Interviewee
Bassem Moustafa
General Manager, Mapei Egypt
Mapei Egypt’s General Manager outlines a strategy to navigate the country’s booming infrastructure market by localizing production at a new facility in the 10th of Ramadan City. The company aims to differentiate itself as a full-service partner by offering a complete range of building solutions, from concrete admixtures to products for installing ceramic tiles. This approach is underpinned by a strong commitment to sustainability, continuous innovation, and the technical training of local professionals to ensure long-term quality and growth.
What are the characteristics of the Egyptian construction market?
The Egyptian construction market is characterized by robust growth, driven by urbanization, government-led infrastructure projects, and increasing foreign investment. This large and fragmented market is experiencing significant expansion, with forecasts predicting continued high growth rates in the coming years. The Egyptian government is heavily investing in large-scale infrastructure projects, including new cities, transportation networks, and renewable energy initiatives. Rapid urbanization and population growth are fueling demand for housing, commercial spaces, and related infrastructure. Increased foreign direct investment is playing a crucial role in the market's expansion and modernization.
The construction sector is characterized by a mix of global, regional, and local players, leading to intense competition. There's a growing emphasis on adopting modern methods of construction, including digital technologies and sustainable practices. Some notable projects include high-speed rail corridors, various smart city developments, and the New Administrative Capital: a futuristic city, built from scratch about 45 km from Cairo, which will become the new political, administrative and financial centre of the country.
The market is seeing growth across various sectors, including residential, transport, energy, and industrial. Government initiatives are encouraging greater participation of private firms in low-income housing and other projects. There's a growing focus on sustainable construction practices, aligning with global trends and environmental concerns.
What challenges do you see for the future?
While the market is growing, it faces challenges from inflation and wider economic fluctuations. A shortage of skilled labor in the construction industry is a persistent issue due to constant migration of talents. Navigating regulatory frameworks can be challenging for investors. A growing emphasis on sustainable construction practices presents both challenges and opportunities for innovation. Adopting digital technologies and modern construction methods is crucial for efficiency and growth. The market also faces challenges such as currency fluctuations, which can impact project costs, and the need to localize supply chains to mitigate risks.
The new Mapei Egypt plant, operational since December 2024, is located in the 10th of Ramadan City, approximately 46 km north-east of Cairo.
How does Mapei Egypt plan to address them?
At Mapei Egypt, our strategy is based on localizing production as much as possible. Thanks to our new manufacturing plant that has been operational since December 2024 in the 10th of Ramadan City, we plan to produce locally more products that are suited for the Egyptian market to optimize our costs and depending less on imported products. At the same time, we tend to fully use local raw materials.
The Mapei Egypt production site is designed and build to fulfil the demand of the local market and also export to neighbouring countries in the region. We also constantly promote advanced modern construction methods through our Specifications and Business Development teams. Upgrading specifications in the market creates a huge opportunity for Mapei to demonstrate our innovative solutions and latest developments.
We intend to produce locally an increasing number of products for the Egyptian market to optimise costs and depend as little as possible on imports
Which segments of the Egyptian construction market are most interesting to you?
Mapei Egypt strives to be not only a product supplier, but a true business partner providing complete solutions for the construction Industry. We offer materials covering the entire range of chemical products for the construction industry in Egypt: from those for installing ceramic tiles and stone to those for laying resilient and textile materials, from the building line to systems for industrial floors, from grinding aids for cement to concrete admixtures, from waterproofing systems to solutions for underground construction. We have been a market leader in the cement additives sector with our C-ADD solutions for many years thanks to our innovative product range and outstanding technical service.
Our aim is to achieve a dominant position in the market of installation materials for ceramic tiles and resilient materials thanks to our unbeatable quality and extensive range. In the industrial flooring sector we are regarded as full solution providers for all situations, thanks to our Mapefloor CPU+ range, epoxy-based coatings, self-levelling compounds and polyurethane systems for parking decks. Our building line and waterproofing line will grow in a consistent manner over the coming period thanks to the start of local manufacturing. Concrete admixtures business showed a 400% volume growth versus last year, thanks to local manufacturing and deep market penetration with our high-performance admixtures and CFS (Concrete Flooring Solutions) range.
The Group's presence in Egypt.
How does Mapei's entry strategy in Egypt aim to differentiate itself from other players in the market?
Mapei’s strategy focuses on a few key principles. First, we leverage the Group’s established global reputation as a reliable and ethical partner, built on principles of integrity, transparency, and loyalty. This appeals to clients seeking trustworthy suppliers in the Egyptian market. Mapei Egypt differentiates itself from its competitors by offering sustainable products and practices, aligning with the growing global trend towards sustainable construction. Besides, we strongly invest in providing comprehensive technical support and training to both installers and project designers. This sets us apart from competitors who may not offer such extensive support. Mapei also highlights its commitment to Research & Development, constantly innovating to create new products and systems that meet the evolving needs of the construction industry. This is demonstrated by the use of our products in prestigious projects like the Central Business District at the new Administrative Capital and the extension of the Cairo Metro, Line 4.
