The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has held the second coordination meeting of the national group on the preparation of Egypt's National Digital Development Report as part of the Arab Digital Development Report (ADDR) 2021 of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The meeting was organized at MCIT headquarters in Smart Village.
 
Representatives of 27 ministries, government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) participated in the meeting, namely the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE), the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Manpower, and the Ministry of Health and Population, the Ministry of Social Solidarity, the Ministry of Youth and Sports, the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), Egypt Post, the General Authority for Free Zones and Investment (GAFI), the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA), the National Council for Women, the National Council for Persons with Disabilities, the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC), Al-Azhar Institution, the National Press Authority, the National Media Authority (Maspero), the Egyptian Electricity Holding Company, the Arab Council for Social Responsibility (ACSR), and the Egyptian Information, Telecommunications, Electronics and Software Alliance (EITESAL).
 
During the meeting, the attendees commended the efforts and achievements made in digital development, digital transformation, and in bringing about digital and financial inclusion for citizens and institutions, to reach a safe and productive interactive digital society. The achievements were revealed by ministries, government agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), members of the Group.
 
The meeting stressed the necessity for coordination to highlight the progress achieved in digital development, which will positively reflect on the country’s ranking on regional and international indices of digitization and technology. Such development will also help boost the national economy and improve the country’s standing in the international arena, especially since digital development has become a key indicator to assess the progress made by countries.
 
It is worth noting that the first edition of the Arab Digital Development Report was released in 2019 under the title “Arab Digital Development Report 2019: Towards Empowering People and Ensuring Inclusiveness,” featuring 10 countries, including Jordan, the UAE, Tunisia, Syria, Sudan, Iraq, Oman, Palestine, Kuwait and Mauritania. Egypt is participating in the report for the first time this year.