Technology News and insights in the Middle East, South Asia, and Africa
Nawah Scientific has raised $23 million in Series A funding to expand its digital scientific testing platform. The round will support a new R&D centre in Rwanda, increased lab capacity in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and regional expansion into North Africa and Europe, strengthening its research and technology capabilities.
Saudi Arabia and Egypt achieved Category A status in the World Bank’s 2025 GovTech Maturity Index, ranking second and 22nd globally, respectively. Driven by Vision 2030 and Digital Egypt initiatives, both countries demonstrated major advances in digital service delivery, automation, and citizen engagement, underscoring rapid progress in regional digital governance.
Microsoft has appointed Mohamed Kassem as General Manager for Egypt, effective December 1, 2025. With nearly two decades at Microsoft, including leadership of public sector initiatives, Kassem will oversee national strategy and operations, reinforcing Microsoft’s commitment to local leadership, cloud adoption, AI, and digital transformation.
Global internet traffic grew 19% in 2025, driven by increased online activity, expanding satellite connectivity, and a sharp rise in AI bot traffic. Cloudflare reports that AI crawlers now generate over 4% of HTML requests, highlighting growing pressure on internet infrastructure as digital dependence deepens.
Egypt’s digital exports reached $7.4bn over seven years, driven by rapid ICT sector growth, outsourcing expansion, skills development, and major infrastructure investment. Government focus on digital strategy, AI adoption, and broadband upgrades has strengthened Egypt’s position as a global outsourcing and digital services hub.
Bangladesh’s National Logistics Policy 2025 aims to modernise supply chains, reduce trade costs, and strengthen export competitiveness as the country prepares for post-LDC transition. With a focus on multimodal infrastructure, digitalisation, and institutional coordination, the policy’s impact will ultimately depend on effective implementation and political stability.
Pakistan will assume the presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization Council in February 2026 during the Fifth General Assembly in Kuwait. As a founding member, Pakistan’s leadership role highlights its growing influence in global digital cooperation, following initiatives such as hosting the DCO’s Digital FDI Forum and supporting inclusive digital growth.
Algeria’s ARPCE has launched the e-Services digital platform to move administrative procedures online for the postal and electronic communications sectors. The portal allows remote submission and tracking of requests, improving efficiency, transparency, and data security while supporting the country’s broader public sector digital transformation efforts.
Ooredoo has partnered with Darktrace to offer AI-driven cybersecurity services to businesses in Qatar. The collaboration provides access to the Darktrace ActiveAI Security Platform, enabling real-time threat detection, autonomous response, and protection against emerging cyber risks, strengthening enterprise security and resilience.
Batelco by Beyon has partnered with Cisco to modernise its IP Backbone infrastructure, introducing advanced routing, automation, and intelligent monitoring. The upgrade aims to improve network performance, enable AI-driven operations, and support future technologies such as 5G-Advanced, 6G readiness, IoT, and cloud-native services in Bahrain.