The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat visited the Federal Republic of Germany on May 9-12. He met with ministers, government officials, and representatives of ICT companies to discuss cooperation and investment opportunities in the Egyptian ICT sector.
Talaat met with the President of Corporate Sector for Research and Advance Engineering at Robert Bosch GmbH Thomas Kropf, in Stuttgart, Germany. They reviewed the incentives offered by Egypt to attract global companies to invest in and establish R&D centers in Egypt. The meeting was attended by the President of Bosch in Africa Markus Thill, and SVP and Division Manager at Robert Bosch Corporate Research Dirk Elias.
The ICT Minister held a meeting with the co-Founder and Managing Director of Elco Solutions Wajdi Darmoul. They reviewed the state’s efforts to develop the IT industry and create an enabling environment for investment. Elco Solutions is specialized in software development and digitalization services.
Talaat also met with the Manager of Business Development and Partner Manager of Embedded Software Product Line at Vector Informatik GmbH Florian Sommer, and the Director of Embeded Software Product Line at Vector Jochen Rein. Vector supplies software and engineering services for the networking of electronic systems.
In a similar vein, the ICT Minister met with the CEO of FORTEC Elektronik AG Sandra Maile. They highlighted the advantages of the ICT sector, that made Egypt a global destination for business centers for global IT and electronics companies.
Talaat held a meeting with the CEO of the MAHLE Group Arnd Franz, and officials from the company. They underlined the efforts made to develop the electronics design and manufacturing industry and the incentives offered to global R&D centers in Egypt, reviewed the company’s future plans in manufacturing and R&D, and discussed expanding MAHLE’s business in Egypt.
The ICT Minister also met with the CEO and Managing Director of Continental Engineering Services (CES) Christoph Falk-Gierlinger. They reviewed the company’s projects of developing integrated systems and electronics in the automotive industry worldwide. They also highlighted the competitive advantages that Egypt enjoys in R&D in the electronics industry, and discussed expanding CES business and establishing a center for engineering services for integrated systems in Egypt.
in addition, Talaat held a meeting with the Managing Director of PVA Crystal Growing Systems (PVA TePla AG) Dennis Seibert. They discussed opportunities of cooperation with the company as part of the efforts of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to develop an integrated industry for e-chips and exploit the availability of raw materials in Egypt. PVA TePla supports manufacturing processes and technological developments, primarily in the semiconductor, hard metal, electrical/electronics, and optical industries.
In a similar vein, the ICT Minister met with the Vice President of Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) and Autonomous Driving at DEKRA Samer Galal. They discussed opportunities of cooperation with DEKRA to build an integrated ecosystem for the development of automotive software, and attract global companies to invest in Egypt in this field.
Talaat also met with Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister for Economic Cooperation and Development Niels Annen, in Berlin, Germany. They discussed enhancing cooperation between Egypt and Germany in digital transformation. The meeting was attended by Minister Plenipotentiary, Deputy Head of Egypt's Mission at the Embassy of Egypt in Berlin Yemeni Osman, and the Deputy ICT Minister for Administrative Development, Digital Transformation and Automation Khaled El Attar.
The ICT Minister also held a meeting with the State Secretary at the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action Udo Philipp to discuss enhancing cooperation between the two countries in ICT.
Furthermore, Talaat visited Werner-von-Siemens Centre for Industry and Science e.V. (WvSC) and explored presentations on automation, robotics, cybersecurity, blockchain, 3D printing, e-finance, and digital twin technology. WvSC focuses on the technologies of the future, aiming at providing innovative solutions for developing products and production.
The ICT Minister also met with the Managing Partner of the Digital Engineering Center (DEC) at Detecon International GmbH Steffen Kuhn to discuss opportunities of cooperation in Industry 4.0 technologies. Detecon is a leading global management and technology consultancy. The meeting was attended by Advisor to ICT Minister for Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Adel Hamed, Managing Partner and Head of the Middle East and Africa (MEA) at Detecon MEA Björn Menden, and Expert Partner for technology transformation and Managing Director of Detecon in Egypt Amir Abdelazim.
In a similar vein, Talaat participated in a roundtable attended by members of the Euro-Mediterranean-Arab Association (EMA e.V.). The discussion underlined the growth of the Egyptian ICT sector, the key projects implemented in Egypt, and the networking opportunities between SMEs in the two countries. They also discussed enhancing cooperation in outsourcing in Egypt. The roundtable was held in the presence of the Head of the Commercial Office of the Embassy of Egypt in Berlin Abdel Aziz Elsherif.
The ICT Minister attended a forum, in the presence of members of the German Bundestag (the national parliament of Germany) and various specialized German chambers and unions.
Talaat also met with the CEO and Founder of Zero 360 Shamim Rafat to discuss enhancing cooperation in establishing a center for innovation in digital services, which will provide integrated technological solutions, including assistive technologies (AT), within the framework of MCIT-GIZ “InnoPA” project. Zero 360 provides consulting services in innovation to the private and public sectors.
Concluding his meetings, the ICT Minister met with the Executive Vice President of the Autonomous Driving Division at Hella Jörg Schock. Hella is an automotive part supplier; it develops and manufactures lighting, electronic components, and systems for the automotive industry.
The ICT Minister also met with Board Member and Executive in Residence at GovTech Campus Deutschland Ammar Alkassar. GovTech Campus is where digital technologies are developed for the public sector in Germany. The meeting was attended by the Deputy ICT Minister for Administrative Development, Digital Transformation and Automation Khaled El Attar and Global Information Infrastructure (GII) Advisor at MCIT Adel Hamed.
Moreover, Talaat held a meeting with Chief Product Officer at Delivery Hero Johannes Bruder. Delivery Hero is a German multinational online food ordering and food delivery based in Berlin, and it operates in 70+ countries. The company’s expansion plans in the outsourcing business were discussed during the meeting.
The ICT Minister also met with Vice President EEMEA at Ottobock Dennis Walter. Ottobock specializes in prosthetics and orthopedic technology. They discussed collaboration in R&D and assistive technology.
Furthermore, Talaat met with the CEO of Sceel.io GmbH Stefan Nesselhauf and CPO and Co-Founder at WorkMotion Karim Zaghloul. Sceel.io provides IT and staff augmentation services worldwide, while WorkMotion is a global HR platform and a remote-first tech company hiring talent from across all nationalities.
The meeting shed light on Digital Egypt Strategy for Offshoring Industry and the capacity-building programs provided by MCIT to upskill young people and improve their employability.
The meetings were attended by the CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) Ahmed Elzaher, Assistant ICT Minister for Strategy and Implementation Sherine El-Guindy, Electronics Industry Program Manager at ITIDA Yasser AbdelBary, and Director of the Central Department of International Relations at MCIT Samah Aziz.
