Labor Day ceremony: Sisi honors group of Egyptian workers for being inspiring models

CAIRO - 3 May 2025: President Abdel Fattah El Sisi honored a group of Egyptian workers on Saturday for their diligent and sincere efforts, as well as some distinguished and inspiring models who have enriched the labor union life in Egypt.

This took place on Saturday during the Labor Day celebration in Suez Governorate.

During the ceremony, President Sisi reviewed via video conference a presentation of new successful private sector factories during Labor Day celebrations in Suez.

Among them was Arco Steel, described by its managing director as the only specialized steel producer in the Middle East.

The company has added two production lines for wires used in railway sleeper manufacturing, with a current capacity of 25,000 tons annually. The project covers 20,000 square meters and involves investments of EGP 500 million.

It plans to add 28 more lines on 165,000 square meters with EGP 6 billion in funding. This expansion is expected to create 1,500 jobs and raise annual capacity to 400,000 tons, enabling full local production of railway sleeper wires.

The company is also building a cold-rolled and galvanized steel facility with a 350,000-ton capacity to serve the automotive and appliance industries and reduce import dependence.

During the ceremony marking Labor Day, Dr. Saied Kamel, Chairman and CEO of Utopia Pharmaceuticals, presented the company’s new plant in 10th of Ramadan City.

He said that the plant was built on 18,000 square meters with investments totaling EGP 1.35 billion, adding that it also operates six production lines, with an annual capacity of 120 million packages, and employs 1,100 workers directly and 300 indirectly.

Kamel clarified that the plant produces 52 medicines, including 19 that substitute imported versions using 70–90% local components. Sales last year reached 2 million packages, saving the country about $16 million, he mentioned.

For his part, Ahmed Dawy, CFO of Beko Egypt, said that the company’s new appliance complex was built with Turkish investments worth $110 million over 114,000 square meters.

It will produce 1.5 million refrigerators, ovens, dishwashers, and freezers annually, with 65% of output intended for export, he added.

The plant supports about 2,000 indirect jobs and targets $250 million in annual exports, he stated.

President Sisi also inaugurated the second phase of the Suez Steel Company.

This came as part of the Labor Day celebration held on Saturday at the Suez Steel Company in Suez, in north-eastern Egypt, Presidential Spokesman Mohamed el Shennawy said.