In 2021, the Ministry of Communications and
Information Technology (MCIT) made great strides in implementing the Digital
Egypt strategy, through which the country strives to adopt the latest
technologies and foster innovation. The aim is to establish an all-encompassing
digital society that will help build the Egyptian citizen, develop the state sectors,
and strengthen Egypt’s position on the global map of the ICT industry.
ICT Indicators
The ICT indicators were remarkably high,
making the ICT sector the highest-growing state sector. In this regard, the
most prominent achievements in 2021 were:
§ The sector's growth rate rose to 16%
in 2020/2021, compared to 15.2% in 2019/2020.
§ The sector’s contribution to the GDP
increased from 4.4% in 2019/2020 to 5% in the fiscal year (FY) 2020/2021.
§ The value of digital exports grew from
$4.1 billion in 2019/2020 to $4.5 billion in 2020/2021.
§ Egypt came among the Top 10 Improvers
in Digital Inclusion, according to Bridging the Digital Divide report by Roland
Berger
§ Egypt moved up 43 spots in GSMA Mobile
Money Regulatory Index 2020, ranking 36th out of 90 countries adopting this
type of services, compared to 79th in 2019, becoming the country with the
highest growth rate on the Index.
§ Egypt moved up five spots in the
Inclusive Internet Index 2021, ranking 73rd out of 120 countries
(compared to 78th in 2020), and 4th out of 29 African
countries, according to a report by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU).
§ Egypt ranked high on the World Bank’s
GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) in 2020.
§ Several reports by reputable
organizations, including MAGNiTT, Disrupt Africa and Wamda, highlighted the
efforts made by MCIT and the Information Technology Industry Development Agency
(ITIDA) to put Egypt at the forefront of the global entrepreneurship scene.
§ According to the Global Startup
Ecosystem Report (GSER) 2021, Cairo is:
1- The #1 Regional Ecosystem Affordable
Talent and among the top 15 Global Emerging Affordable Talent.
2- The #2 Regional Ecosystem Knowledge.
In this category, innovation is measured through research and patent activity.
3- The #3 in the list of Top 5 Performers
in late-stage VC funding in MENA region in terms of funding, market reach and
talent.
4- Among the Top 15 Global Emerging
Ecosystem Funding.
5- Among the MENA region’s four emerging
ecosystems in the list of Top 100 Emerging Ecosystems in terms of performance. This
Factor measures the size and performance of an ecosystem based on the
accumulated tech startup value created from exits and funding.
§ Cairo was the top African Tech
Ecosystem in Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) strategy, according to the African
Tech Ecosystems of the Future 2021/22 report by fDi Intelligence, a specialist
division from The Financial Times Ltd.
§ On Kearney’s Global Services Location
Index (GSLI) 2021, Egypt retained the top spot in the Middle East and Africa
and the 15th globally, as an attractive destination for IT, Business
Process Outsourcing (BPO), and offshoring services.
Digital Transformation
MCIT has been working to build Digital Egypt
by implementing many projects in cooperation with the state sectors to digitize
government services and achieve digital transformation in all sectors. The most
prominent achievements in 2021 included:
§ The launch of 65 new government
services on Digital Egypt Platform, bringing the total to nearly 100 digital
services. Citizens have access to services through multiple channels, namely
Egypt Post, the hotline 15999, and mobile phone applications, with different e-payment
methods made available.
§ The number of subscribers on Digital
Egypt Platform reached 4.2 million, with 14 million transactions conducted
through the platform.
§ The electronic litigation platform for
the Economic Courts was launched in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice.
The platform will facilitate litigation procedures without litigants having to
visit the court, save time and effort, reducing paperwork, and serve companies and
business owners outside Egypt.
§ The soft launch of digital
transformation services in the agriculture sector, in collaboration with the
Ministry of Agriculture.
§ The number of e-signature transactions
increased from 170,000 in 2020 to 140 million in 2021.
§ ITIDA licensed two companies in Egypt
to use e-signature services, to help support digital transformation, achieve
the Digital Egypt strategy, and connect government services to the private and
civil sectors, which requires expanding in the e-signature system nationwide.
