Cairo: Egypt’s Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport Kamel El Wazir held an extensive meeting with representatives from 29 French companies to discuss investment opportunities and future expansion plans in the Egyptian market, as per a Cabinet statement.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting took place as part of the ongoing Egyptian-French economic partnership and included companies operating in renewable energy, food industries, pharmaceuticals, construction, real estate, water and waste management, secure digital solutions, telecoms, financial consultancy, logistics, aviation, and rail systems.

During the meeting, French aerospace giant Airbus presented its plan to deepen local manufacturing by manufacturing and maintaining helicopters in Egypt, with an eye on tourism and medical transport.

Capgemini discussed expanding its digital technology operations, while Soci©t© G©n©rale outlined its strategy to finance upcoming transport projects in the country.

CDS, a firm specialising in rail signalling systems, explored collaboration on railway projects including the Ferdan-Bir El Abd-Arish-Taba line, with a focus on local production and partnerships, notably with Italian company Mermec.

Engineering consultancy Artelia expressed interest in French-funded transport projects such as the Alexandria tram, metro expansions, and airport engineering, alongside training for technical staff.

In the pharmaceutical sector, Servier shared plans to expand its existing factory in Sixth of October City, aiming to double output of treatments for chronic diseases and start producing cancer medications.

Minister El Wazir encouraged the firm to boost production to reduce Egypt’s reliance on imports and meet regional export demand across the Middle East and Africa.