SOCHI, October 24. /TASS/. Russia is considering creation of its industrial zones in Mozambique and Namibia to develop exports to Africa, Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov said in an interview with TASS at the Russia-Africa forum.
"We should form industrial sites in southern Africa, on the west coast, on the east coast, bearing in mind first of all the logistical advantages of a certain country. In particular, today we are considering such options as Mozambique, Namibia using their port capacities in terms of logistics. In particular, today the minister [Namibia's Minister of Industrialization and Trade Tjekero Tveya] outlined to us the prospects of developing 2,000 hectares of land for the industrial purposes with an invitation of our Russian economic operators who might be interested in locating their assembly plants there," he said.
Manturov also added that such zones can be created in several African countries.
Now Russia is working on the establishment of it industrial zone in Egypt. The project provides for the creation of a special zone with a light tax regime for Russian resident enterprises. The industrial zone will be located in the east of Port Said. The intergovernmental agreement between Russia and Egypt, regulating the parameters of the special zone, was signed on May 23, 2018. According to forecasts of the Industry and Trade Ministry, it will take about 13 years to complete the project, but by 2026, resident companies will be able to produce products worth $3.6 billion annually at that zone.
Earlier, Andrei Slepnev, general director of Russian Export Center, told TASS that the resident companies of the Russian industrial zone in Egypt can start production in 2022.
By now framework agreements have been concluded with 25 resident companies. It is planned that by 2024 there will already be about 50 resident companies. The construction of the Russian industrial zone’s infrastructure will start in 2020.