals, textiles, auto parts and manufacturing, with both sides recognising considerable opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships in these sectors.

Jam Kamal emphasised that Pakistan and Tunisia could benefit from each other’s experience, technical expertise and industrial capabilities in specialised sectors. He highlighted the importance of sharing knowledge, adopting improved production practices and encouraging joint ventures to enhance productivity and competitiveness.