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Eng. Ahmed El-Zaher, CEO of Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), announced the launch of the IMPACT initiative, alongside Karnak, a new advanced Arabic language model, and a suite of AI-powered national applications. This initiative is part of the second phase of Egypt’s National AI Strategy (2025–2030), reinforcing the country’s role as a leading AI hub in the Arab and African regions.

The announcement took place during AI Everything MEA 2026, held February 11–12 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center in New Cairo, which gathered government representatives, global and regional tech firms, entrepreneurs, and AI experts to present innovations and discuss AI trends.

El-Zaher highlighted AI’s strategic importance, stating: “Artificial intelligence is now a key driver for economic transformation. Egypt is leveraging AI not only to enhance national competitiveness but also to serve as a regional partner in deploying solutions tailored to local needs.”

The Karnak model, named after Luxor’s Karnak Temple as a symbol of Egypt’s rich heritage, has been trained on tens of millions of Arabic-language datasets. It is designed to comprehend cultural and linguistic nuances, supporting applications across healthcare, education, government, and business. This model underscores Egypt’s commitment to localizing AI technologies and advancing digital transformation initiatives.