Arab API lays the foundation stone for the First Multi Purpose Factory.
January 15, 2026
Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport, witnessed the laying of the foundation stone for The Arab Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Plant (Arab API), with investments of
USD 165 million, in the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Ain Sokhna.
The event was attended by Major General (Staff) Dr. Tarek Hamed El-Shazly, Governor of Suez; Mr. Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone; and many of leaders from the pharmaceutical industry, scientific research, and the banking sector in Egypt.
They were received by Dr. Olfat Ghorab, Chairman of the Arab company for Drug Industries and Medical Appliances (ACDIMA), and Dr. Ahmed Kelani, Chairman of the Arab Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients Company (Arab API) and Chairman and Managing Director of EIPICO Pharmaceuticals.
Lieutenant General Kamel El-Wazir affirmed that full support will be provided for this important project and that cooperation will continue to remove any obstacles that may face its implementation, ensuring execution according to the project’s specified timelines.
Mr. Walid Gamal El-Din, Chairman of the General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone, stated that the project is part of the plan to localize medical industries to enhance self-sufficiency and support national pharmaceutical industries. He added that the Arab API project is being established in partnership with the Suez Canal Economic Zone through its investment arm (Economic Zone for Investment Company), representing a strategic step toward localizing medical and pharmaceutical industries in Egypt. He noted that the plant will operate according to the highest international quality standards and will specialize in producing active and inactive pharmaceutical ingredients, intermediates, concentrates, chemicals, and additives required for local pharmaceutical manufacturing, thereby supporting the local market and enhancing export capabilities to regional markets.
He also emphasized the Suez Canal Economic Zone’s commitment to providing all forms of support and facilitation to ensure the project’s implementation according to the planned schedules. He pointed out that approximately 4 million square meters have been allocated in the zone for vital projects in the medical and pharmaceutical sector, enhancing localization, supporting national health security, and increasing export capacities to regional markets.--
Dr. Olfat Ghorab, Chairman of ACDIMA, stated that (Arab API) project comes as a confirmation and practical translation of ACDIMA’s role and that of its affiliated companies in supporting the state’s efforts to ensure the availability of medicines, localize pharmaceutical manufacturing, and deepen the production of active pharmaceutical ingredients in Egypt. She added that the project is also part of ACDIMA’s efforts to ease the burden on the state, reduce foreign currency expenditure on importing medicines and pharmaceutical raw materials, strengthen local pharmaceutical manufacturing, and ensure the sustainable availability of high-quality medicines for citizens. She noted that the project is being established within the industrial zone in Sokhna on an area of 96,828 square meters, with investments of USD 165 million (equivalent to EGP 7.7 billion).
Dr.Ahmed Kelani, Chairman of Arab API, confirmed that Egypt currently imports more than 90% of pharmaceutical raw materials, which necessitated structuring the project around two main pillars. The first is deepening the industry—not merely localizing it—by building and developing qualified human cadres capable of working in this vital sector, ensuring the sustainability and quality of the industry in the long term. The second pillar focuses on global manufacturing expansion through cooperation with Egyptian entities, in addition to seeking partnerships with a number of African countries in need of this industry, thereby supporting regional pharmaceutical supply chains and enhancing Egypt’s ability to meet the needs of African markets for pharmaceutical materials.