The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat delivered a speech at the opening of the ninth edition of the Techne Summit exhibition and conference, held under the auspices of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), on October 7-10, at Bibliotheca Alexandrina.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Swedish Ambassador to Egypt Håkan Emsgård, the CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) Ahmed Elzaher, UN Women Egypt Country Representative Christine Arab, the Founder and CEO of Techne Inc. Tarek El-Kady, the Secretary General of the Federation of Egyptian Chambers of Commerce (FEDCOC) Alaa Ezz, and the Chairman of the Digital Economy and Technology General Division (DETGD) at FEDCOC Khalil Hassan Khalil.
In his speech, the ICT Minister emphasized that there is global interest in the startup and entrepreneurship ecosystem, which reflects the significance of innovation and creativity in various disciplines. He explained that MCIT efforts to support entrepreneurs and startups, in collaboration with state agencies, are based on three pillars: providing training and human development, establishing Creativa Innovation Hubs to incubate startups, and facilitating startup establishment procedures.
The ICT Minister underlined that Egyptian ICT startups attracted investments worth more than half a billion dollars in 2022, despite the global decline in startup investment volume from USD 681 billion in 2021 to USD 445 billion in 2022.
The first pillar of MCIT efforts to support entrepreneurs and startups includes providing training to startup owners and young people to develop the skills and knowledge they need to create successful businesses, Talaat explained. He pointed out that MCIT has partnered with one of the world’s leading universities in the USA for over three years to deliver a training program that teaches startup owners in Egypt how to conduct market research, develop effective marketing plans, and provide technical training to develop the solutions their companies offer.
The ICT Minister highlighted that Creativa Innovation Hubs have been established to incubate startups, host startup-related training activities, and hold networking forums with investment funds and venture capitalists. This is in addition to training young people nationwide from different academic backgrounds on ICTs.
Around 400 startups have been incubated in these Hubs nationwide since their establishment, Talaat stated, pointing out that global expertise was leveraged to run the Hubs, as MCIT has established a partnership with two global companies to run the Cairo and Giza Hubs, with the aim of training startups and 120 youth on the skills of innovation incubator management and preparing directors for Creativa Innovation Hubs.
Talaat pointed out that, since 2019, a plan has been implemented to increase the number of Creativa Innovation Hubs, which were three at that time, with the aim of establishing a Hub in each governorate nationwide. He explained that the President of the Republic had opened eight Hubs in 2022, reflecting the state’s interest in building youth capabilities and supporting startups and entrepreneurship. Nine Hubs were established in 2023, and five more will be opened in the third phase in 2024, bringing the total to 25 Creativa Innovation Hubs.
Specialized incubators have been created, Talaat noted, such as the National Academy of Information Technology for Persons with Disabilities (NAID) in the Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital. NAID is equipped with ten highly technical laboratories and advanced equipment to host companies specialized in developing programs and solutions in assistive technologies (AT). In cooperation with the European Union (EU), the innovation hub for government solutions was also established at Creativa Innovation Hub in Giza, which incubates specialized startups to provide solutions in government service delivery, as part of the efforts to engage the private sector in the digital public service delivery system.
Talaat highlighted that the Imhotep Hub was also established in the Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital, which provides highly equipped laboratories and electronic circuit design software to help companies specialized in electronic design and embedded systems expand their business and develop the solutions they offer. He noted that about 24 companies, including nine international companies, are being hosted, creating an opportunity for technical communication between local and global companies specialized in electronics to stimulate expertise exchange and mutual cooperation.
The ICT Minister stated that, in terms of facilitating the procedures for establishing startups, a decree was released a year ago to reduce the minimum paid-up capital for a one-person company (OPC)vto EGP 1,000 instead of EGP 50,000. Additionally, through the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones, establishing companies remotely was allowed using electronic signatures. Finally, the procedures for establishing virtual companies without premises were facilitated. Entrepreneurs can partner up with ITIDA so that te Creativa Innovation Hub would be the virtual premises of their companies, Talaat added.
Talaat emphasized MCIT interest in increasing women’s participation in entrepreneurship by launching several initiatives, including the Women’s Entrepreneurship Program, which is being implemented in cooperation with civil society in various governorates to empower women to establish companies and leverage ICT usage. He pointed out that the percentage of women working in the ICT sector has reached 45%.
During Techne Summit, the ICT Minister responded to an inquiry raised by a person with a disability on how to obtain the opportunity to incubate his startup. The ICT Minister invited him to visit NAID at the Knowledge City in the New Administrative Capital, which provides an incubator for AT-specialized companies that provide solutions to help PwDs address the challenges they face. He stated that he would visit the company as soon as it is incubated in NAID.
On the sideline of Techne Summit, Talaat held a meeting with Emsgård to discuss the efforts made to develop the outsourcing industry in Egypt, the investment opportunities, and the means to attract Swedish investments to the ICT sector. They also addressed enhancing cooperation between Egyptian startups and their Swedish counterparts, boosting cooperation, exchanging experiences in digital infrastructure, and building digital capacities.
In a similar vein, the ICT Minister and the Swedish Ambassador visited the exhibition, in which 150 exhibitors from major companies and innovative startups are participating.
It is worth noting that Techne Summit is a significant international multi-industry-focused investment and entrepreneurship event concerned with fostering the role of technology in various industries, and exchanging experiences in the Arab region, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean basin through showcasing different technologies and their application in various industries.
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