Investment Minister reviews General Motors’ $530m Egypt expansion plans

2026-03-17 - 18:51

Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Mohamed Farid, held talks with Sharon Nishi, Chairperson and Managing Director of General Motors Egypt and Africa, to review the company’s current investments in Egypt and its future expansion plans. The meeting, held on Tuesday and attended by Jehan Saleh, economic adviser to the Prime Minister, focused on the government’s efforts to localise the automotive industry, increase its contribution to GDP, and align with GM’s expansion strategy in the Egyptian market. Farid highlighted the government’s broader agenda to localise industrial production, boost exports, attract foreign direct investment, and enhance the competitiveness of the automotive sector and its feeder industries. He underscored the strategic partnership with General Motors, which has maintained a long-standing presence in Egypt and produced more than one million vehicles locally. The minister noted that GM’s operations have generated around 1,300 direct jobs and over 30,000 indirect jobs, reflecting sustained investor confidence in Egypt’s market and its ability to attract long-term industrial investments. Discussions also reviewed the status of GM’s investments in Egypt, which exceed $530m, including approximately $50m allocated to robotic systems and advanced manufacturing technologies aimed at enhancing production efficiency. Farid pointed out that local content levels in some vehicle models now exceed 60%, supporting the state’s strategy to deepen industrial localisation and increase reliance on domestically produced components. He added that the ministry is working to develop a comprehensive export incentive framework to maximise the advantages of Egypt’s strategic geographic position as a regional production and export hub serving African and Middle Eastern markets. Improving the competitiveness of locally manufactured products, he stressed, remains central to expanding Egypt’s export footprint. Farid reaffirmed the government’s commitment to continued coordination with General Motors, pledging full support for expanding its investments in the automotive sector and scaling up industrial exports in line with national development priorities. For her part, Nishi described Egypt as a key pillar in the company’s long-term regional strategy, citing its strategic location and skilled workforce. She noted that General Motors is implementing a forward-looking plan that includes launching new vehicle models aligned with evolving market dynamics, while expanding production capacity to meet domestic demand and support export growth. Nishi also highlighted that the company recently marked 100 years of presence in the region, beginning with Egypt, underscoring the country’s central role in its regional footprint and reaffirming GM’s commitment to advancing industrial localisation and positioning Egypt as a regional hub for automotive manufacturing and exports across Africa and the Middle East.