§ A new e-signature program was
introduced to start using the Advanced Cargo Information (ACI) system
at the Egyptian Customs Authority to facilitate customs clearance procedures.
In addition, a new e-signature application was introduced to implement the
e-invoice system at the Egyptian Tax Authority, serving more than 3,500
taxpayers by providing more than seven million signed e-invoices.
Capacity Building
In 2021, the number of trainees increased, and
the budget for technical training was doubled, from 148,000 trainees with a
budget of EGP 400 million in 2020, to a target of 200,000 trainees with a
budget of EGP 1.1 billion during FY 2021/2022.
Two CREATIVA Innovation Hubs were soft-launched,
and five others were officially launched, bringing the total to seven Hubs. In
addition, work is underway to establish nine more at a total cost of EGP 1.5
billion for the two phases of the CREATIVA Innovation Hubs projects, as part of
a plan to establish a Hub in each governorate to provide technical training and
foster innovation. The Hubs host brainstorming camps, business incubators and
accelerators; trains employees of startups, and holds forums to bring
entrepreneurs and investors together.
In this area, the most remarkable
accomplishments included:
§ Opening the Egyptian African Telecom
Regulatory Training Center (EG-ATRC), an affiliated center to the National
Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), in Smart Village. The aim is to build the
capacity if African telecom regulators.
§ Launching the Digital Transformation
Academy to ensure the sustainability of digital transformation, employ ICT to
create a new business model within government institutions, build digital
capabilities of heads and staff members at Information Systems and Digital
Transformation units, and optimize government performance.
§ Establishing five new applied
technology schools in cooperation with the Ministry of Education to reach a
total of six schools. They are the first smart ICT-specialized schools that aim
to create a technical workforce capable of competing in the labor market.
§ Cooperating with Microsoft in
launching an advanced capacity-building scholarship to qualify 1,000 young
graduates for future jobs in digital transformation, in areas including
Artificial Intelligence (AI), data science, cloud management, advanced programming
and database management.
§ Partnering up with Amazon Web Services
(AWS) to launch a scholarship to build 500 young people’s capacities in data
science and big data.
§ Supporting the institutional
development of the universal health insurance system in the governorates
targeted within the first phase of the project, namely Ismailia, Suez, South
Sinai, Luxor, and Aswan. This is in addition to putting into effect the
cooperation protocol with the General Authority for Healthcare, on bringing
about institutional development and digital transformation at the Authority.
§ Supporting the institutional
development of the justice and law enforcement system in various judicial
bodies, law enforcement institutions, and oversight bodies, including the
Supreme Constitutional Court, the Court of Cassation, the State Lawsuits
Authority, the State Council, the Public Prosecution, the Administrative
Prosecution Authority, the Administrative Control Authority, the Central
Auditing Organization, the Ministry of Justice, and Giza, Alexandria and
Ismailia Security Directorates.
§ The Institutional Development,
Training and Human Capacity Building Sector at MCIT provided the necessary
technical support and training for the creation and operation of information
systems and digital transformation units in ministries, governorates, and
public authorities.
§ The Sector also trained 49,929 state
employees, including those moving to the New Administrative Capital, staff
members at information systems and digital transformation units, employees not
moving to the New Administrative Capital, employees in governorates and
surrounding districts, and those in charge of attaining the objectives of Decent
Life national project for developing the Egyptian countryside.
§ Raising awareness and building the digital
capacity of 68,449 citizens in the villages targeted within Decent Life
initiative, owners and workers of government service centers, and participants
of the programs and initiatives targeting promoting digital literacy and attaining
digital and financial inclusion, to build a safe, productive, and interactive
digital community.
§ The Information Technology Institute
(ITI) trained more than 6,000 people on in-demand skills for future jobs, in
areas including the Internet of Things (IoT), data analysis, AI, information
security, embedded systems, business robots, and digital arts. The employment
rate of ITI graduates reached 85%.
§ The number of beneficiaries on ITI
Mahara-Tech e-learning platform reached 300,000.
§ Graduates of the “Freelancing and
Remote Work Initiative” generated nearly $100,000 in revenue through the
initiative.
§ ITI concluded several partnerships
this year, most notably:
· ITI
became a Member Institution of AWS Academy, making AWS Cloud Services available
to ITI learners.
