Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly stressed the government’s commitment to streamlining licensing procedures for various business activities, highlighting the importance of localizing production requirements—particularly those related to civil protection standards.
Speaking at a meeting on Monday, September 8th, 2025, to review progress in facilitating licensing processes, Madbouly said the aim is to create a more efficient, transparent system that stimulates economic growth and job creation. He emphasized that local products should be prioritized in meeting safety and technical requirements.
The meeting was attended by several senior officials, including Minister of Communications and Information Technology (ICT) Amr Talaat, Minister of Local Development Manal Awad, Minister of Housing, Public Utilities and Urban Communities Sherif El-Sherbiny, and representatives from the Ministry of Interior, the Food Safety Authority, and Civil Protection Department.
During the meeting, Minister Awad outlined ongoing efforts to simplify licensing for commercial activities. These include setting clear standards for civil protection approvals, streamlining traffic permits based on customer footfall, and creating a unified digital platform for license applications in collaboration with the ICT Ministry.
She also pointed to efforts to modernize the public shops system by standardizing licensing requirements and procedures, introducing digital fee collection, and reducing approval times through a phased process with defined timelines. A new code for public shops was introduced to guide fire safety requirements and training, with selected staff granted judicial inspection authority.
Housing minister Sherbiny reviewed measures to revise civil protection requirements in licensing. He said the National Housing and Building Research Center had adopted three key principles: reducing safety compliance costs, promoting local industry to ease pressure on foreign currency, and involving the private sector.
He added that a draft of the Egyptian Code for Fire Safety Design and Construction has been completed. Fire safety regulations for buildings and public shops have also been finalized, he pointed out. Coordination is ongoing with the Egyptian Organization for Standardization and Quality to oversee testing facilities for pumps, alarms, and fire suppression systems, according to him.
Sherbiny noted that new licenses have been issued for testing labs, and a comprehensive training plan has been launched for fire safety personnel, in partnership with the Ministry of Local Development, the Engineers Syndicate, and the Civil Protection Training Institute.
Source: State Information Service