The Group’s history of strategic investments used to expand its global presence indicates a long-term commitment to the Egyptian market and a willingness to adapt to local needs.
Finally, Mapei Egypt's strategy includes a wider and more inclusive approach to sustainability that extends to culture, sport, and social commitment, contributing to the development of the communities where the company operates. This demonstrates a commitment beyond business, fostering positive relationships and contributing to the overall well-being of the region. By focusing on these key areas, Mapei Egypt aims to not just compete, but to establish itself as a leader in the Egyptian market by offering a combination of quality, sustainability, and comprehensive support.
Around 80 employees make up the Mapei Egypt team.
How important is the training of employees and business partners for Mapei Egypt?
At Mapei Egypt, we value the importance of training and the sharing of knowledge. We rely on the Mapei Academy for training our own staff as well as installers, applicators, distributors, contractors and all business partners about the advantages of using our product range and the latest innovations available from our R&D activities from around the world.
Training at Mapei Egypt is crucial for professionals in the construction industry as it ensures proper product usage, enhances jobsite safety, and promotes sustainable practices. Mapei Egypt offers various training programs, including technical consultancy, practical workshops, webinars, and seminars, to equip professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to effectively use our products. Mapei Egypt’s training programs, conducted by our Technical Services Department, provide hands-on experience and theoretical knowledge on the correct application of products.
Training at Mapei Egypt is crucial for enhancing the company's image in the local market by fostering a skilled workforce, promoting a culture of innovation, and strengthening relationships with clients and partners. It demonstrates Mapei's commitment to quality, sustainability, and continuous improvement, ultimately boosting our reputation as a leader in the construction industry.
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HEADQUARTERS IN NEW CAIRO
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WAREHOUSE IN THE 10TH OF RAMADAN CITY
How important is sustainability for Mapei Egypt?
Sustainability is a core value for Mapei Egypt, integrated into our operating and production systems, as well as product development. Mapei Egypt emphasizes environmental protection, user health, and responsible resource management in our commitment to sustainable construction. This includes developing products with low environmental impact, minimizing emissions, and promoting the use of recycled materials.
Mapei's approach to sustainability is wide-ranging, integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations into our business practices and product offerings.
Mapei Egypt commitment to sustainability is evident in several ways:
- Product development: We focus on creating innovative, high-quality solutions that increase the durability of the buildings and reduce waste. This includes using recycled raw materials and developing products with low emissions of volatile organic compounds (VOC).
- Sustainable packaging: We encourage the collection and recycling of empty paper bags, promoting a circular economy.
- Social responsibility: Our commitment extends to social responsibility, including fair labour practices, equal opportunities, and community engagement.
- Supporting sustainable construction: We aim to provide the construction industry with products and solutions that promote sustainable building practices.
Trade fairs, training events and sponsorships
Marketing and communication operations have been used with great care for some time now to promote the Mapei brand and its products in Egypt. Prominent among these activities are leading industry trade fairs, such as the Egypt Projects Exhibition, the most important showcase for people working in the Egyptian building industry. Mapei Egypt has taken part in this event every year since 2020 to interact with other players and present its products to contractors, installers, designers and real-estate firms. The subsidiary attended this year’s Egypt Projects Exhibition held at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in Cairo from 6th-8th September 2025. Its 168 m2 stand stood out for the wide range and variety of the products and systems on display and for the practical demonstrations held over the three days of the fair.
To support operators in the cement industry, in 2019 Mapei Egypt set up the Mapei Egypt Cement Academy, a platform focused on exchanging know-how and co-operating with Mapei Cement Additives Division’s (C-ADD) main Egyptian partners. About 80 operators in the industry, including representatives from the leading cement manufacturers in Egypt, attended the latest edition of the Academy held at Royal Maxim Palace Kempinski in New Cairo on 6th-7th May, 2025. Speakers from Mapei Egypt, the parent company Mapei SpA, and Mapei Construction Chemicals, took advantage of this opportunity to showcase the wide range of products and services Mapei supplies to this sector: innovative grinding technologies and additives for improving how cement performs, reducing clinker dosages, CO2 emissions and, consequently, environmental impact, and making manufacturing cycles more efficient.
In July, Mapei Egypt sponsored the first Hygiene Master Class to be held in Egypt, an event aimed at promoting awareness about hygiene, safety, and risk prevention in the food & beverage industry. Mapei, which manufactures a wide range of products for this sector, was keen to support an event that featured speakers from the European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG), who provided information about the means and methods of attaining high hygiene standards, while also guaranteeing durability and sustainability. Representatives from major companies in the food & beverages industry took part in the masterclass, along with consultants and suppliers of various types of products and services. Craig Beech, Regional Product Line Manager for industrial flooring at Mapei Construction Chemicals, presented the wide range of flooring systems Mapei has developed for environments where food is processed, stored, cooked and served.
Mapei Egypt attended this year’s Egypt Projects Exhibition held in Cairo from 6th-8th September 2025 with a big stand displaying a wide range of the products.
