New medical warehouses + pharma logistics zones in Egypt?Egypt has signed an agreement with a consortium made up of Orascom Construction and its US subsidiary Weitz for the construction of six strategic warehouses for medical supplies, according to an Egyptian cabinet statement. The agreement was signed with a JV company established by the Sovereign Fund of Egypt (SFE), Unified Procurement Authority, and the Armed Forces Land Projects Authority.

The details: The sites will be distributed strategically across Cairo, Alexandria, Dakahlia, Qena, Minya, and Ismailia governorates, and will allow for the “equitable distribution of pharma and medical supplies across Egypt’s governorates,” as per the statement. They will be built over 96 acres at locations nearby ports, the statement added. Initial capacity is slated for 190k pallets which can later be boosted to 340k pallets. The facilities will also be able to process 700 pallets daily, a volume which can be bumped up to as much as 80k pallets over a six week timeframe during crises.

The initiative will also witness the parallel establishment of an integrated logistical network to handle first-mile to last-mile delivery of local and imported medical products via an intermediate supply chain and warehousing grid. The accompanying supply chains will be equipped to handle 30k distinct categories of supplies. The project will also have the means to track the distribution of 240 mn vials nationwide.

Pharma-focused logistical zones on the horizon? Egyptian Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly also signed off on the establishment of logistics zones geared towards the storage and distribution of pharma products to markets in North Africa, the statement added, without clarifying the details or location of the zones. Feasibility studies also looked at the possibility of leasing out surplus storage capacity from local and multinational companies as a means to draw in FX.

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