The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has delivered a speech at the Tech Heritage Exhibition and Conference by IBM and the 70th anniversary celebration of IBM partnership in the Egyptian market. The conference was held in the Pyramids Sound and Light Show area.
The event was attended by the Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Sherif Farouk, Vice ICT Minister for Institutional Development Ghada Labib, Vice ICT Minister for Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Raafat Hindi, Vice ICT Minister for Technological and Applied Research Planning Bakr El-Bayoumi, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) Ahmed Elzaher, Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt Mohamed Nasr, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Technological Talents Development Hoda Baraka, Director of the National Telecommunication Institute (NTI) Ahmed Khattab, General Manager of IBM Middle East and Africa Saad Toma, Vice President for Environmental Social Governance Strategy and Programs at IBM Jonah Smith, and General Manager and Technology Leader of IBM Egypt Marwa Abbas.
The ICT Minister began his speech by congratulating IBM on 70 years of partnership in the Egyptian market. He emphasized that the ICT industry relies on human capabilities and expertise within the sector, which has been the key driver of its growth across state sectors over the past six years. He highlighted that the sector’s advancements were a direct result of the skills and competencies of its professionals, noting that its contribution to the GDP had increased from 3.2% six years ago to 5.8% in the most recent fiscal year.
Talaat emphasized that the Egyptian ICT sector has both a rich history and a promising future. He noted that the sector’s origins trace back nearly 170 years to 1854, with the establishment of Telecom Egypt, originally known as the Eastern Telephone Company, and the creation of the first telegraph line. This was followed by the founding of Egypt Post in 1865, the same year the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) was established, which Egypt joined a few years later, becoming one of the first 20 countries to do so.
Egypt introduced its first telephone line in 1881, Talaat noted, just five years after the telephone patent was registered. He explained that the sector began to take shape and evolve globally in the mid-20th century with the advent of commercially available computers and a series of technological innovations.
The ICT Minister revealed that Egypt’s ranking in fixed broadband in Africa had improved significantly, rising from 40th place six years ago to 1st place two years ago, a position the country has maintained since. He also highlighted Egypt’s rise in the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI), moving from category (C) to category (A). Additionally, he noted that Egypt is now among the top 12 countries in the field of cybersecurity.
Moreover, Talaat highlighted the growth of Egypt’s offshoring industry, noting that the number of professionals providing digital services to countries worldwide has increased from 90,000 to over 140,000 in just two years. He explained that the offshoring industry has expanded across various sectors, starting with call centers 25 years ago and evolving into software services. It has since moved into more value-added areas, such as IC design, semiconductors, automotive embedded software, and other high-value fields. Talaat also mentioned that Egypt’s digital exports have grown by 54% in just one year. He added that over recent years, five global companies have been attracted to manufacture mobile phones and tablets in Egypt, with an added value of over 40%.
The first version of the National AI Strategy was implemented over the past three years, the ICT Minister explained, emphasizing the role of the Applied Innovation Center (AIC) in developing AI systems across various sectors, including healthcare, agriculture, the environment, and water resources management. He highlighted that Egypt’s ranking had improved by 49 spots on the Government AI Readiness Index.
Talaat noted that the Creativa Innovation Hubs project, launched in 2019, aimed to foster an enabling environment for creative thinking. Efforts are underway to expand the number of innovation hubs from three, six years ago, to one hub and technology incubator in each governorate. So far, 23 hubs have been established across various governorates.
Finally, Talaat stressed that Egypt has emerged as a leader in the ICT sector and will continue to maintain this position thanks to the efforts of the sector’s professionals.
