ICT, Tourism Ministers Witness Two Agreements Signing to Digitize, Enable Heritage Content on ‘Torath’ Platform
The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and the Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Sherif Fathi have attended the signing ceremony of two new cooperation protocols between the two ministries, held at the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM). The step marks a strategic move reflecting the Egyptian government’s commitment to advancing digital transformation and developing smart infrastructure for archaeological sites and museums nationwide.
The signing of the two protocols also underlines the Egyptian state’s vision to bolster digital transformation, protect cultural heritage and improve visitor services in a way that reflects Egypt’s venerable heritage and its leadership role in tourism and culture at both regional and international levels.
The first protocol was signed by Vice ICT Minister for Infrastructure and Digital Transformation Raafat Hindy, and Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities Mohamed Ismail Khaled.
The protocol is aimed at creating Torath: Egypt’s digital heritage portal project, which involves the digitization of the archaeological content owned by the Supreme Council of Antiquities and its provision via a comprehensive digital platform serving researchers, archeologists and those interested in antiquities.
The second protocol was signed by Deputy Executive for National Projects at the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) Ahmed Abdel Aziz—on behalf of its CEO, and Secretary-General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities.
It aims to provide telecommunications services within archaeological sites in Egypt, improving telecommunications services at sites and museums nationwide, while complying with technical and environmental standards that preserve the archaeological character and visual identity of those sites.
The protocol stipulates an enhancement of coverage and quality of communications services inside archaeological sites through the development of the network infrastructure in cooperation with licensed operators. It also foresees the formation of a joint executive committee between the two parties to oversee implementation and set priorities.
In his remarks, the ICT Minister affirmed that the two protocols embody the close cooperation between the two ministries, aimed at improving the quality of telecommunications services in tourist attractions, thereby providing high-quality services to tourists, and making available the digitized content of the Supreme Council of Antiquities via Torath Platform, thereby enhancing the use of ICT in preserving Egypt’s rich civilizational legacy and making it accessible digitally.
The Tourism Minister noted that the signing of the two protocols comes within the framework of fruitful cooperation between the two ministries. It reflects the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities’ commitment to keeping pace with technological advancements and promoting digital transformation within the sector, he stated. The minister explained that the ministry is implementing its digital strategy to preserve paper and microfilm heritage documents for future generations, make them accessible to researchers and scholars, and enhance the quality of services provided to tourists to improve their overall experience at archaeological sites.
For his part, Hindy described the digital heritage portal project as one of the most prominent initiatives undertaken by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) under the Digital Egypt strategy. It aims to reinforce efforts to use ICT in supporting the cultural and knowledge economy in a way that enriches Egypt’s digital content and sustains Egypt’s leadership, he noted.
In a similar vein, Khaled stated that the protocol concerning the digital heritage portal extends over a period of three years, during which a specialized committee will be formed by the Supreme Council of Antiquities to inventory and select the archaeological content that will be digitized, in coordination with MCIT, to make it available on the platform while ensuring protection of intellectual property rights.
The signing ceremony was attended by CEO of GEM Ahmed Ghoneim, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Technological Talents Development Hoda Baraka, and Head of Digital Heritage at MCIT Hesham El-Deeb. From the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, Advisor to the Tourism Minister for Communication and External Relations and General Supervisor of the General Administration of International Relations and Agreements Rana Gohar, and Assistant to the Minister of Tourism for Digital Services Mohamed Shaban attended the ceremony.