Cairo ICT 2024 highlighted Egypt’s Digital Growth
The Cairo ICT 2024 conference and exhibition wrapped up its sessions on November 20th, under the theme “The Next Wave,” highlighting the latest technologies and exploring future trends.
Key areas discussed during the event included the impact of AI on data centers, practical cybersecurity training, blockchain and cryptocurrencies, smart city development, and integrating innovation into the Internet of Things.
Several successful digital transformation projects were presented, including the Digital Egypt platform, which has 8 million users, according to the State Information Service.
Egypt’s CIT Sector Progress Over Six Years
Egypt’s digital transformation efforts center on simplifying digital government services. The main goal is to empower citizens in the digital economy, fostering entrepreneurship, and enhancing digital infrastructure.
Communications and Information Technology Minister Amr Talaat shared during the conference that 145,000 specialists now export digital services from Egypt, with 11,000 focusing on high-value areas like designing electronic circuits and integrated automotive systems.
The ministry has also established 23 innovation centers across 19 governorates, and announced its plans to open an additional 9 centers nationwide.
Stakeholders role in Digital Transformation
The CBE also emphasized the crucial roles of various in the financial technology sector, including startups, payment service providers, venture capitalists, angel investment networks, business incubators and accelerators, banks operating in Egypt, and financial infrastructure providers.
These entities have all been instrumental in advancing the development of Egypt’s fintech ecosystem.
Ibrahim Sarhan, CEO of eFinance, highlighted the company’s role in automating Egypt’s EGP 1.5 trillion public budget and providing over 200 government digital services.
eFinance is expanding into data centers and cloud computing, targeting growth in Africa and the Arab world, according to the AI Data Center website.
e& Egypt highlighted its latest innovations in fintech and digital applications. This included strategic projects like acquiring a 5G services license and the development of Ras El-Hekma city.
Egypt’s Outsourcing Exports Surge
Ahmed El Zaher, CEO of Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), emphasized during the conference that ITIDA’s role in attracting global players to Egypt. He noted that outsourcing exports increased from USD 2.4 billion to USD 3.7 billion over the past year, according to Al Ahram Online.
El Zaher credited this growth to Egypt’s competitive advantages, including a skilled, multilingual, and cost-effective workforce catering to diverse global markets.