Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser El-Kady said that the state has a strategy to transform Egypt into a digital community through cooperation between all sectors to provide excellent services and eliminate corruption.
He added that information security is one of the most important factors to ensure the achievement of that transformation and strengthen the financial inclusion system. It came during a meeting organised by Eitesal Association amid its initiative “Meet the Government”, in the presence of a number of the Ministry of Communications’ officials and members of Eitesal and civil society organisations.
El-Kady reviewed the ministry’s 2025 strategy that was recently submitted to President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi. The strategy includes nine main axes: creating an attractive environment for innovation and technological investment, developing human resources, increasing specialised technological industries, upgrading telecommunications infrastructure, transformation into a digital society, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship, increasing investments and entering new regional and international markets, using information and communications technology (ICT) for community development, and developing postal services and financial inclusion.
The minister noted that International Data Corporation (IDC), a global market intelligence firm, issued a report on Egypt’s information technology, saying that the ICT sector achieved high growth rates of 12.5%, with a contribution to GDP of 3.5%, while ICT exports’ value came to about $3.26bn.
El-Kady continued that his ministry works on achieving technological development nationwide, not only in Cairo, through the establishment of technological parks in different governorates. He pointed out that the new Investment Law has a full section about facilities and incentives for investors at technological parks, announcing that the ministry plans to establish a technological park in New Mansoura City.
“There is great government interest in the development of the electronics industry, as two new factories are planned to be built in the technological park in Beni Suef, as well as a new industrial complex in the technological park of Sadat City,” he said.
Chairperson of Eitesal Association Hazem Al-Tahawy said that his association’s 2018 plan focuses on the development of outsourcing industry in Egypt, in cooperation with the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), affiliated with the Ministry of Communications.
The plan aims to encourage young people to work in outsourcing centres, raise efficiency of existing workers through providing training programmes, and expand in different markets in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa.
