The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat visited France on September 22-25, heading a high-level delegation, to discuss enhancing Egyptian-French cooperation in ICTs, particularly capacity building and Artificial Intelligence (AI).
During the visit, Talaat met with a number of French government officials and representatives of major companies and educational institutions, to discuss a number of topics of common interest and cooperation in ICTs.
He met with the French Minister of State for the Digital Sector Cedric O, where they discussed enhancing cooperation in digital economy, digital transformation, promoting technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and the growth of IT startups.
They also announced launching a joint competition to promote innovation among startups, encourage them to create smart solutions in health, fintech and sustainable cities, and incubate the finest solutions provided by Egyptian startups.
On the sidelines of the visit, the ICT Minister witnessed the signing of a Letter of Intent (LoI) between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the Ecole Pour l'Informatique et les Techniques Avancees (EPITA). The LoI aims to enhance cooperation in training and skills development in data science and AI technological specializations.
In addition, he witnessed the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between MCIT and aiVision with the aim to enhance cooperation in AI applications for detecting eye diseases, capacity building and skills development.
Talaat also witnessed the signing of an MoU between the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and Valeo on establishing two centers in Egypt to provide technical support services for Valeo customers worldwide.
This is addition to another MoU between ITIDA and AXA Egypt, with the aim to promote innovation and entrepreneurship in insurance technology.
Furthermore, the ICT Minister met with Gaultier Brand-Gazeau, the Head of International Affairs at Station F, the world’s biggest startup campus. They discussed cooperation in ICT areas and leveraging the French expertise in promoting technological innovation and entrepreneurship.
Talaat, in addition, met with the Chairman and CEO of Orange International Stephane Richard. The two sides discussed enhancing cooperation in capacity building, Research and Development (R&D), and infusing more investments to improve the quality of services provided to citizens.
Relevantly, the ICT Minister and the accompanying delegation visited Orange center for technological innovation, where he explored the center’s activities in R&D and innovation, in addition to its projects in AI and smart cities.
Moreover, Talaat had a meeting with representatives of MEDEF International; he presented the major projects and investment opportunities in the Egyptian ICT sector.
As part of the official visit, the ICT Minister visited the Ecole Polytechnique in Paris, where he met Deputy VP for Academic Affairs and Research Benoit Deveaud, and some of l’X professors and officials. They discussed the training programs offered by Ecole Polytechnique and the mechanisms of cooperation in capacity building in AI and data science.
Concluding his official visit, Talaat held separate meetings with officials from the French Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (ARCEP); Thales, a multinational French group specializing in designing and building electrical and cybersecurity systems; and Expleo, a company specialized in IT services and consulting, software quality and digital transformation solutions. They discussed enhancing cooperation in ICT areas.
The meetings were attended by Egypt's Ambassador to France Ehab Badawy, the Associate Minister for Networks and ICT Infrastructure Hossam El-Gamal, the Deputy Minister for Human and Institutional Capacity Development and ITIDA CEO Hala El Gohary, the ICT Minister’s Advisor for AI Golestan Radwan, and a number of MCIT officials.
