Egypt’s ready-made garments and textiles sector could hit US$20 billion in annual exports by 2030, according to Mahmoud Ghazal, Member of the Textile Industries Chamber and Chairperson of Nile Textile Industries. Ghazal said global supply-chain realignments and state-led efforts to boost manufacturing competitiveness create a window of opportunity for Egyptian exporters.
He noted that major global apparel import markets — such as the United States, the European Union and Gulf countries — currently absorb nearly US$400 billion in garments yearly. Capturing only five percent of this demand would be sufficient for Egypt to meet its US$20 billion export goal.
Ghazal described the ambition as aligned with Egypt Vision 2030, under which Egypt seeks to build a diversified, export-oriented economy through manufacturing — a path similar to those taken by China, Germany and Mexico.
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Recent data supports growing momentum: exports of ready-made garments climbed 17 percent in the first 10 months of 2024 to US$2.27 billion, and surged 26 percent year-on-year in the first seven months of 2025 to nearly US$1.94 billion.
However, Ghazal emphasized that current performance remains well below potential — with home textiles and fabrics still making up only modest shares — leaving a substantial gap to the US$20 billion target.
Ghazal identified several persistent obstacles: slow customs procedures, documentation delays, the need for a more agile investment climate, and insufficient capabilities among public-sector staff handling export processes.
To overcome these challenges, he urged the establishment of export cooperatives to integrate micro and small factories into global supply chains, support centres to boost technical and administrative capacity of small enterprises, and stronger vertical integration — from spinning through sewing — to reduce reliance on imported inputs and increase domestic value addition.
He outlined two complementary strategies for export expansion, first, ramping up OEM and B2B production to quickly scale volumes; second, developing Egyptian-owned apparel brands for international markets.
A longer-term endeavour requiring investment in design, marketing and branding. With clear policies, active private-sector engagement and streamlined trade procedures, Ghazal said achieving US$20 billion in apparel exports by 2030 is “entirely feasible.”
