Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, emphasized that Egypt’s digital strategy aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. He stated that providing citizens with access to telecommunications and the internet in the digital age is no longer a luxury but a fundamental right.
Talaat highlighted the Egyptian government’s efforts to enhance digital infrastructure, including the implementation of a project to extend fiber optic cables across 4,500 villages as part of the “Decent Life” initiative.
Additionally, the quality of telecommunications services in these villages is being improved by increasing the number of mobile towers. He noted that these projects are being executed through public-private partnerships to extend fiber optic cables nationwide.
These remarks were made during a panel discussion on economic transformation and the exploration of digital innovation’s impact and opportunities in Indonesia and Africa.
The session was part of the Second Indonesia-Africa Forum (IAF), hosted by Bali, Indonesia, where Talaat represented President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
The session explored the opportunities that digital transformation could bring to both Indonesia and African nations, stressing the need for further investment in digital infrastructure to fully realize their potential in the digital economy.
Talaat added that Egypt’s digital strategy is designed to ensure that the entire society participates in leading the country’s digital transformation. Programs are being implemented to develop the skills of service-providing employees, with more efforts planned to launch digital services tailored to meet all citizens’ needs, expand the user base of the Digital Egypt platform, and promote the use of electronic signatures and digital customer identification in government transactions.
Talaat emphasized the importance of empowering youth to enter the freelance market and entrepreneurship and enhancing their capabilities in outsourcing and exporting digital services.
On the sidelines of the forum, Talaat met with Budi Arie Setiadi, Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Informatics, in the presence of Yasser El-Shimy, Egypt’s Ambassador to Indonesia.
The meeting focused on strengthening cooperation between Egypt and Indonesia in the fields of communications and information technology.
The two sides agreed to open new avenues for collaboration, allowing Indonesia to benefit from Egypt’s digital transformation projects and initiatives in digital capacity building and training.
For his part, Indonesia’s Minister of Communications and Informatics underscored the importance of enhancing bilateral cooperation between Egypt and Indonesia in communications and information technology, including the exchange of expertise in digital transformation and maximizing the benefits of digitization to achieve economic progress. He highlighted the long-standing cooperative relationship between Indonesia and Egypt, noting that Egypt was among the first countries to establish diplomatic relations with Indonesia following its independence.
Source: Daily News Egypt
