Egypt’s Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea held an extensive meeting with Amazon International representatives to discuss the company’s expansion in the Egyptian market.
Amazon is likely to use Egyptian companies to market their products in local and international markets through the Amazon global platform.
In video conference, the minister said that e-commerce has imposed itself on all economic aspects in light of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak. She noted that, in the recent period, her ministry has been working to develop a universally applicable e-commerce system. It aims to enhance the popularity of Egyptian products in the local market, and increase Egyptian exports to foreign markets.
Gamea said that the Ministry of Trade and Industry is looking to initiate a comprehensive online platform that will not only show products, but also showcase manufacturing capabilities available at Egypt’s factories.
This will be put in effect to support local supply chains and meet factory needs to support business-to-business (B2B) cooperation through an e-commerce system.
Dalia Seif, Head of Public Policy at Amazon.com for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, said that the company plans the possibility of manufacturing in Egypt due to the country’s regional position as a strategic industrial hub. The manufacturing process will take place using advanced the industrial technologies of Amazon International.
Seif noted that the company is keen to attract more Egyptian companies to market their products through Amazon’s Egyptian arm Souq.com. It is particularly focusing on ready-made clothes, household appliances, plastic products, and electronic device accessories.
She pointed out that the company has increased its investments, in addition to increasing the number of its employees by 30%, due to the global health crisis. She added that Amazon markets products for 26 global sectors, with 1,000 of its 800,000 employees worldwide employed in Egypt.
