Egypt’s digital exports have reached $7.4 billion over the past seven years, reflecting a 124 percent increase from $3.3 billion in 2018, according to Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat. Speaking at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, Talaat said the ICT sector has remained the fastest-growing segment of the economy, posting annual growth rates between 14 and 16 percent and increasing its contribution to GDP from 3.2 percent to 6 percent this year.
Outsourcing exports doubled over the past three years, rising from $2.4 billion in 2022 to $4.8 billion in 2025. During the same period, the number of outsourcing companies operating in Egypt grew from 90 to 240, with more than 270 service delivery centres now active nationwide. Talaat said this expansion reflects Egypt’s growing competitiveness as a global outsourcing destination.
The minister outlined Egypt’s Digital Strategy, built on four pillars: digital innovation, citizen-centric digital services, GDP growth and exports, and job creation within the digital economy. These pillars are supported by strong digital infrastructure and an enabling legislative environment. Workforce development remains a central priority, with the number of ICT trainees increasing from 4,000 in 2018/2019 to 500,000 in the last fiscal year, and a target of 800,000 trainees set for the current year.
Egypt’s capacity-building efforts span formal education and vocational training, including the expansion of WE Schools of Applied Technology across all governorates and the graduation of the first cohort from Egypt University of Informatics. Digital platforms such as MaharaTech have also played a role in scaling online and blended learning.
Talaat highlighted progress in artificial intelligence, noting that Egypt’s National AI Strategy has helped the country advance 46 places in the Government AI Readiness Index. AI applications are already being deployed in healthcare and judicial systems, including early breast cancer detection and speech-to-text tools for court proceedings.
Infrastructure investment has been another key driver, with $6 billion invested since 2019 in fixed and mobile networks. Average internet speeds have increased nearly 16-fold to 91.3 Mbps, placing Egypt first globally in average fixed broadband speed. Egypt also remains a critical global connectivity hub, carrying more than 90 percent of data traffic between Asia and Europe through its submarine cable network.
The minister concluded by emphasizing the importance of Egypt’s regulatory framework, citing laws and policies covering cybersecurity, personal data protection, responsible AI, cloud adoption, and open data as foundations for sustainable digital growth.
