Elsewedy Watanya Targets EGP 6 Billion Investment as It Expands Into Telecom Towers and Lighting Poles

Thursday 1 October 2026 07:31

Elsewedy Watanya for Industries and Engineering Projects is planning to increase its investments in Egypt to EGP 6 billion by 2027–2028, up from around EGP 4 billion currently, as the company prepares to move beyond its core irrigation manufacturing business into telecom towers and lighting poles.

The planned increase represents an additional EGP 2 billion in investment, or roughly 50% above its current level, and signals a broader industrial strategy built around extracting more value from the company’s existing steel fabrication, pipe manufacturing and galvanization capabilities.

The expansion into telecom infrastructure is particularly significant. Rather than building an entirely unrelated business, Elsewedy Watanya can use industrial capabilities already developed for large-scale irrigation systems and metal structures to address demand from telecom networks and infrastructure projects.

Telecom Towers Open a New Market for Existing Manufacturing Capacity

Elsewedy Watanya is targeting the production of telecommunications towers and lighting poles as a new industrial activity alongside its existing operations.

The move creates a route into a different infrastructure market at a time when telecom networks require continuing investment in physical infrastructure to support coverage, capacity and new-generation mobile services.

Telecom towers require fabricated and galvanized steel structures designed for long-term outdoor operation — an area that overlaps with capabilities Elsewedy Watanya already uses across its existing industrial activities.

Lighting poles similarly provide another potential outlet for metal fabrication and galvanization capacity, particularly across urban development, road and infrastructure projects.

The expansion therefore appears to be less about starting from zero and more about extending an existing manufacturing platform into new product categories.

EGP 2 Billion in Additional Investment Planned

Elsewedy Watanya currently has investments of around EGP 4 billion in Egypt, with the company targeting EGP 6 billion during 2027–2028.

Reaching that target would represent a 50% increase in its investment base.

The additional capital comes as the company broadens the role of its Ain Sokhna manufacturing complex beyond its original focus on agricultural irrigation equipment.

The factory is strategically located in the Suez Canal Economic Zone in Ain Sokhna, close to Sokhna and Adabiya ports, providing access to both the domestic market and potential export routes.

That location could become increasingly important if telecom towers, lighting poles and other fabricated metal products are eventually added to the company’s export portfolio.

Ain Sokhna Factory Already Produces More Than 2,400 Irrigation Systems a Year

Elsewedy Watanya’s industrial base was initially built around the localization of center-pivot irrigation systems in Egypt.

According to company data, its Ain Sokhna manufacturing facility covers around 240,000 square meters and has annual production capacity exceeding 2,400 center-pivot irrigation systems.

The plant employs more than 500 engineers and technicians and also manufactures pipes and galvanized metal components.

The company says its locally manufactured irrigation systems have already supported the reclamation of more than 190,000 acres in Egypt.

Elsewedy Watanya was established through a partnership involving Elsewedy Electric and Egypt’s National Service Projects Organization, with local production aimed partly at reducing reliance on imported irrigation equipment.

Elsewedy Electric records the launch of pivot irrigation system production through the Elsewedy Watanya joint venture in 2023.

Galvanization Capacity Creates Room for Diversification

One of the less visible assets behind the new expansion is Elsewedy Watanya’s galvanization business.

The company says its galvanization operations have reached annual production capacity of around 50,000 tonnes, serving metal structures that require protection against corrosion and prolonged exposure to environmental conditions.

That capability has applications well beyond agricultural equipment.

Telecommunications towers, lighting poles and other infrastructure structures require durability over long operating periods, making galvanization an important part of their manufacturing process.

Moving into these products could therefore allow Elsewedy Watanya to use more of its existing industrial ecosystem — including steel fabrication, pipes and galvanization — across several sectors rather than tying capacity primarily to agricultural projects.

From Irrigation Manufacturer to Multi-Sector Infrastructure Supplier

The planned EGP 6 billion investment target points to a wider transformation in Elsewedy Watanya’s business.

The company started with a clearly defined localization objective: manufacture center-pivot irrigation systems domestically and supply large agricultural and water-management projects.

Its manufacturing platform has since expanded to pipes, metal components, galvanization, maintenance and spare parts.

Telecom towers and lighting poles would take the next step by moving the same industrial capabilities into telecommunications and urban infrastructure.

That diversification could also reduce the company’s dependence on demand cycles in a single industry while creating additional opportunities for exports.

The significance of Elsewedy Watanya’s EGP 2 billion planned investment increase therefore goes beyond additional factory capacity. The company is attempting to turn an industrial base originally built around irrigation into a broader manufacturing platform capable of supplying agriculture, telecommunications and infrastructure projects from Egypt.