Egypt’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector has rapidly evolved, doubling its contribution to the country’s GDP from 3.2% to 6% over the past seven years, according to Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat. Speaking at the US-Egypt Policy Leaders Forum in Cairo, Talaat highlighted ICT’s annual growth rate of 16%, positioning it as a key driver of Egypt’s economic development strategy.
The minister outlined Egypt’s ambitious digital economy vision, focused on artificial intelligence (AI), emerging technologies, and extensive digital infrastructure investment. Central to this transformation is a surge in digital skills training, expanding from 4,000 trainees in 2018 to 500,000 annually through initiatives ranging from youth digital literacy to advanced AI and data science programs.
Supporting this effort, Egypt has launched 19 WE Applied Technology Schools and established the Egypt University of Informatics, Africa’s first university dedicated solely to ICT. Talaat also announced a strategic partnership with IBM to train 100,000 Egyptians in AI and quantum computing over five years via IBM’s SkillsBuild platform, delivering internationally recognized digital credentials.
Egypt’s ICT export sector is thriving, with the number of outsourcing companies growing by 180% since 2021, now exceeding 180 firms operating over 200 service centres. Outsourcing service exports have surged 80% over three years, driven by Egypt’s competitive costs, multilingual workforce, and strategic location as a data transit hub. Egypt hosts 20 international submarine cables, with five more under construction and plans for two additional landing stations in 2026, alongside mobile tower and fibre-optic network expansions.
Digital government transformation is another pillar of Egypt’s “Digital Egypt” strategy, with over 200 digital services now accessible, including digitization of the national health insurance system and land registry. Legislative and regulatory frameworks are being enhanced to promote governance and private sector growth.
Egypt’s updated National Artificial Intelligence Strategy focuses on industry development, AI governance, and cross-sector applications such as legal automation, early disease detection, agricultural satellite monitoring, and machine translation. The country has climbed 46 positions in the Government AI Readiness Index (2019-2024) and is rated “Advanced” on the ITU’s Regulatory Performance Index.
At the forum, a new public-private initiative was launched to accelerate AI adoption across key sectors, developed collaboratively by the Ministry, the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, US tech firms, and stakeholders. The initiative aims to boost startup growth, ethical AI governance, education, and cross-sector pilot projects.
Minister Talaat concluded, “Our partnerships with global leaders like IBM ensure Egypt is not just a consumer but a developer of technology, expanding AI capabilities and creating a sustainable, competitive digital economy.”