· ITI
was accredited by Apple Inc. as its first authorized training center in Africa.
· ITI
established an academic partnership with Unreal Engine, becoming its first
Academic Partner in Egypt. The cooperation involves training developers and
artists to create digital games and interactive art using Unreal Engine.
· ITI
established a partnership with Red Hat in open-source software and different
technologies such as data analysis, software development and system testing.
More than 60 ITI trainees obtained Red Hat certificates, in addition, its
educational content has been made available on Mahara-Tech platform.
· ITI
established a partnership with Fortinet—a leader in cybersecurity
solutions—which resulted in providing joint training programs in information
security.
§ The National Telecommunication
Institute (NTI) concluded protocols and cooperation agreements with ministries,
authorities, universities, and international companies specializing in ICT. NTI
most prominent achievements included:
· Holding
workshops and seminars to introduce youth and employees in the
telecommunications sector to emerging technologies.
· Training
20,612 people in communications technology. NTI carried out a range of
specialized training programs, most notably the Fiber Optics Training Program,
the Digital Egypt Youth (DEY) initiative for training graduates and young
recruits in ICT fields, B-Secure program, Wazeefa-Tech initiative, a training
on VMware technologies, and the Summer Training program for students.
· Implementing
a project to measure the cellular base stations of Mobile Network
Operators (MNOS) in Egypt.
· Manufacturing
Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) through the PCB Laboratory, which is equipped
with state-of-the-art technologies in this field. A total of 2,380 PCBs were
manufactured.
§ ITIDA trained 162,000 people through its
initiatives and programs, most notably Next Technology Leaders (NTL) and Future
Work is Digital (FWD). ITIDA also helped create 22,000 job opportunities.
§ President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi issued
Decree No. 329 of 2021 for establishing a civil university called “Egypt
University of Informatics - EUI” at the Knowledge City in the New
Administrative Capital. EUI Board of Trustees was formed under the chairmanship
of Former President of Egypt Adly Mansour. The University welcomed its first
batch of students in October in four faculties: the Faculty of Computing and
Information Sciences, the Faculty of Engineering, the Faculty of Business
Informatics, and the Faculty of Digital Arts and Design.
§ The Spring 2021 Semester of Digital
Egypt Builders Initiative (DEBI) started in February. The Initiative grants
learners a professional master’s degree in six majors: data science and AI,
cyber security, robotics and automation, digital architecture, digital arts,
and financial technology, in collaboration with distinguished international
universities. In 2021, DEBI achievements included:
· Establishing
partnerships with tech giants, including IBM, Cisco, VMware, Microsoft, AWS,
Dell, VOIS, Kaspersky, and Huawei Technologies. The aim is to hone the
learners’ technical skills, provide excellent training opportunities, and
granting international certifications.
· Signing
a cooperation agreement with the University of Ottawa in Canada to grant
learners a Master of Electrical and computer engineering in AI, data sciences,
robotics, IoT or cybersecurity.
· Signing
a cooperation agreement with Korea’s Pohang University of Science and
Technology (POSTECH), which ranks #1 in Asia and #3 in the world’s best
universities with fewer than 5,000 students. POSTECH is one of the world’s top
100 universities.
· Signing
a cooperation agreement with Queen’s University in Canada to offer learners an
M.Sc. in data science and AI from Queen’s School of Computing. Queen’s
University has placed first in Canada and fifth in the world in its global
ranking of universities advancing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) within and beyond their local communities.
Artificial Intelligence
§ Launching a special platform for AI
under the aegis of the National Council for AI, as Egypt's official AI portal.
It comprises the National AI Strategy; the events, news, and details of AI
projects in Egypt; the capacity-building programs provided by various
institutions; and Egypt’s achievements in that field. The Platform provides an
opportunity for exchanging views on AI matters and experiences among
stakeholders; the government, public and private sectors; academia; and
startups.
§ Soft-launching Hudhud App, the
farmer’s smart assistant. This is an Arabic mobile application that capitalizes
on AI to create more effective communication with farmers by providing digital
guidance and useful advice on topics of interest to farmers and smallholders.
