Egypt has launched its first nationwide aerial geophysical survey for minerals in 42 years, in a move officials hope will underpin a new wave of investment in mining and licensing rounds.
The country's Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority has signed a contract with Spain’s Xcalibur to carry out a comprehensive airborne survey covering most of the country’s main geological zones, the Petroleum and Mineral Resources Ministry said on Sunday.
The survey will use specialised aircraft equipped with geophysical sensors, with technical co-operation from Egypt’s Nuclear Materials Authority and operator Drone Tech, the ministry said.
It will span six regions: the northern and southern Eastern Desert, Sinai, the northern and southern Western Desert, and the Bahariya-Abu Tartour area in New Valley.
Data from the flights will be used to build a high‑resolution geophysical database on metallic and industrial mineral potential, replacing fragmented, decades‑old data sets.
Officials said the new database is intended to reduce exploration risk and cost for mining companies, making it easier to delineate prospective blocks and support more competitive rounds of bidding.
The survey is part of a push from the Egyptian government to explore and extract more energy resources in the region.
It is one of the first major projects to be undertaken since the Mineral Resources Authority was converted into an independent economic body, with greater autonomy to manage projects and retain revenue.
The Egyptian Parliament last year approved legislation transforming the authority, offering it “economic authority” with its own budget modelled on state‑owned firms in the petroleum sector.
The move gives the regulator greater freedom to launch projects and retain a large share of surplus, but also shifts more decision‑making on licences and contracts into a semi‑corporate body that operates outside the normal state budget process.
On Sunday, Petroleum Minister Karim Badawi said Egypt will showcase the data when it hosts a revamped Egypt Mining Forum on September 28 and 29 in the New Administrative Capital.
His remarks came during a visit to the Sukari gold mine in Marsa Alam, the Eastern Desert. Sukari, Egypt’s largest producing mine, yielded more than 500,000 ounces of gold in 2025, after AngloGold Ashanti joined as an investment partner.
Mr Badawi has repeatedly said the government wants to raise mining’s contribution to GDP from the current 1 per cent to about 6 per cent by 2030.
