Egypt is restructuring how it approaches mineral resources, moving to connect extraction, processing, refining and manufacturing into a single integrated chain designed to squeeze more industrial value out of raw materials before they leave the country. Egypt Links Mining Manufacturing
Industry Minister Khaled Hashem outlined the strategy at a panel titled “Aligning Mineral Resource Development with Industrial Growth,” held on the sidelines of the fifth Egypt Mining Forum.
He said the effort builds on groundwork laid by the country’s industrial strategy, which already classifies key minerals as strategic industries, and marks the next phase of turning that classification into an operational supply chain.
At the center of the push is a government assessment of minerals currently extracted in Egypt to determine which are viable for domestic manufacturing, with the broader aim of treating them as inputs for higher-value industries rather than as raw commodities sold abroad.
Hashem said aligning mining and industrial policy this way would strengthen local and regional supply chains, cut dependence on imported inputs, and open new export channels — while tying Egyptian manufacturing more closely into regional and global value chains.
Phosphate is one of the minerals singled out for this shift. Egypt has already curbed exports of raw phosphate in favor of expanding downstream production of phosphoric acid and phosphate fertilizers, both higher-margin products.
Manganese ore is following a similar trajectory: Hashem pointed to partnerships launched this year with two companies to process manganese domestically into higher-concentration material, a move intended to lift exports, generate jobs, and reduce Egypt’s reliance on imported refractory materials and silicon-manganese alloys used in steel and heavy industry.
Hashem also framed the strategy within a continental context, noting that intra-African trade remains around $220 billion — a figure he described as modest given the continent’s 54 countries, resource base and production capacity.
He called for deeper African cooperation on mining through shared technical expertise, workforce training and technology, saying such integration could support mineral-based manufacturing for markets across the continent.
He added that the theme will feature prominently at the upcoming Africa El Alamein Forum, which Egypt is set to host in early October. Egypt Journal
