The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat has concluded the two-day visit to Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), to partake in the GITEX Global exhibition and conference. He has held significant talks with various ICT major global companies and discussed opening new horizons for cooperation and investment in the ICT sector.
The ICT Minister has met with the Head of Middle East and Africa (MEA) Amazon Web Services (AWS) Worldwide Public Sector Wojciech Bajda, to discuss enhancing cooperation in several ICT fields.
During the meeting, Bajda expressed AWS growing interest in Egyptian and African markets. AWS plans to increase its investments in Egypt were reviewed, through the establishment of data centers and cloud computing, as well as the expansion of training and human development programs.
Talaat discussed with a delegation from Intel Corporation, headed by the Vice President Sales and Marketing and General Manager, EMEA Territory at Intel Corporation Maurits Tichelman, the means of enhancing cooperation in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and electronics manufacturing.
The most prominent features of Intel’s strategy and efforts to build capabilities in AI through Intel® AI Academy were reviewed during the meeting. The meeting discussed means of enhancing cooperation in this field in light of the state’s keenness to adopt modern technologies and prepare professionals capable of harnessing these technologies to serve the community.
Both sides discussed the company’s most prominent projects as well as the state’s efforts to develop the semiconductor industry.
The ICT Minister also held a meeting with the Senior Vice President and Head of the Middle East and Africa at Tech Mahindra Ram Ramachandran to discuss enhancing cooperation and contribution of the company to implementing digital transformation projects in Egypt, including the “Ahmos” project. The project aims at restructuring software systems for most government agencies.
The possibility of establishing a service hub for Tech Mahindra in Egypt to serve its customers in the IT field in various markets worldwide was also discussed in the meeting.
Talaat also met with Senior Vice President of Oracle EMEA Advanced Customer Services (ACS) Antonio Mesa to discuss means of increasing the company’s investments and expanding its outsourcing services hub in Egypt.
The incentives and facilitations offered to investors within the framework of Digital Egypt Strategy for Offshoring Industry were also discussed during the meeting. The strategy aims to increase digital exports of offshoring services by three times over five years.
The ICT Minister also met with Chief Commercial Officer at Sutherland K.S. Kumar, and Senior Director, MENA region Ahmad Rihan. Sutherland is specialized in providing IT services. They discussed the company’s future plans to expand its investments as well as mechanisms for enhancing future cooperation in many areas of common interest.
In a similar vein, Talaat partook in Onstage Interview: ICT Sector in Egypt: From Development to Productivity. He reviewed the latest developments in the Egyptian ICT sector and the most significant achievements related to the ICT industry. The interview was moderated by CNN Anchor and Correspondent Eleni Giokos.
During the interview, the ICT Minister explained the efforts made to enhance Egypt’s position in the ICT industry scene. He noted that Egypt has an all-encompassing strategy aimed at indigenizing the electronics industry and deepening local manufacturing.
The ICT Minister emphasized the state’s keenness to adopt modern technologies as the Applied Innovation Center (AIC) was established to develop solutions to the challenges faced by society, using ICT modern technologies. He added that partnerships with major global companies and universities were also established to provide training in AI sciences.
Talaat highlighted that human development is Egypt’s top priority and the main pillar of the Digital Egypt strategy. An integrated strategy is being implemented to build digital capabilities, in cooperation with giant global tech companies and specialized international institutions and universities. He referred to the efforts made to create an environment conducive to technological innovation and support entrepreneurs through the establishment of CREATIVA Innovation Hubs nationwide.
The ICT Minister referred to the state’s efforts to achieve digital transformation and a breakthrough in government services to citizens by digitally providing these services via Digital Egypt platform. He referred to the projects implemented by the state to develop ICT infrastructure and improve ICT services for citizens nationwide.