Walid Gamal El-Din, chairperson of the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), announced that the zone has attracted investments worth about $15bn, with 70% foreign and 30% domestic from investors in 28 countries. He stated that these figures reflect growing international confidence in the zone's investment climate. The remarks came during the fifth session of the Tuesday Seminar for the 2025–2026 academic year.
Walid Gamal El-Din spoke at the seminar discussing the SCZONE project under the theme 'The Future of Development Planning in a Changing World.' He described the zone as spanning 455 square kilometres and including four integrated industrial zones: Sokhna, Qantara West, East Ismailia, and East Port Said. It also features six seaports that serve as a key logistical backbone for trade and industry, bolstering its role as a regional hub for manufacturing and re-export.
Among the drivers of the zone's performance, Gamal El-Din cited the flexibility of its one-stop-shop investor services, the readiness of infrastructure and utilities meeting international standards, and the institutional integration between its industrial zones and affiliated ports. He emphasized ongoing efforts to complete infrastructure and utility projects across all industrial ports, especially amid rising investment demand, which has strengthened the zone's position in global financial and business communities.
He highlighted promising opportunities in strategic sectors such as textiles, electric batteries, tyres, cast iron, alongside pharmaceuticals, building materials, and other priority industries. SCZONE aims to attract investments across 21 targeted sectors in industry, services, and logistics, while localizing full value chains, particularly in green energy-related industries.
On challenges, he pointed to constraints for energy-intensive industries, the high cost of green fuels, global caution toward green energy projects, and land characteristics in some eastern areas. The authority's future vision includes creating around 300,000 direct job opportunities, boosting export values, and intensifying focus on renewable energy and the green economy.
For his part, Alaa Zahran, a professor at the Macroeconomic Policies Centre, said the seminar aimed to illuminate the overall framework of the SCZONE project, reviewing its strategic objectives and implementation mechanisms, as well as its developmental dimensions, anticipated outcomes, approaches to addressing challenges, and broader social and economic implications for Egypt's sustainable development path.