PM tours factories manufacturing ultrasound machines, televisions and mobile screens

Egypt Today

19-06-2025

PM Madbouly during his inspection tour at 6 of October factories
CAIRO - 19 JUNE 2025: Egyptian Prime Minister Dr. Mostafa Madbouly began Thursday his inspection tour of several factories in 6 of October City that manufacture ultrasound machines, televisions, and mobile phones.
As part of his tour, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, inspected the project to establish the first factory in Africa and the Middle East to manufacture ultrasound machines and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices, located in 6th of October City.
This project is considered an important step towards strengthening Egypt's position as a regional center for medical technology.
This project is the result of a strategic partnership between GE Healthcare, a global leader in medical technology and digital solutions, and Medinova, a subsidiary of Al Safi Group. The goal is to develop an advanced facility in Egypt for the production of medical imaging devices, contributing to improving the quality of diagnostic healthcare and supporting the goals of Egypt's Vision 2030.
Upon his arrival at the factory site, the Prime Minister affirmed that the Egyptian state is taking serious steps toward localizing several important industries and deepening the industry, with the participation of the local and foreign private sector, which has become a strategic partner in various development projects implemented by the state.
There is also a strong trend toward localizing vital industries and strengthening international partnerships.
In this context, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly explained that he had met with the CEO of GE Healthcare at the end of last year to review the project to manufacture ultrasound devices in Egypt.
"As a government, we are confident that this will be a pioneering project in this field and will achieve the Egyptian state's goals in its plan to localize medical industries and devices," Madbouly said, emphasizing that the ongoing cooperation with GE Healthcare embodies an ambitious national vision aimed at advancing the healthcare system in Egypt.
For his part, the Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population praised the ongoing cooperation with the company, noting that localizing the medical device industry is a priority for the Ministry of Health. He expressed his appreciation for the company's choice of Egypt to localize the manufacture of ultrasound devices, in order to meet the needs of the Egyptian market and subsequently expand and export, particularly to Africa.
In this context, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar explained that the project to establish the first factory in Egypt and the Middle East to manufacture ultrasound devices "is a milestone in the history of manufacturing."
The National Medical Center will directly contribute to supporting the healthcare sector's infrastructure, improving the quality of diagnostic services, and reducing reliance on imports. This will support market stability and provide advanced healthcare solutions for Egyptian citizens.
During the tour, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health and Population, reviewed the project's advantages, which go beyond manufacturing, but also include the transfer and localization of technology and the training of Egyptian cadres. This will enhance human resource efficiency and strengthen local capabilities to transform Egypt into a regional center for the manufacture of advanced medical devices. He emphasized the Ministry of Health's continued support for these efforts, in coordination with various ministries and institutions, to achieve health, economic, and social development goals.
Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar added that this initiative comes within the framework of an integrated strategy adopted by the Ministry of Health and Population, in cooperation with the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply and Supply, and the Medical Technology Department, and with the participation of relevant state authorities. This aims to support the local pharmaceutical and medical equipment industries, in line with the goals of Egypt Vision 2030, which aims to diversify the economy, develop strategic industries, and provide new job opportunities for Egyptian youth, while enhancing the country's export capacity to regional markets, particularly African markets.
At the same time, The Deputy Prime Minister indicated that the establishment of the factory is a "strategic step toward establishing the foundations for a medical future whose components are manufactured by Egyptian hands. It opens broad horizons for a national healthcare system that is competitive, resilient in the face of challenges, and efficient in meeting the needs of Egyptian citizens."
For his part, Mark Stoesz, President Enterprise Solutions and Partnerships International Markets at GE Healthcare, emphasized that "there are several motivations that encouraged us as a manufacturing company to establish operations in Egypt, most notably the Egyptian government's growing interest in healthcare, a focus that has not wavered or diminished despite the economic challenges facing the Egyptian government."
He added that Egypt's large market, home to approximately 110 million citizens, also contributes to making Egypt a hub for entry into the African market.
During his tour of the project, the Prime Minister listened to an explanation from Eng. Mohamed Haroun, General Manager of GE Healthcare Africa, who indicated that the new facility will localize the manufacturing and assembly of ultrasound and MRI systems to meet the growing demand in both the public and private sectors.
By localizing these vital industries, the initiative contributes to achieving several pillars of Egypt's Vision 2030, including enhancing economic diversification, creating new job opportunities, and achieving self-sufficiency in medical technology.
He added: "The factory will also enable the export of devices to regional markets, particularly in Africa, strengthening Egypt's role as a regional hub for innovation and production in the healthcare sector."
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly also visited the site of a project to manufacture television and phone screens at the Safi Group factory in 6 of October city. He viewed the board production line, how they are manufactured, and how they are tested before moving on to the next production stage to ensure their safety.
He then moved on to learn about the router production line, and then went to see the TV screen assembly stage.
Meanwhile, the Prime Minister inquired about the percentage of local components, with the factory manager indicating that a large percentage of local components are relied upon in manufacturing, and there is a trend towards increasing this percentage in the coming stages.
Engineer Safi Wahba, Founder and Chairman of Al Safi Investment Group, indicated that the total area of ​​the Al Safi factory (which includes production lines for ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging devices, in addition to production lines for communications devices, mobile phones, television screens, and others) is 25,000 square meters. The direct workforce is 2,000, while the indirect workforce is 1,000, with 25 production lines. The production capacity of the ultrasound factory is approximately 2,500 devices annually, while the production capacity of the MRI factory ranges between 40 and 50 devices annually.
During his tour of the project, the Prime Minister learned about the various stages of the manufacturing plan, which include raw material inspection, device assembly points, software development, and manufacturing technology.
Meanwhile, Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar noted that the devices to be manufactured in this project are the same types of devices used in hospitals, whose equipment is being modernized and upgraded. Similar devices will also be used in the presidential "Decent Life" initiative to develop rural Egyptian villages, which will significantly reduce the import bill.
Before concluding his inspection tour of the project, the Prime Minister reiterated his government's willingness to provide the company with all necessary support and facilities, encouraging it to explore manufacturing more medical devices beyond ultrasound machines.
The Prime Minister was accompanied during his inspection tour of the project site by Dr. Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health and Population; Lieutenant General Kamel El Wazir, Deputy Prime Minister for Industrial Development and Minister of Industry and Transport; Eng. Adel El Naggar, Governor of Giza; Dr. Ali El Ghamrawy, Head of the Egyptian Drug Authority; and Dr. Hisham Steit, Head of the Egyptian Authority for Unified Procurement, Medical Supply, and Medical Technology Management. The event was welcomed by Mark Stoesz, President Enterprise Solutions and Partnerships International Markets at GE Healthcare; Eng. Safi Wahba, Founder and Chairman of Al Safi Group Investment; Dr. Hazem El Far, Chairman of Medinova, a subsidiary of Al Safi Group; Eng. Mohamed Haroun, General Manager of GE Healthcare Africa; Eng. Diaa Shaarawy, Chief Operating Officer of Al Safi Group; Eng. Islam Adel, General Manager of the Plant; and Maxime Auger, General Manager of the Ultrasound Division.