Egypt is one of the world's fastest growing developing markets with good potential for Irish exporters. Enterprise Ireland has completed numerous market investigations on behalf of a growing number of companies. Investigations into market opportunities on a more in-depth basis have also been completed, in those areas highlighted as priority sectors for development in Egypt.
Priority sectors in Egypt where you can develop your business include:
Environmental Technology
Egypt's environmental law (issued in 1994) gave existing companies 4 years grace to comply with its provisions. Severe penalties are now in place and the demand for environmental services is set to grow.
Food Process & Packaging
There are opportunities in the post harvest technology and associated process and packaging equipment:
• Horizontal packaging
• Bottling
• Canning and display box machinery
• Atmospheric pressure packaging
• Handling of fruit and vegetables and perishable products
The most promising opportunities for this sector lie in the areas of:
• Sugar beet processing and refining mills
• Edible oils including sunflower, olive and soybean oils
• Animal and chicken feed
• Fresh and preserved fruits and vegetables
• Tomato paste and ketchup
• Natural juices
• Jam and fruit concentrates
• Feta cheese
• Baby milk
• Flour milling
Healthcare
The Egyptian constitution states that healthcare must be made accessible to every citizen, and as a consequence the government gives high priority to the provision of public health services, heavily subsidizing much of the cost. There are around 3,500 clinics, over 500 community hospitals and about 80 city hospitals in Egypt, and the ratio of doctors to patients is considered to be among the best in the developing world.
The emphasis has shifted in recent years from building new hospitals to upgrading existing facilities. The large number of kidney failure patients has increased demand for electro-dialysis units in general hospitals and rural areas, while specialized biotechnology laboratory equipment for use in bone marrow and kidney transplants is another priority.
Laboratories also require:
• Cell imaging
• Elocytometry and electrophoresis equipment
• Amino acid analyzers and sequencers
• Egypt imports almost all of its medical equipment requirements. Imports of all types of medical equipment are expected to grow in the future.
Telecommunications
Egypt's telecommunication infrastructure has been extensively modernized with approximately 75% of its 5 million lines being digital. An optical fiber transmission network links all cities and districts.
As a result of private involvement in the sector, the mobile phone service within Egypt is set to improve considerably. Target sectors of opportunity include the mobile telephone sector, particularly the private operators, Mobinil and Vodafone (formerly Click) and the soon to be privatized, Egypt Telecom, particularly for Irish software and hardware equipment, service providers.
Ireland's Gamely Group is bidding for $200 million contract to set up Cable-Egypt: a corporation extending satellite television stations and high speed networks to a number of Egyptian cities.
Trade exchange
Trade exchange between Egypt and Ireland until 2006 reached a total of €56,318 million: €42,977 million worth of Egyptian imports from Ireland; €13,341 of Egyptian exports to Ireland.
Leading Irish energy provider Bord Gais is bidding for a contract to export Egyptian natural gas to the United Kingdom, Ireland and other European countries.
The Egyptian-Irish Businessmen's Council was first established in 2003 in Dunlin with the purpose of opening new channels of communication between the two countries.
Civil Aviation
Ireland's state-owned carrier Air Rianta has sealed a deal with EgyptAir to provide consultation in the area of managing free zone outlets. Irish IT corporation Global Peering Exchange is about to set up shop in Egypt.
Investments
Dublin-based Heneghan Peng Architects have won the international architectural competition to design the Grand Egyptian Museum in Giza. The open architectural competition attracted 1557 designs from 83 countries, most likely the largest global architectural competition in history.
Negotiations on a double taxation deal have been ongoing for five years since 2001.
Technical & scientific Cooperation
• Talks are underway between the Sadat Academy and University College Dublin (UCD) over a memorandum of understanding to offer Egyptian students scholarships in the areas of commerce and business management.
• A proposal was submitted for concluding a cooperation agreement between Cairo University and UCD and another between Alexandria University Cork (UCC).
Tourism
• Irish tourists have been on the rise for quite some time. In the period January-September 2006 they reached a total of 22,274; with an increase rate of 42.8 per cent over the same period last year.
• The Egyptian Embassy in Dublin seeks to remove the travel warning sign marking Egypt on its electronic website (issued in the aftermath of the Dahab terrorist attack in April 2006).
|
