The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has met with a delegation from the World Bank, headed by the Vice President for Infrastructure Guangzhe Chen. They discussed cooperation prospects between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the World Bank, particularly in the fields of digital transformation and digital infrastructure development.
During the meeting, the ICT Minister highlighted that the pillars of the Digital Egypt strategy include achieving digital transformation, building digital capacities, and supporting digital innovation. The pillars are based on two main planks: the legislative framework and digital infrastructure development nationwide, which includes mobile phone services and fixed broadband.
The ICT Minister presented Egypt’s most prominent achievements in digital transformation, most notably launching the Digital Egypt platform, which provides approximately 170 government services to citizens. Besides the platform, Digital Egypt services are available through multiple channels, including a mobile application, a dedicated hotline, and post offices.
A project to restructure government platforms and applications is being implemented, the ICT Minister emphasized. He added that Egypt has become among the countries of Group A on the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) 2022, ascending from Group B in 2020 and Group C in 2018.
Talaat pointed out that digital infrastructure development projects are being implemented nationwide, including a project to replace copper cables with fiber optic ones and implement Fiber-To-The-Home (FTTH). Another project targets interconnecting state buildings through a fiber optic network. Furthermore, there is an ongoing project to install fiber optic cables in rural villages, as part of the Decent Life initiative, to provide high-speed Internet services to about 60 million citizens.
Moreover, Talaat stated that since 2019, a project aimed at enhancing Internet connectivity has been progressing. This project has led to a ten-fold increase in the average Internet speed, reaching 62.94 Mbps as of January 2024. Egypt now holds the top position in Africa for median fixed broadband speed, a significant improvement from its previous rank of 40th in early 2019. Talaat also noted that fifth-generation (5G) services have been deployed for mobile network operators (MNOs) in Egypt, with Telecom Egypt obtaining a license to operate 5G mobile networks.
The ICT Minister underscored that MCIT has been launching and expanding training programs to build a talent pool for the local market, meet the requirements of multinationals operating in Egypt, and boost the outsourcing industry. He highlighted that Creativa Innovation Hubs are being established in different governorates to support tech innovation and entrepreneurship.
Talaat stated that MCIT adopts a collaborative approach to implementing projects with the private sector. He spotlighted that the Anti-Cyber and Information Technology Crimes and Personal Data Protection Laws were enacted, while a data classification and exchange law is being developed.
For his part, the Vice President for Infrastructure at the World Bank commended the progress that Egypt made in terms of building digital capacity, improving access to telecom and Internet services nationwide, and encouraging the private sector to render digital services. He praised the long-standing collaboration between MCIT and the World Bank and stressed the significance of cooperating, building on current expertise, especially in digital transformation, and supporting digitization efforts.
Chen discussed the World Bank’s plans to accelerate the deployment of telecom services. He emphasized the importance of leveraging and replicating the Egyptian experience in other countries. Moreover, Chen pointed out that an event will be organized to explore digital transformation experiences in other countries and exchange expertise.
During the meeting, the two sides discussed future collaboration in developing the digital infrastructure in urban areas and implementing joint digital transformation and infrastructure projects.
The meeting was attended by the Deputy ICT Minister for Administrative Development, Digital Transformation, and Automation Khaled El Attar, Executive President of the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) Hossam El-Gamal, Assistant Minister for Strategy and Implementation Sherine El-Guindy, and Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt Mohamed Nasr Eldin.
From the World Bank, the Country Director for Egypt, Yemen and Djibouti Stephane Guimbert, Regional Director of Infrastructure Department in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region Paul Noumba Um, Infrastructure Program Leader for Egypt, Djibouti, and Yemen Affouda Léon Biaou, and Senior Digital Development Specialist Zaki Khoury attended the meeting.
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وزارة الاتصالات وتكنولوجيا المعلومات-مصر
