Egypt: Improving the international competitiveness of the textile and clothing sector (GTEX/MENATEX)

    Overview

    Summary

    Egypt: Improving the international competitiveness of the textile and clothing sector (GTEX/MENATEX) project directly supports up to 35 small and medium enterprises for denim, knitwear, sports and leisurewear, as well as provides support to improve the dyeing and fi­nishing functions of textiles. Through training, coaching, mentoring, among other activities, the project aims to increase the beneficiary companies' international competitiveness and diversify their export base.

    In Egypt, the project partners with the Ministry of Trade and Industry, representing the Government of Egypt. The project also works at the institutional level by building the capacity of T&C support institutions and upgrading their service portfolio to their members. Academic and vocational training institutions are also sustainably linked to the industry and similar peer institutions worldwide through closer partnerships. The project will support educational institutions to upgrade their curricula and adapt to match the industry needs better.

    Recipients

    Partners

    Sustainable Development Goals

    This project contributes to the following Sustainable Development Goals, as defined by the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

    ITC’s Global Textiles and Clothing Programme (GTEX) in Egypt works to create jobs and increase the income of micro small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the textile and clothing industry.     

    We work directly with 35 enterprises in denim, knitwear, sports and leisurewear to diversify their exports and increase their international competitiveness by linking them to new markets and buyers, as well as financing mechanisms so they can expand their production. 

    Strengthening the sector and boosting exports will have an enormous impact as the industry employs an estimated one million people in Egypt, largely informally. 

    We provide training, coaching and mentoring in lean management, material sourcing, product design and development, export marketing and branding, and digital upgrading.  We support mentoring between larger ‘champion’ companies and smaller companies and assist several business support organizations (BSOs).  

    We also work to improve social and environmental industry standards and provide support to improve overall dyeing and finishing processes. 

    Changing lives in the textile and clothing sector
    Changing lives in the textile and clothing sector

    Egypt’s clothing sector was badly hit by the COVID-19 economic upheaval. To support the Egyptian textile and clothing industry, ITC through GTEX/MENATEX helped companies pivot into digital processes, increase their online presence, and remodel their traditional production lines into personal protective equipment and face masks. 

    We created a video library of webinars on topics such as market access, environmental management, trade finance, and digitalization that is available to all the project’s stakeholders and national partners. 

    ITC also provided an impact study on the COVID-19 crisis, giving stakeholders updated information on the pandemic’s impact on the sector, including employment rates, the number of MSMEs affected, the loss of buyers, and new opportunities in unconventional markets and products.  

    Turning the COVID-19 economic crisis into opportunities
    Turning the COVID-19 economic crisis into opportunities
    ITC MENATEX trainings have been a game changer
    Show
    GTEX/MENATEX brought insightful ideas and know-how through new techniques and learning such as green solutions, improving our resource efficiency while increasing our profits.
    GTEX/MENATEX brought insightful ideas and know-how through new techniques and learning such as green solutions, improving our resource efficiency while increasing our profits.
    Alaa Hamdy
    Director of Heathertex
    Thanks to the valuable inputs of ITC, we completely revamped our website towards a more user-friendly, updated content and B2B actions, which supported our shift during COVID-19 positively
    Thanks to the valuable inputs of ITC, we completely revamped our website towards a more user-friendly, updated content and B2B actions, which supported our shift during COVID-19 positively
    Ali El Nawawi
    Scarabaeus Sacer
    ITC MENATEX trainings have been a game changer in resource efficiency, circular production, digitalization and so many other trainings which are necessary to adjust to the markets demands and the current crises which our industry is facing
    ITC MENATEX trainings have been a game changer in resource efficiency, circular production, digitalization and so many other trainings which are necessary to adjust to the markets demands and the current crises which our industry is facing
    Boulos Massoud
    Viva 1960
    Supported by ITC MENATEX we introduced a garment manufacturing diploma programme targeting young women, training 28 rural women in the region, and supporting circularity sponsored machinery
    Supported by ITC MENATEX we introduced a garment manufacturing diploma programme targeting young women, training 28 rural women in the region, and supporting circularity sponsored machinery
    Marie Louis Bishara
    President, Apparel Export Council of Egypt

    Resources

    ITC contact

    Delphine
    Clement
    Email
    dclement [at] intracen.org