Written by: Bakinam Khaled
Dr. Mostafa Madbouly, Prime Minister, inaugurated the 29th Cairo International Technology Exhibition and Conference for the Middle East and Africa (Cairo ICT), held under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, under the theme "AI Everywhere," at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo. The event features more than 500 exhibitors and a number of ministries, government agencies, and institutions. The Prime Minister was received by Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology. The opening ceremony was attended by Engineer Raafat Hindi, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Technological Infrastructure Development and Digital Transformation; Dr. Mohamed Farid Saleh, Chairman of the Financial Regulatory Authority; Osama Kamal, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Trade Fairs International, the organizer of the Cairo ICT Exhibition and Conference; and a number of leaders from the Ministry of Communications and senior officials.
The Prime Minister affirmed that the communications and information technology sector has confidently become a vital strategic sector, joining a number of other promising sectors to which the Egyptian state is giving considerable attention, commensurate with their immense potential. These sectors include industry, agriculture, and tourism, and this is all part of the serious efforts to bolster the growth of the Egyptian economy.
In this context, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly pointed out that the state has been keen to develop a national digital strategy to transform the communications and information technology sector from a purely service-oriented sector to a productive service-oriented sector that contributes to job creation, increased exports, and economic growth. He added that there are specific targets to be implemented within this strategy to ensure the achievement of the state's objectives in this regard. The Prime Minister also emphasized that the participation of a large number of local companies from various sectors in this exhibition—in addition to the Ministry of Communications and its affiliated bodies and agencies—to showcase the latest developments in the technology sector and the expanding use of artificial intelligence, which has become a dominant field across various productive and service sectors, with the aim of improving productivity, quality, and the speed and efficiency of service delivery, is extremely positive. He noted that holding such exhibitions in each sector separately represents a golden opportunity for exchanging experiences and ideas in this field.
The Prime Minister began his tour of the exhibition pavilions with a visit to the Ministry of Communications pavilion, where he listened to a presentation by Dr. Amr Talaat on the objectives of Egypt's Digital Strategy and the most prominent efforts being made to achieve them.
Dr. Amr Talaat explained that Egypt's Digital Strategy is centered on the citizen and aims to develop digital skills and spread digital literacy among citizens, in addition to providing them with comprehensive digital services through the implementation of projects to digitize government services, as well as providing digital economic opportunities to create jobs and added value for citizens.
He added that to implement the strategy's objectives, work is proceeding according to four main pillars: access, to provide seamless and comprehensive digital access to services; manufacturing, by contributing to building a productive digital economy that creates technology and provides job opportunities; empowerment, by building a digital citizen with deep and advanced skills; and finally, innovation, by stimulating creative digital solutions and entrepreneurship.
Dr. Amr Talaat pointed to the efforts to support digital transformation and provide comprehensive digital services through the Egypt Digital Platform to facilitate citizens' access to government services. He explained that, in line with the directives of the Prime Minister—who also chairs the Supreme Council for the Digital Society—to offer a number of services digitally on the Egypt Digital Platform, exclusive digital service packages are being made available on the platform. These packages include 45 services in the first phase, covering commercial registration, documentation, personal status, and social insurance. He also noted that the "My Digital Card" service for remote digital identity verification, issuing powers of attorney, and providing services for Egyptians abroad will be launched soon.
During his tour, Dr. Mostafa Madbouly witnessed the pilot launch of services for Egyptians abroad on the Digital Egypt platform. These services include issuing certified documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, specifically four types of certificates: birth, marriage, divorce, and death.
In this context, Dr. Amr Talaat noted that 15 brands manufacturing mobile phones and accessories in Egypt have been attracted to the country. These brands have invested $200 million in factories to produce mobile phones locally, with a production capacity of up to 20 million units annually. The goal is for local production to exceed 81% of domestic market needs. He added that the production capacity of factories operating in Egypt will reach 10 million locally manufactured units this year.
Dr. Amr Talaat also pointed out that four brands manufacture fiber optic cables in Egypt, with a local production capacity of 4 million kilometers annually. He explained that the total investment in the mobile phone and fiber optic cable industries amounts to $263 million, and that these factories provide 9,000 job opportunities.
Dr. Amr Talaat reviewed the Ministry's most prominent efforts to develop digital skills, explaining that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology launched the Digitopia competition to empower Egypt's digital talents and discover creative individuals aged 10 to 35. He noted that the competition includes tracks in programming, artificial intelligence, digital arts, and cybersecurity. He pointed out that more than 25,000 contestants, comprising approximately 7,000 teams, applied. The competition stages included an idea submission phase, from which more than 16,000 contestants, totaling over 4,000 teams, qualified. This was followed by an idea development phase, from which more than 2,000 teams, totaling 510, qualified. The elimination phase then saw more than 280 contestants, totaling 72 teams, qualify. The final elimination phase, during which 36 winning teams, comprising more than 140 contestants, will be announced, will be held on November 29th.
Meanwhile, Dr. Amr Talaat highlighted the Mahara-Tech platform, which empowers citizens with remote digital skills in the fields of communications and information technology. He explained that approximately 285,000 trainees have benefited from it, and it includes over 1,700 hours of training content. He also noted that the platform received the UNESCO Prize for the Use of Information Technologies in Education for 2025 in recognition of its role in promoting responsible digital learning.
Dr. Amr Talaat also explained that Egypt University of Informatics, established by the Ministry in the Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital, graduated its first cohort this year from the faculties of Computer Science and Information, Business Technology, and Digital Arts and Design. He pointed to the most prominent projects launched by the Applied Innovation Center for the use of artificial intelligence technology in several sectors, including agriculture, health, and justice. He added that work is underway on projects in the education and irrigation sectors.
The Minister also reviewed the most important indicators of the communications and information technology sector, explaining that the sector's growth rate reached 14%, while its contribution to the GDP reached 6%. He pointed out that digital exports are expected to reach $7.4 billion this year, while also confirming that Egypt is in Group A of the Government's Digital Transformation Readiness Index.
Regarding the exhibition halls, Dr. Amr Talaat explained that the first hall showcases the activities of the Ministry and its affiliated entities in the field of digital capacity building. The target is to train 800,000 individuals of various ages during the current fiscal year. This includes training programs for young people through the Digital Egypt Sprouts and Digital Egypt Cubs initiatives, as well as the WE Applied Technology Schools. There are also programs for university students through educational programs offered by Misr University for Informatics and the Digital Egypt Pioneers initiative, in addition to programs for graduates offered by the Information Technology Institute, the National Telecommunications Institute, and the Digital Egypt Builders initiative.
The Minister also noted that the first hall includes a showcase of several digital transformation projects, including the real estate export platform currently being launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Housing and the Administrative Control Authority; the digital litigation system, in cooperation with the Ministries of Interior and Justice, and the Public Prosecution; and the project for a system to convert spoken text to written text using artificial intelligence technologies to support digital justice services, in cooperation with the Ministries of Interior and Justice and the Public Prosecution. Additionally, the hall features a religious discourse platform in cooperation with the Ministry of Endowments. He added that the first hall also includes pavilions for the National Postal Authority, the Central Bank, and the Financial Regulatory Authority, as well as a pavilion for government digital transformation companies.
Meanwhile, the Minister explained that the second hall includes a pavilion for the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, which will showcase its developed systems and services, including the promotional calls system, which includes mechanisms and controls for regulating promotional calls; 5G services and their features; internet calling services; and digital SIM cards with remote identification. He pointed out that the second hall of the exhibition also includes pavilions for telecommunications operators. During which it will showcase its efforts in building the submarine cable network, data center services, and new service packages.