§ Launching an AI-powered knowledge
mining application for the Postal Museum. The application includes data on the
museum’s collection and displays information on each piece, capitalizing on
machine learning algorithms, creating a seamless experience for visitors’ by
displaying information of good use to researchers and those interested in that
field.
§ Launching a virtual assistant
application for visitors of the Postal Museum to facilitate access to a lot of
information about the museum and its collection and respond to visitors'
inquiries without the need to communicate with the museum staff.
§ Signing a declaration of intent with
the French Ministry of the Economy and Finance to strengthen cooperation in AI.
§ Signing the AI Nations partnership
with Nvidia, the company’s first agreement with an Arab or African country.
Under the partnership, the two sides organized the world’s biggest training
camp on the use of AI in scientific fields, joined by 280 students and
graduates.
§ Signing an MOU with Thales to develop
AI and smart city applications. The two side also collaborated in fostering
innovation, building local capacity in AI, supporting entrepreneurship, and
conducting joint research on AI ethics.
§ Signing a twinning agreement with AI
Singapore (AISG) of the National University of Singapore. The aim is to cooperate
to raise awareness of AI among all segments of society and transfer knowledge
by establishing a governmental center of excellence (CoE) for AI to implement
projects following the latest global techniques. The two sides also agreed on carrying
out hands-on training for graduates and government employees in pragmatic AI.
§ Training 100 government employees, experts
in various fields, including agriculture, health, industry, planning,
irrigation, and others, on the fundamentals of AI, in collaboration with
Teradata. The aim is to help trainees identify relevant problems that AI can
solve.
§ Organizing C(4F)₂ Hackathon, Egypt’s
first AI competition, with the aim to reduce CO2 emissions from
vehicles and traffic, drawing on young techies’ innovative ideas.
§ Organizing a program in cooperation
with Dell to create academic caliber in five Egyptian universities, training
students to teach AI subjects.
§ Co-implementing a program with Ain
Shams University to prepare students for the labor market by undertaking
applied projects in AI and data science.
§ Leading the Arab AI Working Group of
the League of Arab States (LAS). The Group is forging a single Arab AI strategy.
§ Participating in UNESCO Intergovernmental
Meeting of Experts (Category II) related to a Draft Recommendation on the
Ethics of AI. Egypt also participated in the 41st
session of UNESCO General Conference, at which the recommendation on
AI ethics was adopted. Moreover, Egypt was elected Vice-Chair of UNESCO Ad Hoc
Expert Group (AHEG) for the Recommendation on the Ethics of AI.
§ Participating actively, in cooperation
with the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in
drafting the AI recommendations document, which entails the principles for the
responsible use of AI, including capacity-building, governance, responsibility,
humanity, transparency and other important principles. Egypt is the first Arab
and African country to formally join the countries accepting the OECD document
on responsible AI.
Information Technology Industry Development
ITIDA supported more than 1,400 IT companies
in Egypt and carried out several activities to develop the IT industry. ITIDA
most remarkable achievements included:
§ Launching the Export-IT Program
covering export proceeds of two consecutive years. ITIDA granted 131 companies a
total of EGP 70 million on their export revenues in 2019. The export support on
the total value added of exports in 2020 is to be granted soon for more
companies.
§ Selecting 16 small- and medium-sized
enterprises (SMEs) to implement 15 digital transformation projects in
government agencies at a cost exceeding EGP 43.5 million, as part of Our Digital
Opportunity initiative.
§ Collaborating with key players in the
business and innovation sector, such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology
(MIT), to boost the local startup ecosystem.
§ Implementing several initiatives to
help local startups access foreign markets. ITIDA also supported and sponsored
many events, including Web Summit in Portugal, a global flagship technology
exhibition; 4YFN in Barcelona; and The Next Web’s Hangout with VCs, a live
pitch event matching exciting startups with active investors and VCs.
§ Developing an ambitious strategy in
cooperation with Ernst & Young. The strategy aims to triple the size of BPO
and ITO exports over the next five years, for the first time since 2010.
§ Launching a range of training programs
in cooperation with international companies and accredited language education
institutions to hone the language and personal skills of young people,
especially in underserved governorates, and cover employers’ needs of employees
with linguistic competence.
