Investment Minister Ashraf Salman said there are 700 projects in the free public zones and 220 projects in the private free zones with investments worht US$21 billion.
On the sidelines of his tour in Alexandria on Thursday morning, Salman also said that investment projects for the petroleum sector alone account for 30 percent of the total direct investments in Egypt.
He said there are 196,000 workers in the free zones, of whom 3,500 are foreigners, adding that customs exemptions is the basis of work in free zones.
Edited translation from Al-Masry Al-Youm
