The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat opened the Global DPI Summit today, which is taking place on October 1-3 at the New Administrative Capital, under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The event is hosted by Egypt, represented by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the World Bank. Co-Develop is organizing the summit. It brings together leaders from both the public and private sectors, officials from international organizations, and experts from different countries.
Egypt is hosting the summit as one of the leading countries in adopting digital public infrastructure (DPI) standards. The event aims to create a platform for discussions and the exchange of knowledge and views among stakeholders and key players in the DPI sector, including government representatives, academia, industry, and civil society. The goal is to foster a shared understanding of the DPI concept worldwide. Additionally, the summit seeks to promote regional and international partnerships and strategic cooperation among participating countries, providers, and companies involved in digital transformation, aiming to advance DPI on a global level.
The ICT Minister delivered an address at the opening ceremony. He said that the summit is held amidst unprecedented, heightened momentum on the role of technology in shaping a shared, sustainable, global future securely interconnected, universally accessible, and cognizant of technology’s pro-social role in our economies.
For the first time in the history of global multilateral cooperation, Talaat noted, the digital agenda was at the top of discussions at the United Nations General Assembly during the Summit of the Future, just days ago. This transformed the focus from “when and how will we adopt a global governance framework on technology?” to “what can we do to accelerate the adoption and implementation of the principles that our nations adopted in the Pact for the Future, the Global Digital Compact, and the Declaration on Future Generations?”
Talaat explained that the UN Advisory Body on Artificial Intelligence issued its report and recommendations on governing AI, paving the way forward for a future in which AI cultivates further innovation and socio-economic growth, and its risks are curtailed and regulated.
Furthermore, the ICT Minister stated that the Digital Egypt strategy has been the driving vision behind Egypt’s endeavors to digitize government services, build a digital economy, promote innovation, and empower the Egyptian people with digital skills. He highlighted the launch of the Digital Egypt platform, which offers nearly 170 citizen-centric services, with the government continuing to digitize public and social services such as the universal health insurance system, and the litigation system, among others.
The government has also launched multiple national payment systems, marking a significant step toward scaling financial inclusion in the nation, Talaat emphasized. He highlighted the government’s commitment to investing in upskilling and digital literacy programs for nearly half a million citizens each year.
The ICT Minister noted that Egypt’s ICT sector continues to grow at over 16% annually and contributes nearly 6% to GDP. Furthermore, Egypt has moved from Category C to Category A on the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index between 2018 and 2022, and its ranking on the Government AI Readiness Index has improved by 49 spots over the past five years.
Egypt remains steadfast in its pursuit of harnessing the potential of DPI to address modern mandates such as bridging the digital divide, enhancing data security, advancing financial inclusion, and promoting inclusive governance and digital sovereignty, the ICT Minister noted. He invited the summit participants to engage in meaningful dialogues aimed at developing a shared understanding of DPI, anchored in a whole-of-society framework that builds upon the 2023 G20 consensus on DPI and the Global Digital Compact.
Talaat highlighted that the summit comes at an opportune time to pursue the goal of building interoperable, sustainable, and inclusive digital public infrastructure. He expressed his anticipation for the issuance of the summit’s call-to-action document, adding that he is confident the collective commitment to responsible stewardship of ICT will create a better digital future for generations to come.
In a similar vein, Talaat inaugurated and toured the exhibition held alongside the summit. It featured a pavilion showcasing Egyptian initiatives, success stories, and prominent ongoing projects in digital transformation, digital infrastructure, and capacity building. The exhibition also highlighted initiatives from international institutions and organizations in the field of digital infrastructure.
There were pavilions for Egypt Post, the Applied Innovation Center (AIC), Egypt University of Informatics (EUI), and the academic sector. The ICT Minister visited the pavilion of Egyptian startups incubated in the GovTech Innovation Lab, powered by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), where entrepreneurs presented the best digital applications, solutions, and systems developed by their startups for government services.
The summit agenda includes several sessions that present comprehensive visions on the expansive scope of DPI, highlighting the leading technologies, policy frameworks, and implementation models that are reshaping the digital infrastructure landscape worldwide. Additionally, the summit will discuss the progress made by countries in adopting and implementing DPI principles, emphasizing the dynamic and broad nature of the DPI system and its role in achieving digital transformation at both local and global levels. It will also explore the significant opportunities DPI offers for advancing the Sustainable Development Goals.
It is important to note that DPI plays a crucial role in promoting comprehensive digital transformation. This concept encompasses a set of shared digital systems that must be secure, reliable, and interoperable, enabling governments to provide secure and extensive digital services on a large scale. DPI includes several components, such as digital identity, digital payments, and data exchange platforms.
Egypt is working to establish itself as a leader in adopting DPI standards through an integrated strategy focused on transforming the country into a digital society. To this end, MCIT is building a digital Egypt based on key pillars, including expanding the digitization of government services, integrating digital solutions across all sectors, building digital capacity, enhancing innovation and entrepreneurship, and improving digital infrastructure. This includes installing fiber optic cables in rural villages as part of the Decent Life presidential initiative.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of Communications and Digital Economy in Chad Boukar Michel, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs for Multilateral Affairs and International Security Amr Aljowaily, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt Alessandro Fracassetti, Deputy Secretary-General of ITU Tomas Lamanauskas, Deputy Assistant Administrator and Deputy Director of the Regional Bureau for Arab States at UNDP Marina Walter, UN Secretary-General’s Envoy on Technology Amandeep Gill, Ambassador-at-Large for Digital Affairs at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia Nele Leosk, CEO of Co-Develop CV Madhukar, and officials from MCIT.
Joining the event via video conference were Chief Digital Officer at UNDP Robert Opp and Vice President for Digital Transformation at the World Bank Sangbu Kim.
