Egypt, Burundi discuss boosting cooperation in communications, IT

CAIRO – 25 April 2022: Egyptian and Burundi discussed on Monday ways of fostering cooperation between the two countries in the field of communications and information technology.

This came during a meeting between Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and Burundian Ambassador in Cairo Sheikh Rachid Malachie Niragira.

The meeting also reviewed a number of proposed areas of cooperation, most notably developing digital skills for Burundian youth, the Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) said in a statement.

During the meeting, Talaat stressed the strong and distinguished relations between Egypt and Burundi at the political and economic levels.

This comes in light of Egypt's interest in deepening relations with brotherly African countries, Talaat said, expressing his aspiration to open further horizons for joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of communications and information technology.

The Burundian ambassador, for his part, valued the developments in the Egyptian ICT sector. Niragira stressed his keenness in cooperating with the Egyptian side in the field of training and building the capabilities of Burundian cadres in this sector.

Talaat, during the meeting, extended an invitation to his Burundian counterpart through the ambassador to visit Egypt to get a closer look at the Egyptian ICT sector.

The Burundian ambassador also invited Talaat to visit Burundi to hold extensive discussions on enhancing joint cooperation between the two countries in the field of communications and information technology.

Egypt and Burundi share strong bilateral relations on different fields. In March last year, the presidents of the two countries signed MoUs in the fields of integrated management of the water resources in Burundi, the mutual visa exemption for those holding official passports, media, education, tourism and culture.

Burundi President Évariste Ndayishimiye, during his meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo, lauded Egypt’s efforts to support the unity and sovereignty of Burundi in all international and regional forums.

Sisi voiced Egypt’s support to the developmental needs of Burundi, especially in the fields of infrastructure, electricity, health, mining and agriculture.

This support should be implemented through maximizing investments of the Egyptian specialized companies in Burundi, transferring expertise, and building capabilities through the courses and grants Egypt introduces to help building Burundi’s cadres.