Egypt is seeking to raise its exports of medical industries—including pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and cosmetics—to $1.2 billion in 2026, up from about $1 billion expected in 2025, according to estimates by Ali Ouf, head of the Pharmaceuticals Division at the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce.
According to Eram Business, Ouf said exports from the medical industries sector grew by between 23% and 25% over the past year. While the growth remains strong, it was slightly lower than in 2024, when exports expanded by around 30%.
Despite the sector’s solid performance over the past three years, Ouf noted that export levels still fall short of their potential and do not reflect the scale of Egypt’s domestic pharmaceutical and medical production.
He estimated total pharmaceutical sales in Egypt at more than EGP 290 billion ($6.1 billion) by the end of last year, compared with EGP 215 billion ($4.5 billion) in 2024, marking a growth rate of about 35%.
“This massive level of production, particularly in pharmaceuticals, should have driven exports to much higher levels than we are currently seeing,” Ouf said. “Achieving that requires a clear national plan with defined targets and strong implementation.”
Egypt has set a strategic goal of increasing medical industries exports to $3 billion by 2030, but Ouf warned that the target is unlikely to be achieved under the current government approach to export management.
“At present, Egyptian pharmaceutical exports rely largely on individual efforts by companies rather than a comprehensive, state-backed strategy,” he said. “What we need is a high-level council or supreme committee for drug exports that brings together industry players, government bodies, regulatory authorities, and financing institutions to set clear annual growth targets.”
Also, Ouf pointed to structural challenges that continue to hinder pharmaceutical exports, despite the sector’s competitive pricing and quality relative to neighboring markets.
He affirmed that pharmaceuticals are a strategic commodity that no country can do without, making Egypt’s relatively modest export revenues difficult to justify. He highlighted African markets in particular as a major untapped opportunity, given their strong demand for affordable, good-quality medicines and Egypt’s geographic proximity.
According to Ouf, Egypt’s pharmaceutical industry has the fundamentals needed to expand globally, but lacks professional and coordinated export management. “Without a national vision for pharmaceutical exports, the sector’s revenues will remain stuck around the $1 billion mark instead of reaching the levels the industry truly deserves,” he said.
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