US Ambassador, Communications Minister discuss cooperation across ICT fields

CAIRO – 4 January 2024: The Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, held a productive meeting with US Ambassador Herro Mustafa Garg to explore avenues for enhancing cooperation between the two nations in the field of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).

During the meeting, Ambassador Garg praised the remarkable achievements and advancements made by Egypt in the ICT sector. She expressed her keen interest in further strengthening collaboration between Egypt and the United States, particularly in areas such as telecommunications infrastructure, data governance, and capacity-building. The Ambassador also emphasized the importance of encouraging US companies to invest in these promising fields.

Minister Talaat highlighted the significant presence of major US companies already operating within the Egyptian ICT sector. He underscored the ongoing collaboration between the two countries across various domains and expressed his eagerness to foster closer ties in building digital capacity. Specifically, he emphasized the importance of programs aimed at upskilling freelancers in technical, soft, and linguistic disciplines. Additionally, Minister Talaat identified potential areas of cooperation in the establishment of data centers and electronics design.

One notable achievement for Egypt in the ICT sector is its rise in the global business process outsourcing (BPO) industry rankings. According to the Offshore BPO Confidence Index evaluated by Ryan Strategic Advisory, Egypt climbed an impressive eight places, moving from the 11th position in 2022 to the 3rd position in 2023. This significant advancement reflects Egypt's growing prominence in the outsourcing industry, with international companies increasingly showing interest in investing in the country.

Minister Talaat further revealed that within the span of a year, a series of agreements were signed with major international and local specialized companies. These agreements aim to establish centers in Egypt for exporting information technology services to customers abroad, further bolstering Egypt's position as a hub for ICT services.

The meeting between Minister Talaat and Ambassador Garg signifies the commitment of both Egypt and the United States to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the ICT sector.