Cairo: Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, the Prime Minister, convened a meeting today to address ongoing efforts to curb smuggling operations and the inundation of Egyptian markets with illicit goods.
According to State Information Service Egypt, the meeting was attended by key governmental figures, including Engineer Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development, Minister of Industry and Transport, Mr. Ahmed Kouchouk, Minister of Finance, and Engineer Hassan Al-Khateeb, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade. The discussions also included Mr. Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the General Authority for the Economic Zone of the Suez Canal, Mr. Sherif El-Kilani, Deputy Minister of Finance for Tax Policies, overseeing the Egyptian Customs Authority, Major General Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the General Authority for Export and Import Control, and Dr. Amani Al-Wassal, Head of the Agreements and Foreign Trade Sector at the Ministry of Investment and Foreign Trade, alongside officials from pertinent ministries and agencies.
The Prime Minister emphasized the meeting’s focus on reviewing efforts to mitigate smuggling and market flooding, alongside evaluating proposals from the Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and the Minister of Industry and Transport. Engineer Kamel El-Wazir highlighted complaints from Egyptian manufacturers about smuggled goods impacting the market, noting that several smuggling incidents affecting domestic producers have been identified. He presented measures aimed at addressing these challenges.
During the meeting, the Ministers of Finance and Investment proposed regulations to be enforced at ports and customs, addressing personal imports to enhance governance and curb violations. The Prime Minister instructed the officials to expedite the agreement on these regulations and procedures for cabinet approval, aiming for comprehensive management of the issue.
Counselor Mohamed Al-Homsani, the official spokesperson for the Prime Minister’s Office, reported that the meeting included a review of the Customs Authority’s outcomes in combating smuggling throughout 2024. Last year, approximately 58,800 reports were filed, leading to the collection of 4.84 billion Egyptian pounds. These reports involved crimes related to smuggling a variety of goods, including narcotics, alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, textiles, weapons, medicines, and foodstuffs, among others, as well as document forgery, currency smuggling, and antiquities trafficking.