(MENAFN- Daily News Egypt) Amr Talaat, Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, delivered a keynote address at the closing session of the Forum on China-Africa Digital Cooperation held in Beijing.
In his speech, Talaat detailed Egypt's vision for strengthening Sino-African collaboration in the digital economy, emphasizing the importance of implementing national digital strategies to drive development and economic growth.
The event saw participation from notable figures, including Zhang Yunming, China's Vice Minister of industry and Information Technology, as well as ministers and government officials from various African countries. Representatives from the African Union Commission were also present.
Talaat highlighted the forum's discussions, which covered strategies and visions for achieving a digital Africa in partnership with China and other international stakeholders. He pointed out the opportunities for cooperation and the exchange of best practices, noting the significant technological advancements of the past two decades. These advancements, he stated, have underscored the crucial role of information technology in fostering economic prosperity, enhancing social protection systems, ensuring environmental sustainability, and improving living standards.
Talaat stressed the importance of enhancing digital cooperation among African countries. He outlined Egypt's digital strategy, which aims to develop a comprehensive IT ecosystem, focusing on infrastructure provision, digital literacy, capacity building, digital innovation, and accelerating digital transformation across all Egyptian governorates.
Highlighting international partnerships, Talaat mentioned Egypt's involvement in the GovStack initiative, led by the International Telecommunication Union in cooperation with the Digital Impact Alliance and various governments. He also discussed national projects in government technology, including the Digital Egypt platform, which offers around 170 government services, and the Government Digital Innovation Lab which supports SMEs and entrepreneurs.
Egypt's efforts have earned it a spot in the“A” group of countries in the World Bank's Government Digital Readiness Index. Talaat also addressed challenges in achieving universal connectivity by 2030, noting that internet penetration in Africa stands at approximately 40%, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas.
He spoke on the“Decent Life” project, which aims to develop vital infrastructure in Egypt's least developed villages, including extending mobile networks and internet infrastructure. This initiative is part of the government's vision that a decent life in the 21st century is fundamentally based on digital accessibility. Talaat noted the increase in digital capacity-building programs, with the number of trainees rising from 4,000 annually to 500,000 over the past six years.
Heba Saleh, Chairperson of the Information Technology Institute, participated in a session titled“Developing Artificial Intelligence for Better Lives,” discussing AI, computing, emerging innovations, and empowering youth and women.
The China-Africa Digital Cooperation Forum, organized by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology under the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), aims to enhance Sino-African cooperation in the digital economy. The forum focuses on exchanging experiences and best practices in digital development strategies, communications and IT, digital infrastructure and technologies, innovation, digital transformation, and capacity building.
In line with Egypt's recent membership in the BRICS group, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is involved in a working group on cooperation in communications and IT. During the forum, a delegation from the ministry met with China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to explore joint cooperation areas under the BRICS framework.
Talaat's visit to China will also include meetings in Beijing and Shenzhen with officials from leading companies in the communications and information technology sector to discuss cooperation and investment opportunities.
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