The forum was organised with the support of the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt in collaboration with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation on September 12. The primary aim of the forum was to strengthen Egypt’s investment landscape by showcasing opportunities and facilitating partnerships between traditional and non-traditional financial institutions, investors, and corporations. This strategic initiative perfectly aligns with the Ministry of the Environment’s overarching vision, which seeks to guide Egypt toward a low-carbon, resilient economy capable of confronting the challenges posed by climate change.
Dr Mostafa Madbouly, the Prime Minister, inaugurated the first edition of the Climate and Environmental Investment Forum in Egypt. Dr Madbouly expressed Egypt’s commitment to capitalising on the outcomes of COP27, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, by translating them into tangible measures for Egypt, African nations, and the broader community of developing countries.
Dr Yasmin Fouad, the Minister of the Environment, presided over the session themed “Integrated Waste and Sustainable Energy Management.” This session served as a platform for discussing success stories and investment prospects within the environmental and climate sector. Key participants included Dr Tarek El-Araby, Head of the Waste Management Regulatory Authority; Mrs Kerstin Deji, EU Green Project Manager from GIZ; Mr Ahmed Hassan, ABB Local Business Area Manager for Egypt and North and Central Africa; Mr Robert Valk, CEO of Renergy Group Partners; Mrs Heba Nayel, CEO of Papyrus; and Mr Moussa Khalil, CEO of Mozna. Dr Dalia Saqr, an expert in circular economy and climate change, moderated the session.
Dr Tarek El-Araby highlighted the substantial strides made in waste management through legislative and organisational efforts. The issuance of Egypt’s waste management law in 2020 and its executive regulations in 2022 marked a key moment in this regard. The Waste Management Regulatory Authority, overseeing waste management in Egypt, has been entrusted with formulating specifications, conducting cost-effective studies, and devising investment plans for waste management projects. Dr El-Araby also shed light on promising investment opportunities, including the conversion of waste into fodder and medicinal gelatin, as well as the extraction of biological minerals from e-waste. Notably, Renergy Group Partners initiated the first Waste-to-energy project in Abu Rawash. Dr Tarek El-Araby also unveiled other investment prospects in waste management, such as recycling used food oils for biodiesel production, creating alternative fuels from municipal and agricultural waste to reduce carbon emissions in cement factories, generating green hydrogen from waste, and transforming sewage stations into sources of electricity and alternative fuels. These initiatives are further incentivised by Egypt’s new investment laws and the coveted “golden license.”
Mr. Robert Valk, CEO of Renergy Group Partners, expressed his gratitude to Dr Yasmin Fouad for extending an invitation to the Environmental and Climate Investment Forum. He acknowledged Egypt’s growing interest in environmental and climate-related investments, focusing on municipal and medical waste sectors. Mr Valk lauded Egypt’s commendable efforts in waste management and expressed Renergy Group Partners’ keenness to collaborate with Egypt on human development, waste management, and capacity-building projects.