85% of Magra al-Oyoun tanneries are willing to relocate, while 15% will be financially compensated.
In a surprise inspection visit to the site of the Roubiki Leather City, Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil announced the completion of the first phase of the new city, branding it ‘a big achievement’, especially after a 13-year freeze. This vital project, he said, will turn Egypt into a strategic hub for leather industry, both on the regional and international levels.
“Around 85% out of a total 1100 tanneries in Magra al-Oyoun district are willing to relocate to the new city,” Kabil said. Eighteen tanning workshops, he pointed out, have been pulled down over an area of 13,000 meters2 and work is still underway for a whole year, to ensure that workshops are being relocated safely.
For such purpose, a delegation of Italian experts in the field has visited Egypt lately, to study the owners’ problems, find solutions and draw out a comprehensive plan to upgrade the tanning industry.
The Roubiki Leather City is a 3-phase project, where the total costs of the first phase amount to about EGP 1bn. The 2nd phase will be established over 116 acres with a primary funding of EGP 200 mln for the infrastructure works.