Egypt moves ahead with final steps to activate new mining authority: petroleum minister

Egypt is moving forward with the final legal and regulatory procedures to activate its newly restructured Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA), Minister of Petroleum Karim Badawy announced on Tuesday.

Speaking at the opening ceremony of the Egypt Mining Forum 2025 in Cairo, Minister Badawy said the newly renamed MRMIA will replace the former Egyptian Mineral Resources Authority (EMRA).

The remaining steps include issuing the law’s executive regulations. The transition is part of a broader national strategy to modernise the mining sector and boost investment in Egypt’s untapped mineral wealth.

“… the remaining legislative and legal procedures are currently underway, including the issuance of the law’s executive regulations.” Minister Badawy said.

The transformation was formalised through Presidential Decree No. 87 of 2025, published in the Official Gazette in June, after Egypt’s House of Representatives passed the amended Mineral Resources Law in late April.

According to Minister Badawy, the restructuring grants the authority full financial and administrative independence, enabling it to operate more efficiently, attract international partners, and implement a national mining strategy.

The transformation, Minister Badawy said, from “a service-oriented body to an economic entity also aims to support and develop the mineral resources sector and implement mining sector plans and projects,” He added that the move would also lead to developing “an integrated strategy for regulating geological and mining surveying, exploration, discovery, and evaluation work, as well as preparing related laboratory studies and geological and mining maps.”

The MRMIA will be responsible for geological surveys, exploration licensing, and developing value-added mineral-based industries. It will also help localise mining technologies, oversee mining operations, and manage national data related to mineral resources.

As part of the reforms, Egypt has also finalised an updated model agreement for gold and associated mineral exploration, which aims to bring legal clarity, enhance transparency, and align investment terms with global standards.

The government’s goal is to make Egypt a regional hub for mining, capitalising on its rich reserves of gold, phosphate, limestone, and rare earth elements, while creating jobs and generating sustainable economic value.

The executive regulations for the new law are expected to be published in the coming weeks, formally bringing the new authority into full operation.

Egypt’s Mining Portal

The minister revealed that the first phase of the Egypt’s Mining Portal — a digital gateway for the sector — is halfway through and will soon go live, streamlining investor access to geological data and licensing services.

Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English

Reporting: Aya Anwar

Writing: Aya El Sayed

Subediting: M. S. Salama