§ Organizing and hosting major global
events focusing on emerging technologies such as AI, cloud computing and smart
cities, with the attendance of more than 35 speakers and international experts
and 25,000 specialists.
§ The Software Engineering Competence
Center (SECC) of ITIDA developed a digital transformation framework for 27
national universities and trained 37 specialized officials. SECC also developed
a framework and a reference architecture called “Digital Transformation for
Software Development (DX4SW)” to support local companies specializing in
software development and appraise 25 companies to boost their competitiveness.
§ SECC appraised 26 small and
medium-sized companies at the Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI®).
SECC lead appraisers assessed and accredited 24 Chinese, one Saudi and one
Egyptian company and provided consultancy and appraisal services in software
engineering techniques and IT service management to about 56 software
companies.
Technological Innovation and Entrepreneurship
Support
§ The volume of investments in startups
in Egypt grew from $190 million in 2020 to $465 million in 2021, in view of the
burgeoning entrepreneurship and startup sector, which contributed to the
establishment of 335 new startups in 2021.
§ The confidence of foreign investors
and global VCs in Egypt’s entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem increased.
According to statistics for 2021, the number of investors in the Egyptian
startup sector amounted to about 122, with foreign investments representing 60%
of the total investments and financing deals.
§ Continuing to support and encourage
women entrepreneurs through carrying out the Women Entrepreneurship
Program and training women and girls on the methodologies and concepts of
managing and running early-stage projects and startups, so women can embark on
an entrepreneurial journey. Around 300 businesswomen received support in the early
stages of their entrepreneurial projects in 2021, representing a 60% increase
in the number of beneficiaries of the program, compared with the three previous
rounds of the program, which supported 500 women entrepreneurs in 2018-2020.
§ Completing the African App Launchpad (AAL)
initiative, which was launched by President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi in November
2018 during the World Youth Forum (WYF), in Sharm El-Sheikh. Around 22 African
countries participated in the initiative, which resulted in training 10,000 young
Egyptians and Africans in 30 educational tracks in digital app and game
development, in addition to supporting the creation of 100 African startups.
§ Forging a comprehensive five-year
strategy in cooperation with Deloitte and funded by the U.S. Agency for
International Development (USAID). The aim is to make optimum utilization of
startups, create an all-encompassing system for technological innovation, and
boost the entrepreneurship ecosystem by matching innovative solutions with
local, regional, and global demand and attracting more VCs to invest in Egypt.
§ ITIDA Signed an agreement with Plug
and Play, a worldwide leading company specializing in nurturing and upscaling
startups. The aim is to establish a strategic partnership to help Egypt’s
entrepreneurship and startup ecosystem flourish.
§ ITIDA supported ZEUS project, which
involves locally designing and developing electric powertrain systems for
public transportation buses. ITIDA support is represented in granting EGP five
million to Brightskies, an Egyptian tech company carrying out the project.
§ Organizing ibTIECar Marathon at
CREATIVA by the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) of
ITIDA, at CREATIVA Innovation Hubs in six national universities: Mansoura,
Menoufia, Minya, South Valley in Qena, Aswan and Suez Canal in Ismailia, as
well as in Egypt Makes Electronics (EME) Labs in Cairo, Alexandria and Assiut.
§ Completing the first and second cycles
of Startup Launchpad program, in collaboration with the American University in
Cairo (AUC) Venture Lab, a member of Babson Collaborative for Entrepreneurship
Education of Babson College.
§ ITIDA collaborated with the Industrial
Modernization Centre (IMC) and Siemens Egypt to establish the first Egyptian
Industry 4.0 Innovation Center (IIC) at the Knowledge City in the New
Administrative Capital. The Center will help employ Industry 4.0 and digital
transformation technologies in the local industry.
Electronics Industry
§ Contracting with Samsung to establish
a factory in Beni Suef at a cost of $30 million to manufacture educational
tablets, creating over 500 job opportunities. Pursuant to the contract, 1,000
technicians will be trained on the latest technologies. Establishing the
factory is expected be completed by March 2022, where the manufacturing process
will start.
§ Funding and supporting projects
through EME initiative of ITIDA, at the Knowledge City, with incentives for a
period of three years. The aim is to advance the electronics and embedded
software local industry to be one of the main pillars of economic growth in
Egypt.
