By: Pakinam Khaled

Vodafone Egypt revealed its strategic partnership with El Sewedy Electric Group to begin manufacturing advanced telecommunications equipment in the local market. This partnership is the first of its kind in Egypt and Africa to manufacture advanced telecommunications equipment in Egypt, reflecting Vodafone's commitment to localizing and enhancing local industry, and stimulating innovation in the telecommunications sector.

The partnership was signed by Rasha Al-Azhari, Chief Financial Officer at Vodafone Egypt, and Abdel Rahman El-Sewedy, Vice President of El-Sewedy Electric Group. The signing ceremony was attended by Eng. Mohamed Shamroukh, CEO of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), representing the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Ayman Essam, Head of External Relations and Legal Affairs at Vodafone Egypt, Katalin Bulega, Chief Technology Officer at Vodafone Egypt, Mahmoud El-Khatib, Chief Business Officer at Vodafone Egypt, Amr Khater, Chairman and Managing Director of El-Sewedy Cables, Sherif Darwish, General Manager of El-Sewedy Digital, and Mohamed Amin, General Manager of El-Sewedy Cables. Under this partnership, a variety of products will be manufactured, including the most advanced fiber and copper cables for mobile networks, as well as the manufacturing of lithium batteries for communication cabins for the first time in Egypt. In addition to starting to study the possibility of manufacturing mobile base station antennas for the first time in the Middle East and Africa, which is a new achievement that puts the country on the threshold of a new phase of technological development, as Vodafone Egypt seeks to develop its products to become more quality and efficient compared to their counterparts in the local market.

This project will represent a milestone in the development of the telecommunications sector in Egypt. The partnership with Elsewedy Electric Group, the strategic partner in this project, which has extensive experience in manufacturing electrical equipment, communications and measurement devices, includes providing the necessary support and expertise to manufacture these products locally, which reduces reliance on importing them from abroad and enhances technological innovation in the Egyptian market. On the occasion of this important strategic cooperation, Ms. Rasha Al-Azhari, Head of the Financial Sector at Vodafone Egypt, said: “Vodafone Egypt’s partnership with Elsewedy Electric Group, which has tremendous expertise and distinguished manufacturing capabilities, reflects Vodafone Egypt’s commitment to developing the Egyptian telecommunications sector by localizing the manufacture of advanced telecommunications equipment and devices in the local market, according to the highest international standards, in line with the state’s strategy to localize important industries and benefit from local expertise… Through this strategic partnership, we can achieve a qualitative shift in localizing the manufacture of some telecommunications equipment that are manufactured locally for the first time in the Middle East and Africa, which helps reduce dependence on imports and enhance local innovation. Vodafone Egypt will work with Elsewedy Electric Group to provide new investment opportunities in the African countries in which Vodafone Group and Vodacom operate.” For his part, Mr. Abdul Rahman El Sewedy, Vice Chairman of El Sewedy Electric Group, said: “We are pleased to cooperate with Vodafone Egypt in this huge project, which will contribute to supporting the local telecommunications sector and localizing one of the most important vital industries. By relying on our solid expertise in manufacturing a variety of advanced products and equipment used in this important sector, in addition to mobilizing our efforts to provide more innovative solutions to integrate new industries in the local market, we look forward to reaching new horizons in the telecommunications industry and contributing to driving economic development.” The partnership with El Sewedy Electric Group comes within Vodafone Egypt’s strategy to support the localization and deepening of the local industry for smart telecommunications devices. Vodafone has previously cooperated with Samsung to manufacture and distribute locally manufactured mobile phones in Vodafone branches spread across the country at reduced prices and facilitation systems, which contributes to promoting Egyptian products and encourages more global companies to localize the industry locally. Vodafone has also recently cooperated with Al Safi Group and Green Packet International to manufacture high-speed routers, which contributes to the growth of industrial investment in Egypt, while at the same time reducing the import bill and supporting the growth of the electronics industry in Egypt.