28th Edition of Cairo ICT kicks off

CAIRO - 17 November 2024: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly inaugurated Sunday the 28th edition of the Cairo International Technology Exhibition and Conference for the Middle East and Africa (Cairo ICT 2024), on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The event, held under the patronage of the President, is taking place from November 17 to 20 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center under the theme “The Next Wave.”  

The exhibition hosts a wide range of participants, including ministries, government entities, local and international companies, and notable experts and innovators in the technology sector.  

The opening ceremony was attended by Deputy Prime Minister for Human Development and Minister of Health Khaled Abdel Ghaffar, Minister of Higher Education Ayman Ashour, Minister of Justice Adnan Fanjary, Deputy Minister of Communications Ghada Labib, FRA Chairman Mohamed Farid Saleh, CPA Chairman Ibrahim El-Segini, Trade Fairs International Chairman Osama Kamal, as well as ambassadors and officials from various ministries and entities.  

Following the opening, Prime Minister Madbouly toured the exhibition, starting with the Ministry of Communications’ pavilion. Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Amr Talaat, provided a detailed overview of Egypt's digital strategy, which focuses on enabling citizens to access digital government services, creating job opportunities within the digital economy, fostering innovation, and building a robust digital infrastructure to ensure nationwide internet access. 

He emphasized that the strategy is citizen-centered, aiming to simplify digital service delivery, promote entrepreneurship, and support innovation.  

Minister Talaat also highlighted the regulatory frameworks underpinning the digital strategy, including legislation to govern the sector, protect users, and attract both local and international investments. 

During the tour, he showcased key digital transformation projects such as the Digital Egypt platform, which offers a wide range of government services and has registered eight million users to date. Other initiatives include the automation of the Universal Health Insurance System, the company registration platform, and remote litigation systems.  

The minister also presented innovative projects utilizing artificial intelligence, including healthcare applications that detect glaucoma with 93 percent accuracy, diabetic retinopathy with 95 percent accuracy, and breast cancer. Efforts to promote digital innovation and entrepreneurship were underscored, with Egypt now ranked among the top three countries in the Middle East and North Africa for entrepreneurship, hosting over 600 tech-based startups.  

Talaat pointed to the establishment of 23 Digital Egypt Innovation Centers across 19 governorates, with plans to expand to 32 centers in 27 governorates. He noted a significant increase in funding for digital skills training, which has grown 25-fold since 2018, enabling the training of nearly 400,000 individuals, with a target of 500,000 by the end of this fiscal year. Women account for 50 percent of the participants in these programs, which cater to all age groups, from schoolchildren to university students and freelancers.  

The minister also emphasized the growth of Egypt’s outsourcing sector, which now employs more than 145,000 specialists across 195 centers that provide digital services to global clients. These centers include software development hubs, system integration facilities, and contact centers.  

Talaat highlighted the performance of the ICT sector, noting an annual growth rate exceeding 16 percent, making it the fastest-growing sector in Egypt for five consecutive years. Its contribution to GDP has risen from 3.2 percent in 2014 to 5.8 percent in 2023. Additionally, Egypt ranks first in Africa for fixed internet speed, with an average of 76.4 Mbps, and has advanced 49 positions in the global AI Readiness Index since 2019.  

Under the presidential Decent Life initiative (Hayah Karima), the Ministry is implementing projects to improve digital services for over 50 million citizens across 4,500 villages. This includes installing 9.3 million fiber optic cables, upgrading 4,000 mobile towers, and promoting digital literacy among nearly 490,000 citizens.  

The exhibition features two main halls. The first hall is dedicated to government entities, including the National Postal Authority, which is showcasing its efforts in digital transformation and financial inclusion. It also includes pavilions from higher education institutions, the Central Bank of Egypt, and regulatory authorities. For the first time, the Central Bank is demonstrating live digital payment applications. The second hall focuses on telecom operators and technology companies, highlighting 5G applications, cloud computing, and the development of Egypt’s data center industry.  

Cairo ICT 2024 underscores Egypt’s advancements in digital transformation and its commitment to fostering collaboration between the public and private sectors while positioning the country as a leader in technological innovation.