§ Training 3,100 people on Industry 4.0
technologies at CREATIVA Innovation Hubs and EME Labs.
Infrastructure and Telecom Services Quality
§ Connecting 15,000 government
facilities through a fiber-optic network, bringing the total number of
buildings connected to this network to about 20,000 out of a target of 33,000
buildings.
§ Egypt’s mean fixed broadband internet
speed rose from 6.5 Mbps in January 2019 to 45.67 Mbps in November 2021, according
to Speedtest Global Index, placing Egypt fourth in Africa in internet speed,
compared to 40th in January 2019.
§ Telecom Egypt signed a contract with
Suez Canal Authority, in coordination with the Armed Forces Signal Corps, to
create a new route for fiber optic internet cables between the Red Sea and the
Mediterranean through Al Morshedeen Road.
§ The National Telecom Regulatory
Authority (NTRA) moved up 54 spots on ICT Regulatory Tracker by the
International Telecommunication Union (ITU), ranking #41 out of 193 countries, up
from #95 in 2019. NTRA also ranked #2 in Africa, up from #19 in 2019.
§ NTRA was awarded the ISO 9001 -
Quality Management Systems (QMS) Certification for regulating telecom services
in the Egyptian market.
§ NTRA made several efforts to render
and improve telecom services. NTRA also took measures to attain governance, transparency,
and free competition, most notably:
· Starting
to boost telecommunication in the Sinai Peninsula through financing the
construction and operation of cellular base stations in 30 urban areas and four
major roads, at lengths of up to 112 km. NTRA also started to provide mobile
network coverage in five strategic roads.
· Approving
the operation of mobile networks at 40MHz of spectrum in the Time Division
Duplex (TDD) 2600 MHz frequency band from the total frequencies that Vodafone
Egypt, Etisalat Misr and Telecom Egypt obtained the right to use, with
investments estimated at $1.170 billion.
· Approving
the construction and operation of 2,310 cellular base stations in 2021,
representing an increase of 80% compared with 2020.
· Introducing
new regulations on switching Internet providers, allowing users to shift from
one provider to another in 72 hours without incurring additional fees.
· Instructing
telecom operators in the Egyptian market to enable free-of-charge contracting on
fixed broadband and landline services from home for people over 60.
· Launching
My NTRA, an interactive mobile application that facilitates access to
telecommunication services for mobile phone users, individuals, and corporates.
My NTRA is one of the top applications worldwide in terms of the services it
offers to end-users.
· Adopting
the regulatory framework for establishing data centers and providing cloud
services, with the aim to lure data center giants to the Egyptian telecom
market.
· Approving
using voice calls over a 4G LTE network (VoLTE) services for the first time in
Egypt.
· Doubling
the capacity of the Telecom User Complaint Center, phone number 155, and extending
working hours to reduce the wait time for receiving complaints.
·
Introducing
a new service involving receiving and resolving complaints in the sign language
for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). this is in addition to providing mobile phone
lines to PwDs with 50% off on the monthly package across all MNOs.
· Obligating
fixed broadband Internet providers in Egypt to notify subscribers of their data
consumption, deductions, and deductibles.
MCIT Role in ‘Decent Life’ Presidential
Initiative
MCIT has started implementing several projects
as part of its role in the first phase of the Decent Life initiative for
developing the Egyptian countryside. The role of the Ministry includes
upgrading the information infrastructure in rural villages and promoting
digital literacy to create an interactive digital society in a way that helps
build Digital Egypt and empower citizens to use ICT effectively.
MCIT work in the Initiative stands on four main
planks: installing fiber-optic cables in one million homes, at a cost of EGP
5.8 billion, to improve internet connection; developing 906 post offices and distribution
outlets; equipping post offices with ATMs; and improving the quality of telecommunication
services in villages through establishing 1,000 cellular base stations. In
addition, MCIT is promoting digital literacy in villages, building people’s
capacity in technology, and raising awareness of the digital economy.
