Background

Background
The Presidential Decree No. 350 / 2005 established the Industrial Development Authority (IDA) as a general economic authority responsible for executing the industrial policies set by the Ministry of Trade & Industry and its subsidiaries, to stimulate & encourage investments in the industrial sector, lay down & implement the land development policies for industrial purposes and simplify the procedures of industrial license acquisition through:

• Studying industrial regulations and giving its relevant suggestions.
• Preparing, following up and encouraging execution of industrial development studies & plans sectorally and geographically.
• Making general policies and plans which are necessary for developing the industrial zones, in coordination with governorates and other competent authorities.
• Determining the lands allocated for industrial purposes, in coordination with the National Center for Planning State Land Uses.
•  Setting conditions & rules which enable the private sector companies to establish, serve and manage industrial zones and provide areas & lands for investors besides granting these companies the needful licenses to set up and manage industrial zones.
• Deciding the industrial activities & products and the related service activities practiced in the industrial zones, in coordination with the Environmental Affairs Agency, governorates, and other competent government & private sector authorities.
• Setting regulatory rules & conditions for utilizing, developing & pricing the lands of industrial zones and coordinating with governorates and the other government & private sector authorities which undertake servicing & running industrial zones to make them available to investors through IDA's Industrial Land Subsidizing Fund.
•  Devising general rules to encourage investors in the industrial zones according to definite criteria of production, operation, exportation & other development goals besides creating the proper investment climate, in cooperation with the General Authority for Investment & Free Zones (GAFI).
  
• Setting regulatory rules & conditions of the approvals and licenses necessary for industrial projects and issuing registration certificates in the industrial registry. IDA has the right to delegate any competent state authority to issue approvals and licenses.
• Issuing approvals and licenses for establishing projects outside industrial zones.
• Following up & assessing industrial projects, in coordination with the competent authorities to ensure fulfillment of the industrial zone utilization conditions.
• Making general policies & plans necessary for training labor in the industrial sector and supervising the projects financed with foreign grants & loans, in coordination with the government agencies and private sector to qualify labor and develop their abilities in conformity with the requisites of industry.
• Setting the necessary policies & mechanisms to link the requisites of developing industrial sectors and the related scientific & technological activities, in order to activate utilization of the results of scientific research & projects to meet the requirements of industrial development.
• Registering the companies & houses of expertise working in the field of establishing, developing and upgrading the integrated engineering systems of industrial, technological and service activities in conformity with the regulations set by IDA administrative board.
• Issuing and publishing books, magazines, bulletins and advertising materials to promote industrial zones and investment.