Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, presented the country’s Digital Strategy vision during a visit to the Creativa Innovation Hub in Giza, led by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
Talaat highlighted the Ministry’s initiative to establish Digital Egypt Innovation Hubs across all governorates, emphasizing their critical role in advancing the digital strategy. These hubs will offer programs in collaboration with the private sector, focusing on digital skills training, promoting freelance work, and fostering technological innovation. Talaat noted that the number of innovation hubs has grown from three in 2016 to 20 in 2023, with a target of 27 hubs by 2025.
The Digital Strategy centers on three key pillars: empowering citizens to secure digital economy jobs, promoting entrepreneurship and innovation, and simplifying access to digital government services. Talaat underscored the importance of an efficient digital infrastructure, regulatory frameworks to attract both local and foreign investments, and partnerships with the private sector and civil society as key enablers of this vision.
He also explained the criteria for selecting hub locations, which include ample space for activities, centrality within the governorate, and proximity to major universities. Talaat presented ongoing efforts to repurpose historical buildings into Digital Egypt Innovation Hubs, such as one in Giza, which will preserve the architectural design of the structure. Other hubs with historical significance include the Sultan Hussein Kamel Palace hub in Cairo.
The Minister reaffirmed Egypt’s commitment to attracting global partners to support startups at all stages. He discussed a collaboration with Babson College (USA) to provide consultancy services for startups during their pre-establishment phase. For the establishment phase, advisory services are provided in collaboration with 500 Global, while for product development, funding of approximately $100,000 is available through a partnership with Plug and Play. Additional funding for product launches ranges from $300,000 to $600,000 through 500 Global. Furthermore, networking events and support for international expansion are organized for growth-phase startups.
Talaat also spoke about the ministry’s efforts to nurture technological innovation within the hubs, including partnerships with the German Development Agency for a Government Innovation Lab and collaboration with South Korea for startup incubation and electronic design labs. Additionally, a contract with 500 Global has been signed to manage startup incubators.
The hubs provide various training programs, including specialized courses in advanced technologies, employment-focused training in collaboration with the private sector, and a diploma in electronics design and prototyping. The hubs also feature coworking spaces for 60 freelancers daily, incubate 40 startups annually, and include nine specialized training labs, two electronics labs, two incubators, a 200-seat auditorium, a garden, and areas for student activities.
Talaat affirmed that Egypt consistently ranks among the top three countries in the region for entrepreneurship and technological innovation. Since their establishment, the innovation hubs have supported approximately 1,000 startups and trained over 100,000 individuals in technological and freelance work skills. In 2024, around 20,000 individuals utilized the hubs’ coworking spaces.