Egypt Post
The Egyptian National Post Organization (ENPO)
is pursuing a strategy for the comprehensive development of post offices in
terms of structure and purpose. Egypt Post has a pivotal role as a channel for rendering
Digital Egypt services and a pillar supporting the implementation of the
national plan for financial inclusion. Egypt Post’s key achievements in 2021 included
the following,
§ Egypt, represented by Egypt Post, was
elected as member the Council of Administration (CA) and the Postal
Operations Council (POC) for a four-year term, in the elections conducted by
the Universal Postal Union (UPU) during the 27th Universal Postal
Congress.
§ Establishing 200 new post offices,
bringing the total number of post offices to about 4,200. This is in addition
to developing 1,500 post offices, bringing the total number of developed
offices to about 3,130.
§ Equipping 49 post vehicles with
advanced technological systems, as part of Egypt Post’s plan to expand in
postal outlets, bringing the total number of post vehicles to 89. The vehicles
provide financial, postal, and governmental services to citizens.
§ Opening the service control and
operation center, which monitors the performance of Egypt Post services and
detects, fixes, and offers proactive solutions to malfunctions in post offices
nationwide and data centers as soon as they occur.
§ Embarking on a plan for renovating
historical post offices while retaining their architectural character and
optimizing them. Egypt Post has several historical offices nationwide, some of
which date back to 1870. In this regard, Egypt Post re-opened Aswan Old Post
Office after renovating and equipping the historical building with eco-friendly
materials, following an innovative vision to retain its architectural character
and decorations. Moreover, the building was equipped with modern systems and
technological solutions to deliver different financial, postal, and
governmental services to citizens.
Digital Community Development and Technology Utilization
to Build Inclusive Society
§ Supplying 150 telemedicine units to
the Ministry of Health. The units are being installed in specific areas after conducting
follow-up and evaluation studies on the last phase. The units helped diagnose
3,500 cases so far, with that number expected to increase significantly after
the installation is completed.
§ Training 1,510 ladies through
Qodwa-Tech initiative, which is aimed at empowering women and qualifying using
ICT to start entrepreneurial projects. After competing with 155 projects,
Qodwa-Tech came among the 2021 Finalists of “Leadership in SME Category” in
Equals in Tech Awards.
§ Launching the official platform of the
National Network for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) Services, in
collaboration with the Ministry of Social Solidarity. The network matches PwDs with training and job
opportunities based on their place of residence, type of disability, and
qualification to help them find training opportunities and conduct job
interviews without the need to travel long distances.
§ Training 7,928 trainees and 280
trainers and developing 18 IT Clubs, as part of the institutional capacity
building strategy of the “Activating the Role of IT Clubs in Community
Development” project, which aims to enable access to ICT for all segments of society
to bridge the digital divide.
§ In an effort to promote e-learning,
the E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC) created five e-contents and trained 638 people on e-learning. Through
the training programs of the national network of e-learning centers, ELCC
trained 1,010 people and accredited 20 new e-learning centers, 33 new instructors,
and 22 administrative officers.
§ Community engagement on Kenana Online
platform increased to nearly 39,000 engagements. The platform enhances
community knowledge and raises awareness of various economic, social, and
cultural issues. The number of active portals created by individuals and
institutions on the platform reached 455.
§ The ICT for Comprehensive Community
Development in Agriculture (ICT4CCDA) project of MCIT was selected as one of
the Champion Projects of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS)
Prizes 2021.
§ The National Academy of Information
Technology for Persons with Disabilities (NAID) organized more than 15 webinars
to raise public awareness of the techniques used to develop assistive
technologies (ATs) and of the uses and technological needs of PwDs. Target
audience included PwDs, caregivers, developers and anyone interested in AT. The
webinars aim to stimulate Research and Development (R&D) in AT using ICTs,
addressing topics on Virtual Reality (VR), Integral Reality, AI, the role of
technology in skill development, Down Syndrome and nutrition, 3D printing,
learning difficulties, and others.
§ MCIT renewed the protocol signed with
the Ministry of Education to train 100,000 teachers and provide technical
support for 1,600 schools. This is in addition to enabling technological
accessibility and some ATs to facilitate PwDs education.
§ NAID organized the AT Hackathon in
collaboration with the Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (iHub) at Ain
Shams University, targeting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The
Hackathon was part of the program for incubating startups, nurturing
entrepreneurship and R&D in AT, empowering PwDs and supporting their
inclusion.
