The G20 Digital Economy Ministerial Meeting (DEMM) was organized by the Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), on August 19, in Bengaluru, India. The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat headed to Bengaluru, on a two-day visit, to participate in the G20 DEMM, within the framework of the invitation to Egypt to participate as a guest country during India’s G20 Presidency.
Ministers of the digital economy from the G20 countries, nine invited countries, and several international organizations attended the DEMM. The meeting included three sessions, during which visions were presented and experiences were exchanged on digital infrastructure, cybersecurity, and digital skills.
The ICT Minister delivered a speech at the “Digital Skills” session, highlighting Egypt’s efforts in building digital skills, within the framework of its integrated Digital Egypt strategy. He also commended the efforts made within the framework of the G20 Toolkit for measuring digital skills and digital literacy to provide a qualified talent pool keeping pace with future requirements worldwide.
In a related context, the ICT Minister explained, during his participation in the “Digital Infrastructure” session, that developing the digital and information infrastructure supporting digital transformation is one of the pillars of Digital Egypt strategy. He showcased the national efforts made to provide a secure and reliable digital infrastructure to achieve digital transformation in the public sector as Egypt joined the GovStack initiative.
In his speech at the "Cybersecurity in the Digital Economy" session, Talaat stated that the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2022-2026 is in line with the G20 principles for a secure, reliable, and resilient digital economy. He welcomed the opportunity to share Egyptian experiences concerning the Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository (GDPIR).
On the sidelines of the G20 DEMM, the ICT Minister met with the Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah bin Amer Alswaha. The two ministers discussed fostering cooperation between Egypt and Saudi Arabia in the communications infrastructure and submarine cables.
In a similar vein, Talaat held a meeting with the Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications of the UAE and the Managing Director of the World Government Summit Organization Omar Sultan Al Olama. They discussed fostering cooperation between the two countries in data governance, and the implementation of applied research projects to adapt AI in developing applications that provide innovative solutions to address challenges in vital areas, as well as AI uses in training and capacity building.
Furthermore, the ICT Minister met with the Minister for Railways, Communications, Electronics and Information Technology in India Shri Ashwini Vaishnaw to explore ways to strengthen cooperation between Egypt and India in ICT. At the end of the meeting, Talaat invited the Indian Minister to visit Egypt to explore closely the Egyptian ICT sector and continue talks between the two sides.
The ICT Minister also held a meeting with the CEO and Managing Director of Tejas Networks Anand Athreya, and the Executive Director and COO Arnob Roy to address the company's future plans and cooperation opportunities in the electronics industry.
Talaat met with the entrepreneurs and founders of Egyptian startups: winners of and participants in the competition held as part of the G20 Digital Innovation Alliance (G20-DIA) Summit, launched by MeitY in December 2022 as an extension of the G20 Innovation League and under the aegis of the G20 Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG), in Bengaluru to support startups and innovations.
During the meeting, the ICT Minister congratulated the entrepreneurs on winning the competition and commended the pioneering projects of the Egyptian youth participating in the competition held on August 17-18.
The Group of Twenty (G20) is the premier forum for international economic cooperation. It plays an important role in shaping and strengthening global architecture and governance on all major international economic issues. India holds the Presidency of the G20 from 1 December 2022 to 30 November 2023.
