Egyptian tanners to relocate by end of year
13 April 2010According to Mamdouh Mekky, chairman of the African Federation for Leather (AFLAI) and chairman of the Arab Union for Leather Industries the first phase of relocation of Egyptian tanners from the downtown tanning district of Cairo to the new purpose built tanning zone at Robikki will take place at the end of 2010. ‘I anticipate that if all goes to plan around 30 tanneries will relocate towards the end of the year’, he told Leather International. The tanneries are under pressure to move as they do not have adequate effluent treatment facilities and due to their location have no possibility of constructing waste treatment facilities.
At the new site in Robikki, located on the outskirts of the city a tannery cluster is being constructed featuring central effluent treatment centre, laboratory and general infrastructure. Mekky is hopeful that the delayed project will reach its second phase of relocation by the middle of 2011.
The Robikki cluster is a jointly funded project between the governments of Eygpt and Italy. The first phase of the relocation was due to be completed by this July but has now been pushed back towards the end of the year.
Mamdouh Mekky is also chairman of one of Egypt’s leading tanneries, El Shark Group which will be part of the first phase of the relocation.