Chinese smartphone manufacturer OPPO inaugurated a new mobile-phone and electronics manufacturing plant in Egypt’s 10th of Ramadan industrial city, marking a significant step for Egypt’s strategy to become a regional electronics hub and deepen China-Egypt industrial ties. The facility spans 24,000 square metres, operates 17 production lines, employs around 2,000 Egyptian workers and produces approximately 400,000 units per month, with plans to expand to 500,000 units monthly by early 2026.
Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly described the plant as “a strong addition to the electronics manufacturing sector in Egypt,” aligning with the government’s Egypt Makes Electronics initiative aimed at doubling exports and reducing import dependency in high-tech goods.
OPPO’s General Manager for Egypt, Ma Jixiong, commented that the factory not only reflects OPPO’s confidence in the Egyptian market but also serves as a platform to bring innovation, local jobs and value addition into the national economy. The facility currently achieves a local value-added ratio exceeding 42 percent, with further improvements planned.
This factory launch sits within a robust Egypt–China partnership that covers industry, infrastructure and trade. The two countries upgraded their relationship to a comprehensive strategic partnership in 2014, and Chinese investment has since grown across connected sectors.
Egypt’s electronics manufacturing build-out has also included other Chinese firms. For example, the Tianjin Economic‑Technological Development Area (TEDA) China–Egypt Suez Economic & Trade Cooperation Zone has attracted over a billion dollars of Chinese investment, emphasising electronics, textiles and automobile assembly.
The OPPO facility joins these efforts by signalling that Egypt is now a viable manufacturing base for Chinese tech firms targeting local, regional and African markets. OPPO plans to export Egypt-made smartphones into Arab markets and expand into wearables and accessories.
For Egypt, the new factory supports the strategic goal of turning electronics manufacturing into a growth engine that creates high-skilled jobs, enhances industrial capacity and raises non-oil exports. Industry watchers note that Egypt has already attracted 15 global mobile and accessories brands, with about 20 million units annual capacity under production.
From OPPO’s perspective, the investment fits a broader shift in Chinese high-tech firms seeking manufacturing diversification, including Africa and the Middle East. Some analysts point out that rising costs and regulatory restrictions in other markets are prompting Chinese companies to reconsider their regional strategies.
Successful local production will depend on effective supply-chain management, import of key components, skills training and maintaining export competitiveness. Egypt must also ensure that the high-tech cluster evolves into a sustainable ecosystem rather than a stand-alone plant. As researchers note, Egypt needs to improve its industrial base and technology transfer to capture fuller benefits of Chinese manufacturing partnerships.
The OPPO factory sets a promising precedent but converting industrial potential into long-term transformation will require complementary policies on logistics, regulation and innovation. For China and Egypt, this partnership marks not just a moment of investment, but a turning point in how digital manufacturing is embedded within bilateral cooperation, industrialisation agendas and regional trade ecosystems.
