Photo courtesy of Egypt's cabinet
Egypt’s General Authority for the Golden Triangle Economic Zone (GTEZ) has inked its first industrial development contract with El Sewedy Industrial Development to develop an integrated industrial and logistics zone in Safaga, the authority announced on Thursday.
The GTEZ is a state-established agency that manages a 2.2-million-acre economic project, the Golden Triangle, in Upper Egypt, located between Safaga, Quseir, and Qena. The zone focuses on building industrial, mining, and tourism hubs to use local mineral resources.
The zone will focus on mining and manufacturing industries related to mineral resources alongside logistics, warehousing, as well as production and export support services.
The zone will be developed over three phases by El Sewedy, covering a total area of 6 million square metres near multi-purpose ports such as Safaga and Abou Tartour ports, establishing the zone as a hub connecting Upper Egypt to export markets.
Egypt has been accelerating its port modernization plan, as part of a strategy to establish itself as a regional hub for transport and transit trade. During the first quarter of 2026, the country’s transit trade volume surged by 35 percent year-on-year.
Egyptian ports also recorded a sharp rise in container traffic in 2025, with total container throughput climbing 24.3 percent year-on-year to 11.1 million TEUs.
Last month, Safaga port’s newest multipurpose terminal launched its trial operations, supporting mining activities in the Golden Triangle region. The port is part of one of eight international logistics corridors, the Safaga–Qena–Abu Tartour logistics corridor, being developed by Egypt to transform into a regional logistics centre.
Furthermore, this contract is part of a wider push to develop Upper Egypt, enhancing its competitiveness in the Egyptian economy. It will also expand the role of private and local sector companies in developing and operating industrial zones, which will increase development and investment rates.
Egypt has set a target for the industrial sector's contribution to GDP to rise from 14 percent to 20 percent by 2030 and for the private sector to account for 72 percent of economic output.
Furthermore, the zone links Safaga to road networks in Safaga and Qena, providing direct and indirect job opportunities. It also facilitates the connection of Upper Egypt governorates to seaports and local and international markets, expediting the movement of raw materials and products.
As of April 2026, investment zones in Egypt have attracted EGP 66.3 billion in investments across 12 zones, creating around 77,500 jobs.
Additionally, the project will incorporate an unspecified percentage of renewable energy sources into the zone's energy mix to maximize their added value and minimize resource waste, increasing green spaces and sustainability.
The government has been diversifying the use of renewable and alternative energy sources, increasing the capacity of several sectors to adapt to the effects of climate change and support the green economy.
El Sewedy’s involvement in the zone will push it to “expand its integrated industrial development, transforming the logistical advantages of the Golden Triangle region into diverse investment opportunities and production projects,” according to the firm’s CEO Mohamed El-Qammah.
There are also plans to establish a branch of the Elsewedy Technical Academy within the industrial zone, to prepare and train specialized technical personnel to meet labour market demands.
Short link: