This came in the presence of Eng. Wajih Azayza, Jordanian Minister of Transport, Dr. Hisham Abu Zeid, Acting Sudanese Minister of Transport, Dr. Ayman Ashour, Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for University Affairs, Rear Admiral Reda Ismail, Head of the Maritime Transport Sector, and Dr. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, Ambassador Sherif Issa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Affairs, Dr. Adel El-Adawy, Vice-Chairman of the Board of Trustees at Galala University, Dr. Mohamed El-Shennawy, Vice-President of Galala University, and Dr. Ghada Shalaby, Deputy Minister of Tourism and Antiquities.
In his speech, Lieutenant General, Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir, Minister of Transport, expressed his thanks and appreciation to Galala University and the organizing company “On Air Group” for the effort made to organize this important conference, in the presence of the heads of Arab and African ports, maritime transport experts in Egypt and the sisterly Arab and African countries and representatives of community entities Maritime.
Lieutenant-General Engineer Kamel Al-Wazir pointed out that today's conference is an important event because it discusses the major developments in the maritime field in the Red Sea Basin region, which is the most important waterway for three continents (Asia, Africa, and Europe), and enhances its importance by its connection to the Suez Canal, which is the most important navigation course to serve the movement of traffic. global trade, and discussing opportunities for cooperation and economic integration with a common vision, and agreeing to work hard to enhance the volume of intraregional trade in the region, especially seaborne, and to stand on the challenges facing us, whether economic or security in the Red Sea Basin region, and to come up with a unified vision for the countries bordering it, which will represent the strategy The joint required at the present time to face the economic challenges faced by the countries of the region and the world at large due to the Corona pandemic.
He explained that organizing this conference comes within the framework of the direction of the Arab Republic of Egypt towards deepening economic cooperation with the countries of East Africa and the Red Sea Basin, in order to achieve economic integration, enhance the volume of trade exchange, and encourage investments, as there are enormous potentials and wide opportunities for trade and economic cooperation in the region. The primary transportation, especially sea transportation.
He added that maritime transport is one of the pillars of economic development and the artery of the global economy for various countries of the world, as it transports 90% of the total volume of global trade, and the ports and the merchant marine fleet play a major role in facilitating the movement of goods, reducing transport prices, and pushing the movement of economic development and the global logistical system. There is no doubt that trade and transport are two sides of the same coin. Increasing the volume of trade exchange and opening export markets increases the demand for providing means of transport and investing in the infrastructure of various transport systems, given that transport is the main artery for development.
He pointed out that the Arab Republic of Egypt seeks to enhance economic cooperation and bilateral and multilateral development partnerships, and activate regional trade agreements to enhance the economic growth of Egypt, African countries and the countries bordering the Red Sea, with Egypt taking over the presidency of the COMESA gathering in November 2021 and the Egyptian vision for regional trade integration and trade development for Eastern countries. South Africa, as well as with the entry into force of the Continental Free Trade Agreement for Africa in January 2021, all these factors created opportunities to raise the volume of trade exchange between African countries and a golden opportunity to bring about an economic and developmental transformation for Africa and the countries of the Red Sea Basin, which requires joint cooperation to keep pace with the successive developments in the field of transport Maritime and multimodal transport.
He pointed out that the Egyptian government based its plan to achieve development in various fields on the development and restructuring of the transport sector as one of the important axes in the development strategy, and from this point of view, the Ministry of Transport is developing various transport systems, including maritime transport, seaports, and related logistical activities to open investment horizons New projects for various projects, the most important of which are logistics, freight services and freight transportation.
He added that based on this approach, the Ministry of Transport has developed a comprehensive plan to maximize and develop the maritime transport system in accordance with the latest international systems, which includes the development of Egyptian ports by constructing new berths with total lengths of 35 km with depths ranging from 15-18 meters, bringing the total lengths of berths in Egyptian seaports to up to 76 km, constructing breakwaters with a total length of 6 km, and deepening shipping lanes at a total cost of 115.6 billion pounds to accommodate ports 370 million tons instead of 185 million tons annually, and more than 22 million TEUs instead of 12 million TEUs annually, and achieving the greater goal of turning Egypt into a center for global trade and logistics.
He pointed out that there is an importance for port development projects, and one of the most important port development projects on the Red Sea is the project to complete and develop Sokhna port at a cost of 50 billion pounds to be the largest hub port on the Red Sea. Currently, 4 new docks and berths with a length of 18 kilometers and a depth of 18 meters, trading yards with an area of (9.6 million square meters) and commercial and logistic areas with an area of 5.3 km2) served by a network of railways with a length of (33 km) connected to the high-speed electric train Sokhna / Marsa Matrouh, to be used in transporting goods, especially containers on this line to all parts of the Republic and to the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean, in addition to a network of internal roads along 17 km for ease of transport movement inside the port, which contributes to the absence of any future congestion inside the port, linked to the Republic’s road network and axes via (Suez - Sokhna road), which is being developed to facilitate the movement of land transport to and from the port.
