The vaping industry welcomed Egypt's decision to allow the import and commercialization of vaping products.

“The lifting of the ban underscores the progressive attitude of the Egyptian authorities towards e-cigarettes and lays the foundation for the creation of a regulated market full of business opportunities by meeting the demand of legal age (adult) consumers for a quality product that is easily accessible across the country ,” wrote RELX International, a leader in the field, in an April 24 statement.

With the recent decision, Egypt joins global and regional markets such as Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates that have legalized and commercialized the consumption of e-cigarettes. The market is expected to continue its steady growth over the next few years as regulators around the world increasingly embrace e-cigarettes.

According to Statista, the global e-cigarette market revenue was $22.95 billion as of March 2022, and the market is expected to expand at a CAGR of 4.19% annually through 2027.

"Egypt's decision reflects its commitment to supporting legitimate businesses in the country while combating illicit trade in these products, which is in line with what we are seeing in a growing number of markets around the world." REXL International MENA & European External Director of Affairs Robert Naouss said.

"The country's business and investment climate will benefit significantly from this decision, with adult consumers now able to conveniently and legally purchase better alternatives to combustible cigarettes. We look forward to working with our partners to build on our premium products through combination to increase and protect their income.”

According to RELX International, by lifting the ban on vaping products, Egyptian authorities have opened the door to a multitude of business and investment options.

“Licensing vaping products has traditionally been retailed by SMEs, so this move will support existing businesses selling such products and will appeal to entrepreneurs looking to set up new retail locations across the country. It will also appeal to entrepreneurs looking to open new retail locations in the country. store and respond to investments in e-cigarette brands in the market," the company wrote in its statement.

"Adult consumers will benefit from this move as they can now use e-cigarettes legally, whether or not they wish to switch to better alternatives to traditional cigarettes. Several health authorities including the NHS in the UK and the Ministry of Health in New Zealand and Regulators have aggressively articulated their stance on vaping as a way for people to move away from combustible cigarettes."

“Furthermore, the decision will facilitate the country’s post-pandemic economic recovery by collecting taxes from legal imports. At the same time, it will allow Egyptian authorities to combat tax evasion related to illegal market participants. Likewise, market movement and Balanced regulation provides an avenue for authorities and e-cigarette suppliers to stop the spread of low-quality and dangerous black market products that do not meet the standards and regulations outlined by Egyptian and international authorities. In doing so, adult consumers can rest assured that they are finding products are indeed a reliable alternative to traditional cigarettes.”