Industry minister explores investment partnership with EPEA

Industry minister meets EPEA to map four-track plan for mobilising private capital into manufacturing

Minister of Industry Khaled Hashem met with the Egyptian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (EPEA), chaired by Ayman Soliman, in an expanded session to explore cooperation frameworks aimed at channeling private investment into Egypt’s manufacturing sector. The ministry outlined four potential tracks for partnership, including the establishment of industrial investment funds — the first of which is expected to be launched later this month — plus a new Industrial Franchise model, support for distressed factories and targeted financing for small and medium-sized industrial enterprises.

“These sectors represent Egypt’s industrial compass through 2030,” Hashem said, referring to the priority industrial groups identified under the country’s industrial strategy.

Attendees at the meeting included Mohamed Samy, Assistant Minister for Strategic Affairs; Ayman El Bayaa, Assistant Minister for Digital Transformation and Executive Director of the Industrial Modernisation Centre; and Maha Saleh, Assistant Minister for Industrial Policies. Ayman Soliman, chairperson of EPEA, expressed the association’s readiness to cooperate and provide advisory support, particularly on redefining and classifying distressed industrial projects to help investment funds and large investors make informed partnership decisions.

Four cooperation tracks

• Industrial investment funds to finance expansion-stage companies — the ministry plans to launch the first fund later this month.
• Introduction of an Industrial Franchise model to connect leading manufacturers with smaller producers and startups, allowing use of intellectual property or industrial know-how under agreed terms.
• Revival of distressed factories by linking them with investors willing to form partnerships to restart operations and preserve jobs.
• Dedicated financing mechanisms aimed at small and medium-sized industrial enterprises to support scaling and competitiveness.

The ministry has also rolled out an integrated digital platform intended to support manufacturers and investors. The platform offers a package of digital industrial services, including integrated solutions for distressed factories by connecting them with financing institutions and creating partnership opportunities. It will maintain a comprehensive database of distressed factories; registered projects are currently being classified and their data verified to facilitate matchmaking between idle plants and potential investors.

Hashem framed these interventions as part of a broader push to attract investments that bring technology transfer, knowledge localisation and deeper integration into global production chains. He said the industrial strategy has identified five priority industrial groups using scientific criteria, benchmarks and measurable performance indicators:

• Industries linked to integration into global supply chains
• Enabling industries
• Strategic industries
• Complementary industries
• Circular economy and recycling industries

Outlook

The minister’s engagement with EPEA signals a coordinated effort to unlock private equity and venture capital as complementary sources of finance for manufacturing. With the first industrial investment fund scheduled to launch later this month and a digital platform already active to screen and match distressed assets, officials expect faster decision-making by investors and clearer pathways for reviving idle capacity while preserving employment. EPEA’s declared advisory support could accelerate classification of distressed projects and improve readiness for partnerships between funds and industrial operators.