He stressed that work is being done on all development works in the port (docks - roads - railways - breakwaters) simultaneously. Due to the speed of completion, and all development work is carried out by major national specialized Egyptian contracting companies with local funding. The Safaga sea port, which is one of the most important ports overlooking the Red Sea, is currently being developed with the construction of a multi-purpose Safaga 2 station at a cost of about 3 billion pounds on an area of 810 thousand square meters with berth lengths 1100 meters long and 17 meters deep. The terminal accommodates about 2 million containers and 7 million tons of general cargo annually, in addition to developing the current berth and increasing its length and depth, and a truck yard that includes all the administrative and technical needs of trucks to prevent congestion in front of the port. To raise the efficiency of the Egyptian ports overlooking the Red and Mediterranean Bahrain and their consistency with the state’s plan to develop the Suez Canal axis, as Egypt aims to be a major partner in achieving economic integration
In his speech on behalf of the Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Dr. Ayman Ashour, Deputy Minister for University Affairs, thanked President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Republic, for his constant sponsorship of investment ideas, and his continuous directives to increase cooperation with countries in the region, and always strive to achieve security and stability for the Arab Republic of Egypt.
Dr. confirmed. Ayman Ashour The importance of developing maritime transport, especially since it is the artery of global trade, and the world’s attention is always directed to Egypt because of its possession of the Suez Canal and vital seaports, pointing out that the strategy of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research aims to develop research areas in the maritime industry, to provide the latest technological means. In this field and always develop it, in line with international efforts in this field, which allows Egyptian higher education to be in an advanced classification in international classifications, and work to link education and scientific research with industry, and add a mixture of global experiences on the land of Egypt, through the establishment of branches for international universities in Egypt, in addition to establishing more universities; To facilitate for students and parents, and to provide education for all.
The Deputy Minister for University Affairs added that holding the conference comes in light of the development and environmental challenges facing Arab and African countries, which require strengthening cooperation and integration among them, and providing assistance through technical support programs and projects. To support local and regional activities, which are an essential element for achieving sustainable development in Arab and African countries, noting that the conference aims to strengthen the idea of economic and logistical cooperation between the countries bordering the Red Sea, and to discuss ways to increase investment among them.
He drew d. Ayman Ashour to the role of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in linking industry with education, through scientific foundations and providing training in various activities to raise the educational level, which is reflected on the economy, industry and the development of thought, stressing the role that the new private universities will play, which is the nucleus of new cities A beacon of modern science, they are advanced smart universities that reflect the idea of digital transformation and link science with industry while providing the infrastructure of modern laboratories, advanced equipment and classrooms, to support and consolidate the principle of practical application.
Dr. pointed out. Ashour pointed out that Galala University is located in the city of Ain Sukhna, in a strategic location to serve the surrounding area, in light of its distinguished infrastructure, including the university hospital, research and development centers and laboratories, explaining that the university is a link between (Hurghada, Suez, the Administrative Capital and Cairo). , making it one of the first universities interested in the field of transportation and maritime transport, due to its proximity to the vital port of Ain Sukhna, which is one of the most important seaports in the Red Sea, noting that Galala University seeks to provide training opportunities for students, in the fields of maritime transport and various maritime sectors, and to maintain on the marine environment.
In his speech, Dr. emphasized. Ismail Abdel Ghaffar, President of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport, stressed the importance of this conference, which comes in light of the world’s interest in maritime transport and shipping policies and its impact on the Arab and African region, explaining that maritime transport represents 90% of the global trade volume, stressing the important role of maritime transport in Facing crises and challenges, as it is characterized by low cost, and is environmentally friendly, and this is evident in the pivotal role of maritime transport in light of the Corona pandemic to secure the safety of food and medical supplies to various countries of the world, praising cooperation with the University of Galala to achieve integration and success, noting that the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Transport Bahri is a well-established expert house in the field of maritime transport and logistics, providing educational, research and training services to the Arab and African region.
For his part, Ambassador Sherif Issa, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for African Affairs, pointed out that maritime transport represents the locomotive of maritime cooperation and the cornerstone for the development of global trade, stressing that the Egyptian government attaches great importance to securing maritime transport in the Red Sea to develop exports to Africa and enhance intra-African trade. Activating procedures for securing navigation, achieving security, commercial and maritime cooperation, in addition to opening channels of communication with African countries, adding that the conference is a distinct opportunity to enhance means of cooperation in the field of maritime transport in the Red Sea region.
On the sidelines of the conference, Prof. Dr. Mohamed El-Shennawy, Vice President of Galala University, and Eng. Ahmed Mekky, President of Benya Capital, signed a cooperation agreement; With the aim of achieving the link between higher education and industry needs, especially in light of the digital transformation and the huge boom in the field of communications, Galala University students will be trained in the company, and scholarships will be provided for outstanding students.
It is worth noting that the conference activities will address, on the first day, many important topics, including: the development of the maritime transport industry in the Red Sea, the strategy for developing Egyptian maritime transport to maximize the volume of seaborne trade exchange, and the role of the Suez Canal in supporting the flow of ships at the regional and international levels. In addition to the economic zone’s role in supporting the competitive advantage of seaports in the Red Sea, logistical activities, and stabilizing trade exchange in the Red Sea.
Infrastructure development, logistics and port vision will also be reviewed; To enhance trade exchange, investment opportunities, financing mechanisms and marine insurance in the Red Sea, as well as mechanisms to attract investment in economic zones, develop maritime transport and marine insurance, and reinsurance to support the development of maritime transport and support export financing, and present the current aspects and future vision of maritime transport in the countries bordering on the Mediterranean. The Red Sea.
Several important issues will also be discussed on the second day, which include: information technology in maritime transport and digital transformation, joint cooperation mechanisms to develop maritime trade in the Red Sea, investment opportunities using information technology in the maritime transport and submarine cable sectors, and marine transport insurance, as well as Maximizing yacht tourism in the Red Sea region, the strategy of increasing exports, opportunities for industrialization in the Red Sea, and innovative marketing proposals for developing maritime transport, as well as the future of energy and maritime transport in the Red Sea.
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