Built on an area of 50,000 sq.m in Ain Sokhna Industrial Zone in the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone), the GENNVAX Vaccines and Biological Drugs Company project had its foundation stone laid on 16 December 2025.
According to a cabinet statement, the project which was developed by Genex Egypt Pharmaceutical Industries, will see USD150 million invested in its initial phase, with a further USD70 million planned under a future expansion programme.
Attended the ceremony was Chairman of the General Authority for the SCZone, Waleid Gamal El-Din, joined by Egypt’s Minister of Investment and Foreign Trade, Hassan al-Khatib; Major General Tariq Hamed al-Shazly, Governor of Suez; Major General Dr Mohamed Hegazy, Director of the Medical Services Department of the Armed Forces; Ambassador of India to Egypt, Mr Suresh Reddy; Representative of the World Health Organisation (WHO) in Egypt, Dr Nemaa Saeed Abed, as well as a number of leaders of national entities, ambassadors, and officials of GENNVAX. 
Mr Gamal El-Din said that the GennVax project represents a qualitative leap in the path of localising medical and pharmaceutical industries in Egypt, with total investments amounting to USD150 million. He explained that the factory will operate according to the highest international quality standards, to cover the production of 29 vaccines and medical serums to meet the needs of the local market and to export to regional markets.
“The SCZone has succeeded over the past three and a half years in attracting investments worth USD13 billion, through some 380 diverse projects in the industrial, logistics and maritime sectors,” Mr Gamal El-Din said.
Adam El-Dabaa, CEO of Gennvax, stressed that laying the foundation stone for the project represents a cornerstone for Egypt’s healthcare future and a guarantee of its national security. The project, he said, transforms Egypt from a consumer to a regional producer and exporter of vaccines. For Africa, this vital investment represents a step towards self-sufficiency, especially since the continent imports approximately 99 per cent of the vaccines it uses. 
He praised the strategic role of the SCZone as a pivotal gateway for manufacture and trade between continents, making it the ideal location to implement this ambitious vision to serve both Egypt and Africa.
Worth noting that the SCZone pays special attention to the pharmaceutical and medical supplies sector, allocating four million sq.m. in Ain al-Sokhna Industrial Zone for this sector. Several pioneering projects are also present, including Ateco Pharma for intravenous injections with investments approaching one billion Egyptian pounds; BMEC Imaging – Egypt for the production and remanufacturing of advanced medical devices with investments of USD4.5 million; and Arab API, a multi-purpose factory for pharmaceutical raw materials with investments of approximately USD120 million.
Watani International
21 December 2025
