Technology Leaders Say Egypt Is Poised for Regional AI Leadership—If a Unified National Strategy Is Achieved
During a high-level panel at the second edition of the AIDC Conference, technology experts affirmed that Egypt is well positioned to become a leading regional hub for artificial intelligence and data centers—provided the country adopts a unified national strategy and accelerates legislative reforms.
The session, titled “Cairo Call: Egypt’s Roadmap to Regional Digital Leadership,” was held on the sidelines of AIDC and explored opportunities and challenges in the race toward digital sovereignty.
The panel was moderated by Mohamed El Agizy, Chairman and CEO of WB Engineers MEA, who opened the discussion by emphasizing that Egypt’s greatest asset is its human capital. “The country’s most powerful advantage is its youth,” he said, noting that Egyptian professionals are already contributing to major American and European tech companies. He emphasized the need to launch competitions and initiatives to support young talent, referencing successful African examples such as South Africa.
Digital Sovereignty and National Security
Ahmed Mekky, Chairman and CEO of Benya Group, framed digital transformation as an issue of both national security and economic sovereignty. He warned that delays in this domain will have direct implications for all state sectors. Mekky stressed that Egypt possesses deep expertise capable of driving regional leadership, but called for a clear long-term vision and the removal of barriers to investment.
Ahmed El Behery, Group COO and CEO at Cassava Technologies, highlighted the importance of defining strategic objectives for Egypt’s AI roadmap. “There must be a developer—a leader—driving the AI strategy. The question is: what is the purpose? Education? Healthcare? Development?” He cautioned that without robust local infrastructure, Egypt risks remaining a “user” of global technologies rather than a producer. He also stressed that nations are increasingly reluctant to store their sovereign data abroad.
Regulation and Infrastructure: An Urgent Need
Mahmoud Ahmed, CEO of Triforce Systems, emphasized that Egypt can lead the regional AI race—but only if legislation advances more quickly. “The UAE and Saudi Arabia moved ahead because of fast execution and clear regulations,” he said. He noted that 17% of the world’s internet cables pass through Egypt, giving the country a major strategic advantage, while Egyptian engineers form the backbone of global data center operations.
Mohamed Hassan Atef, Executive Director of Technology at Elsewedy Digital, pointed to successful international models such as Morocco and Indonesia. He detailed Elsewedy Digital’s work in supporting technical education and skill development and revealed the company’s upcoming large-scale investments in data centers. Egypt’s shift toward green energy, he said, gives the country a competitive edge.
Institutional Coordination: The Missing Link
Tamer Attia, Head of Strategy and Project Development at Raya Data Centers, explained that the company has long invested in data center infrastructure and that Egypt has a compelling environment for global cloud providers. “We need dedicated, fully prepared zones for data centers,” he noted. “The efforts are there, but coordination is missing.”
Closing the session, Mostafa Kandil, Head of Data Centers at Innovo Tech, stressed that the ideal model is not a “single leader,” but a government entity tasked solely with coordinating between stakeholders. He proposed establishing a specialized authority for artificial intelligence and data centers to ensure unified planning and remove obstacles for investors.
Cairo ICT 2025: A Platform for Regional Digital Leadership
The 29th edition of Cairo ICT 2025 runs from 16–19 November under the patronage of Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, with more than 500 exhibitors and participation from leading ministries and government authorities.
Cairo ICT 2025 includes five major co-located events:
PAFIX – Digital Payments & Financial Inclusion (under the Central Bank of Egypt)
AIDC – AI, Data Centers & Cloud Computing (under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs)
Connecta – Youth, Gaming & Entertainment
Innovation Arena – Startups & Innovation
Cyber Zone – Cybersecurity (for the first time across two locations)
Government participants include the Ministry of Communications and IT, the Central Bank of Egypt, the Financial Regulatory Authority, the National Telecom Regulatory Authority, ITIDA, Egypt Post, the Arab Organization for Industrialization, and Future of Egypt Authority as Guest of Honor.
The exhibition features interactive sessions and technology showcases covering AI, IoT, 5G, cybersecurity, smart cities, edtech, cloud computing, fintech, green technologies, and digital identity (eKYC).
The event is sponsored by Dell Technologies, eFinance Group, WB Engineers+Consultants, CIB, Huawei, Orange Egypt, EgyptAir, Egypt Trust, Mastercard, Medar, and Fortinet. Additional sponsors include Salesforce, Benya Group, Khazna, the National Bank of Egypt, AAIB, Bank of Alexandria, Shaker Group, ICT Misr, IoT Misr, Network International, and Meinhardt.