IDA to offer industrial permits, records electronically by March

CAIRO – 25 February 2018: The Industrial Development Authority (IDA) will start offering industrial permits and industrial records electronically through its various branches by mid march, a source at the IDA said Sunday.

He added that the IDA is currently seeing a structuring process, which should end in May.

In September 2017, international firm Oracle Solution Center (OSC) has won a bid to automate the IDA. The tender was issued following the ratification of the Industrial Permits Act and its executive regulations.

The company started the automation process in October 2017 through three stages.
The stages are divided into automating procedures of granting licenses of land plots, building licenses and the industrial record.

The source further said that a mobile application, currently under design, will show the services offered by the authority and will include a customer service to answer investors’ questions to help them get the information they need easily.

On May 9, President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi approved the 15/2017 Industrial Permits Act that aims at easing measures for obtaining licenses for industrial establishments.

The act entails granting investors the needed approvals in no more than one month, instead of a period of almost two years. The Trade Ministry issued the law’s executive regulations on August 13.

Trade Minister Tarek Kabil said in previous statements that 80 percent of the projects will be granted licenses upon notifications, while 20 percent, categorized as “risky” businesses, will have to wait for the approval of the IDA.