§ NAID organized the Summer Internship
program in collaboration with iHub. Around 100 university students and fresh
graduates at the Faculties of Engineering and Computer Science, participated
the program where they received training on how to develop ATs.
§ Carrying out an awareness program
through Almentor platform for 6,200 people with hearing loss and their families.
The program was within the framework of a cooperation agreement between MCIT
and Etisalat Foundation for community development and welfare.
§ Creating a digital library on NAID
website, for the Digital Accessible Information System (DAISY) publications,
targeting people with visual impairment, as part of the “Improving PwDs
inclusion through improving information accessibility” project.
§ Training more than 140 employees of
the Ministry of Solidarity and affiliated care homes. The employees were
trained to run the computer labs that will be created in those homes, which amount
to nearly 50 homes in phase one of the project. Training will endure to cover
the targeted number of homes, estimated at 150, through a cooperation protocol
between MCIT and the Ministry of Social Solidarity on the technological
development of social welfare institutions and orphanages, and the
technological availability of the services offered by the Ministry of Social
Solidarity to PwDs.
Cybersecurity
A new national cybersecurity strategy for the
period 2022-2026 has been forged to fully secure the ICT infrastructure and
create a safe environment where different sectors can render full electronic
services. The strategy also aims to unify national visions to address cyber
attacks, raise awareness of cybersecurity, advance scientific research, and
promote innovation. The strategy will soon be finalized and adopted by the Egyptian
Supreme Cybersecurity Council (ESCC).
Digital Environment Governance-Supporting
Legislation
MCIT held several community dialogues with
local and international tech companies in Egypt, MNOs, and sectors concerned
with implementing the provisions of the Personal Data Protection Law. MCIT is
keen on raising awareness and holding meetings to discuss those provisions and
ways to implement them through simple procedures included in the soon-to-be-enacted
Executive Regulations for the Law.
International Relations
In
2021, MCIT made great strides in international cooperation, opening areas of
bilateral cooperation for Egypt to learn from leading countries in technology and
transfer expertise to less developed countries. The Ministry was keen on
attracting foreign investments to the Egyptian ICT market, strengthening the
country’s presence and stance on ICT matters in relevant regional and
international organizations, highlighting the remarkable progress achieved in
the ICT sector and reflecting the country’s foreign policy in those
organizations, in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and bodies
of authority.
On
the bilateral front, MCIT established cooperation with 52 countries and 29
organizations. In this regard, the Ministry’s achievements included:
§ Organizing visits for ministers, experts and
senior officials from Nigeria, Côte d'Ivoire, DR Congo, Sudan, Jordan, Iraq,
Libya, Yemen, and Russia.
§ Enhancing technical cooperation with
several countries, most notably Germany and Japan.
§ Paying a visit to Estonia to learn
about its leading experience in digital transformation in government
applications and public services.
§ Participating in GITEX exhibition and
Expo Dubai, meeting with international partners and multinational companies,
and delivering a detailed presentation on the Egyptian ICT sector and the
investment opportunities it holds.
At
the multilateral level, MCIT most remarkable accomplishments included its
active vertical engagement in UN organizations, most notably the International
Telecommunication Union (ITU); and non-UN specialized organizations and trade
agencies, including the European Union (EU), the World Bank, and the
Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
§ Egypt was elected chair of the Arab
Telecommunications and Information Council of Ministers (ATICM) Executive
Bureau for two years (2021-2022).
§ Egypt chaired the virtual meetings of
the 48th and 49th Ordinary Sessions of ATICM Executive
Bureau, which were organized by LAS Technical Secretariat.
§ The ICT Minister
chaired ATICM 25th Session.
§ MCIT coordinated, supported, and
arranged for forming the Arab AI Working Group under the aegis of ATICM. The
Group developed a vision for a single Arab AI strategy.
§ MCIT collaborated with LAS and the
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) to
develop the Arab Digital Agenda/ICT Strategy (ADAICTS).
§ At the African level, the ICT Minister
chaired the ministerial meeting of the African Union (AU) Specialized Technical
Committee on Communication and Information Technologies (STC-CICT) Executive
Bureau, in July. Egypt also chaired an Expert Session in October and was
elected Rapporteur for the coming period.