The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has delivered a speech in “The Fourth Industrial Revolution, Digitalization and the Impact of New Technologies: Exploring new Potentials” session, during his participation in the 22nd Arab-German Business Forum in Berlin, as part of a ministerial delegation headed by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
Talaat ascertained that Egypt has competitive potentials that make it an ideal partner for German companies to invest in the ICT sector in Africa and the Middle East, in light of its leading role at the African level as the Chair of the African Union (AU) for 2019, and its strong ties with the Arab countries.
He added that 24 Egyptian and foreign international companies, operating in Egypt, managed to export IT services to Germany, in fields of software, mobile phone applications, electronics design, consultancy, training, and digital marketing.
The ICT Minister called for more cooperation and investments in the Egyptian ICT sector, in light of Egypt’s many potentials, including its geographic location, the abundance of exceptional young calibers, the reforms implemented by the government, and the privileges offered within the Investment Law to stimulate foreign investments.
The world is moving quickly towards the Fourth Industrial Revolution, said Talaat, showcasing the State efforts to keep abreast of this revolution needs. Egypt has concluded preparing a strategy for Artificial Intelligence (AI), implemented in cooperation between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, Talaat added.
The AI strategy is based on two main pillars: capacity building, through increasing the efficiency of specialized education and training; and applied scientific research that aims to work out innovative technological solutions to Egypt’s challenges in various areas.
Moreover, the ICT Minister presented MCIT strategy, based on two main pillars, including building digital capacities, in the framework of the national strategy of building the Egyptian citizen, and achieving digital transformation, being a driver of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
Talaat stated that MCIT launched many initiatives that aim to build specialized capacities in different technology fields, and promote innovation and entrepreneurship, thus making Egypt one of the fastest growing countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, in terms of the entrepreneurial climate and startup growth.
Egypt managed to account for 22% of the total investments in the MENA region in 2018, with a 7% increase, compared to 2017, stated the ICT Minister. He highlighted that the Knowledge City is currently under construction in the New Administrative Capital, based on the latest global technologies, comprising research, sciences, innovation and entrepreneurship centers.
Furthermore, Talaat said that the Egyptian ICT sector enables the various State sectors to achieve digital transformation through carrying out a large number of projects in cooperation with the State institutions. One of these projects is the Egyptian informational structure, linking over 70 databases to provide a platform for organizing and exchanging information between the State bodies, to help offer integrated services to the citizens.
In addition, Talaat underlined MCIT efforts to create an enabling environment for investment and establishing a digital society, through providing a strong infrastructure and informational structure nationwide. This is in addition to working on developing a cyberspace security system and a legislative system, to keep up with the global technological developments and regulatory frameworks in this filed.
During the last period, the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes Law was issued; in addition, laws on personal data protection and e-commerce were drafted, added Talaat.
