The general authority of Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE), the integrated investment destination for linking industry and global trade, and AD Ports Group (ADPORTS), a global enabler of trade, transport, logistics, and industry, have signed an agreement to develop the ‘KEZAD East Port Said’ zone. They signed a 50-year renewable usufruct agreement, to develop and operate a 20 km² industrial and logistics park near the Egyptian coastal city of Port Said on the Mediterranean Sea.
SCZONE and AD Ports Group signed a 50-year agreement to develop the 20 km² KEZAD East Port Said industrial and logistics zone in Egypt.
Phase 1, covering 2.8 km² and including a 1.5 km quay wall, begins in 2025 with $120 million investment.
The project strengthens Egypt-UAE ties and enhances the Suez Canal’s role in global trade, with partners including EGA and Hassan Allam Holding.
The East Port Said Industrial Zone provides an opportunity to turn a unique location on the Mediterranean Sea into a key hub for international trade and investments serving the East-West trade routes, right at the entrance of the Suez Canal.
The agreement to develop KEZAD East Port Said Industrial and Logistics Zone was signed in Cairo, in the presence of Mohamed Hassan Alsuwaidi, UAE minister of Investment, Dr Sultan Al Jaber, UAE minister of industry and advanced technology, Lieutenant general engineer Kamel Al Wazir, Egyptian minister of industry and transport, Dr Mahmoud Esmat, minister of electricity and renewable energy, Waleid Gamal El-Dien, chairman of SCZONE, and captain Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi, managing director and group CEO of AD Ports Group.
The agreement was signed by Ahmed Al Mutawa, regional CEO of AD Ports Group, and Admiral Mohamed Ahmed Mahmoud, vice chairman of SCZONE for the Northern area, SCZONE said in a press release.
AD Ports Group will develop, construct, finance, operate, and manage the industrial and logistics zone in phases, with a focus on phase 1 to start with, an area covering a total of 2.8 km². An estimated total investment of $120 million will be allocated to market and technical studies as well as to phase 1 development over the next three years. The first phase will also include a 1.5 km long quay wall that could eventually accommodate a multipurpose cargo terminal. Construction on the initial 2.8 km² phase 1 is expected to start by the end of this year.
The development of phase 1 will be anchored by key potential clients, including EGA of the UAE, and the local conglomerate Hassan Allam, MoUs were signed during the ceremony held in Cairo.
“KEZAD East Port Said is a milestone that highlights the strong economic relations between the UAE and the Arab Republic of Egypt. In line with the vision of our wise leadership, this strategic cooperation is another sign of our group’s growing focus on Egypt, where we continue to enhance and develop our integrated trade, transport, and industrial ecosystem, offering clients unparalleled end-to-end solutions and services. This infrastructure investment will provide a long-term source of economic growth for Egypt, while enhancing the Suez Canal’s role in promoting and supporting the East-West trade corridor,” Shamisi said.
“The launch of this project in the East Port Said Industrial Zone represents an important strategic step that reaffirms the depth of the strong fraternal relations and the growing strategic partnership between the Arab Republic of Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, as well as the prominent position held by SCZONE as a pivotal global trade hub for industrial and logistics activities. This project enhances SCZONE’s ongoing efforts to support global supply chains by providing a competitive and integrated investment environment, underpinned by advanced infrastructure, and a unique geographic location, connecting three continents via one of the world’s most vital maritime routes,” Gamal El Dien said.
In addition, AD Ports Group and Hassan Allam Holding, which is one of the group’s development partners in Egypt, signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in Cairo to explore further port and industrial zone projects, and other opportunities in the logistics sector in East Port Said as well as elsewhere in Egypt.
AD Ports Group in December 2024 appointed Hassan Allam Construction, the construction arm of Hassan Allam Holding and one of Egypt’s premier engineering and construction companies, to build AD Ports Group’s new multipurpose cargo terminal in Safaga, on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.
The group in 2023 obtained a concession from Egypt’s Red Sea Ports Authority (RSPA) to build and operate the $200 million Safaga multipurpose terminal project, which will be the first internationally operated multipurpose cargo terminal in Upper Egypt.
