The General Authority for the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZONE) and the Ministry of the Environment of Egypt have agreed to cooperate in order to promote and expand the Egyptian economy in all of its many sectors while staying within the purview of the authority.
According to the protocol, the Environmental Affairs Agency will, in collaboration and coordination with the authority, organize a conference to inform the industrial community in the area about the circular economy, the green economy, how to control industrial pollution, and how to abide by environmental laws.
Additionally, it entails holding sector-level introductory seminars to inform the region’s industrial community about the program’s initiatives and services, educating the authority’s business development representatives about the requirements for participating in the programs, and assisting businesses operating in the qualified area that meet the requirements to benefit from the technical assistance, grants, or financing made available through the program in the region.
In addition to inviting the industrial sector in the zone to introduce it to the circular economy and the green economy as well as projects related to these topics through conferences and workshops that will be held, Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad confirmed that the protocol helps in facilitating the access of industrial companies operating within the zone to financing through industrial pollution control programs and sustainable green industry at the Ministry of Environment.
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Fouad added that the ministry would, in accordance with the protocol, support the preparation of the overall framework for the sustainable development strategy for the economic authority in the zone, as well as a sustainable development strategy for the industrial companies that will be supported in the region, as well as support the building of capacity and the development of the skills of specialists in the authority and industrial companies in the areas of sustainable consumption and production and calculate the carbon footprint of products.
The protocol stipulates that the authority will coordinate to make communication between the Environmental Affairs Agency’s initiatives and projects and businesses operating in the Suez Canal Economic Zone easier. It also commits to identifying businesses that can receive funding from the Industrial Pollution Control Program and those involved in the shift to a green economy or that need to make changes to their environmental conditions.
Along with providing the necessary and supportive information, data, and maps, the authority also works to coordinate between the program management and the developers and investors operating in the area to present the program’s areas of focus, the financing options (loans/grants) that are available, the priority industrial areas, and the requirements for obtaining support from the program.
Story was adapted from Daily News Egypt
