- Engineer Hassan El Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, visited the Alexandria Port Authority on Saturday, April 5, 2025, to inspect the customs clearance and joint inspection systems. This is in implementation of the Prime Minister's directives to enhance the efficiency of the customs clearance system and ensure the work of all relevant agencies throughout the week, including official holidays and weekends. He was also received by Rear Admiral Ahmed Abdel Moaty Hawash, Chairman of the Alexandria Port Authority, who reviewed the efforts of the Ministry of Transport, represented by the Port Authority, in implementing the directives of Lieutenant General Kamel El Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, to enhance the efficiency of logistics services and facilitate trade flow by supporting the role of the maritime transport system and Egyptian ports, which are the primary strategic outlets for foreign trade and access to Egyptian markets, as well as access to Egyptian exported goods to global markets. The Port of Alexandria is Egypt's northern gateway, through which more than 100,000 goods are traded. 60% of the volume of Egyptian foreign trade, as these efforts contributed to Alexandria Port achieving the highest trading rates in its history during the year 2024, with goods quantities amounting to 74.5 million tons. For his part, Eng. Hassan Al-Khatib, Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, pointed out the importance of reducing customs clearance time and enhancing joint inspection and release systems to implement the goods release process within only two days, as this plays a vital role in stimulating trade movement and reducing the cost of goods imported to the Egyptian markets, thus alleviating the burden on the end consumer. It also has vital importance in supporting Egyptian exports by achieving competitive prices for Egyptian products in global markets and enabling them to compete with foreign products. His Excellency also stressed the need to focus on supporting the efficiency of services provided to the public and enhancing the role of digital transformation and electronic systems, most notably the Nafiza system, in completing procedures with the utmost efficiency and smoothness and in the shortest possible time, as well as achieving continuous cooperation and coordination between all relevant government agencies such as the Port Authority, the Customs Authority, the National Food Safety Authority, the General Authority for Export and Import Control, and others. The work is carried out 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and on holidays and official vacations, in order to ensure the continuity of the flow of goods to and from the Egyptian markets and the availability of various products at the lowest cost and in the fastest time. In a related context, the Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade conducted a field visit to the Alexandria Port Authority Presidency building, the Port Museum, and the Logistics Center building to inspect the Nafiza system, as well as to visit the joint inspection committees at the Tahya Misr Multipurpose Terminal and the Alexandria Container Handling Company. He was accompanied on the visit by Major General Ahmed Hawash, Chairman of the Alexandria Port Authority, the Deputy Ministers for Operations and Investment, Dr. Tarek El-Hawy, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the National Food Safety Authority, Eng. Essam El-Naggar, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the General Authority for Export and Import Control, Eng. Mohamed El-Gouski, Assistant Minister for Planning, Development and Digital Transformation, Dr. Amani El-Wasal, Head of the Agreements and Foreign Trade Sector, and Mr. Abed Abdel Mohsen, Assistant Minister for Enhancing the Investment Climate and Economic Competitiveness. The inspection of the buildings and joint inspection committees at the Tahya Misr Terminal and the Alexandria Container Handling Company included emphasizing the importance of this system in determining specifications. Raw materials and products that are allowed to enter the Egyptian market, which works to protect the consumer, and through which customs duties are determined for each imported product according to the results of the inspection. These integrated systems also contribute to serving all sectors and supporting the quality system in the Egyptian market and completing procedures in the shortest possible time and with the highest efficiency, especially since they include in one place the offices of all relevant regulatory authorities, including the Port Authority the Customs Authority, the Food Safety Authority the Export and Import Control Authority, the Direct Transit Administration and other entities that contribute to facilitating the inspection and customs release processes and saving time and effort for customers.
