Dr. Mohamed Awad:
Alexandria ISC provides post-incorporation services to 32,000 companies.
We are accelerating the infrastructural development at Alexandria Public Free Zone to accommodate industrial expansions and increase productivity.
Alexandria Public Free Zone hosts 416 projects with total investments of USD 14.7 billion and provides 55,000 job opportunities.
The financial performance of the free zone projects should be closely monitored in order to reach more responsive, sector-tailored incentive policies.
In line with the directives of Dr. Mohamed Farid, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade (MIFT Minister), calling for continuous field monitoring of efforts to improve the investment climate and streamline procedures for investors, Dr. Mohamed Awad, the Chief Executive Officer of the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI CEO), visited Alexandria Investor Service Center (ISC) and Alexandria Public Free Zone (PFZ). The visit was aimed at inspecting the operational performance, assessing progress against development plans, and evaluating the quality of services provided to investors.
Dr. Awad stressed the importance of continuously upgrading the working environment within ISCs to ensure faster, more efficient service delivery. He directed staff to intensify digital transformation efforts, raise the competence of human resources, and strengthen coordination with relevant authorities to simplify procedures and accelerate the issuance of investment-related approvals.
He also emphasized the need for the continuous development of services offered to investors and their representatives, urging teams to draw on proposals and ideas put forward by both staff and clients — all within a broader framework aimed at enhancing the investor experience and sharpening the competitiveness of Egypt's business environment.
Moreover, GAFI CEO reviewed the key performance indicators (KPIs) of Alexandria ISC, which successfully completed the incorporation procedures related to more than 3,500 companies in 2025 alone, in addition to providing post-incorporation services to approximately 32,000 companies. These figures speak to the growing momentum of investment activity in the governorate and to ISC's vital role in supporting the business community.
Dr. Awad also reviewed progress on infrastructure development projects within the Alexandria PFZ, covering electricity, water, sanitation, and civil defense and fire protection systems. These upgrades are designed to raise utility efficiency and equip the Zone to absorb new expansions while increasing the productivity of operating projects.
As part of GAFI's broader social responsibility mandate, Dr. Awad visited the nursery established by GAFI within Alexandria PFZ. The facility was set up to provide childcare for the children of GAFI staff, enabling female employees in particular to pursue their careers and professional ambitions without compromise.
Alexandria PFZ currently hosts 416 projects with aggregate investments totaling USD 14.7 billion, and provides approximately 55,000 direct jobs — figures that cement its standing as one of Egypt's most significant industrial and export hubs in support of the national economy.
In implementation of MIFT Minister's directives, Dr. Awad called for the regular monitoring of the financial performance of free zone projects. Such oversight will strengthen the State's ability to craft incentive policies that are more finely attuned to the needs of each economic sector and will reinforce the contribution of free zones to growing Egypt's exports across global markets.
Furthermore, GAFI CEO commended the dedication of Alexandria PFZ's workforce, and their success in striking the right balance between safeguarding the rights of the State and facilitating smooth, investor-friendly procedures — an equilibrium that underpins the sustainability of investments and the ongoing improvement of the business environment.
Dr. Awad noted that Alexandria PFZ leads all free zones nationwide in terms of export value, while Egypt's free zones collectively account for approximately 22% of total merchandise exports. This underscores the pivotal role of free zones in advancing the State's economic development plans, reinforcing the competitiveness of national exports, and generating employment opportunities.
