The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has held a number of bilateral meetings during his participation at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Plenipotentiary Conference (ITUPP) held in Dubai.
Talaat met with the South Korean Minister of Science and ICT You Young Min, where they discussed cooperation between the two countries in the field of designing and manufacturing electronics and exchanging experiences in a number of ICT related areas.
The ICT Minister also met with the Sudanese Minister of Communications and Information Technology Beshara Juma, where they highlighted the depth of the historical relations between the two countries, which have recently gained further significance in view of the common issues and interests between the two sister countries.
Talaat underscored Egypt's readiness to cooperate with and support the sister country Sudan in all areas related to ICT, especially in the field of capacity building through hosting Sudanese young people and training them on the programs that support innovation and entrepreneurship. This is in addition to exchanging the Egyptian expertise in fighting cybercrimes and cybersecurity and integrating Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). They agreed that Sudanese experts would visit Egypt to learn about the Egyptian experience in this field.
The meeting highlighted promoting joint cooperation between the two countries through the executive program of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), signed in December 2017, which included aspects of cooperation in a number of areas related to the harmonization of legislation and laws that support the legal environment in the ICT field. This is in addition to exchanging experiences in the field of telecommunications and spectrum regulation, the Arabic digital content industry, opportunities of joint investments for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), technological and innovation incubators, cybersecurity, ICT applications, ICT accessibility for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs), and post development.
At the end of the meeting, Talaat called on his Sudanese counterpart to visit Cairo and get acquainted with the Egyptian experience in the ICT field and discuss enhancing joint cooperation.
The ICT Minister has also met with the Director General of the UAE's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori, where the meeting highlighted the depth of ties between the two peoples, the strength of relations between the two countries in all fields, and
mutual coordination at the Arab and international levels in ICT fields.
The meeting discussed cooperation mechanisms in the field of building capacities and establishing a digital academy to provide, in Arabic, interactive, non-traditional training for the largest number of young people in Egypt, the UAE and the Arab region. This will contribute to enhancing technical skills in communications using modern methods of digital education, including the digital training via the latest technologies such as virtual reality technologies, and other topics such as enriching the skills of Arab youth in the techniques and applications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data analysis.
The meeting discussed promoting cooperation between the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology (MCIT) and its affiliates, and Hamdan Bin Mohammed Smart University (HBMSU), including the Arab content platform project between Egypt and the UAE to serve Arab citizens. This is in addition to agreeing on exchanging experiences in the areas of open source software, especially among companies working in this field from the two countries.
Talaat also held a meeting with Switzerland-State Secretary, Director General of the Federal Office of Communications Philipp Metzger, to discuss cooperation between the two countries in the ICT field.
During the meeting, Talaat reviewed MCIT strategy for digital transformation in cooperation with the various sectors of the State. He showcased the projects implemented by MCIT to develop the communication infrastructure through extending fiber cables throughout the Republic, especially in schools and new cities which will depend on the application of modern technological methods in work systems to turn them into smart cities. This is in addition to the implementation of the unified card project in cooperation with the Central Bank of Egypt (CBE) to provide government services to citizens. He pointed out that work is underway to establish the City of Knowledge in the New Capital City on an area of 230 feddans. The City of Knowledge is scheduled to include centers for research, science, innovation and entrepreneurship, in addition to other centers and institutes of technological training.
For his part, Metzger welcomed cooperation with Egypt in all areas related to communications and information technology, especially in the field of e-waste recycling, capacity building and exchange of experiences in the field of Fifth Generation (5G) communications and digital transformation.
