Egypt to Deploy AI Technologies in 2027 Population Census as ICT Ministry Expands Digital Cooperation with CAPMAS
Raafat Hindi, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, held talks with Akram Ahmed El-Gohary to discuss cooperation on Egypt’s 2027 General Population, Housing, and Establishments Census, alongside broader efforts to accelerate digital transformation and integrate artificial intelligence technologies into the operations of the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics.
The meeting focused on supporting the implementation of the 2027 census project, considered one of Egypt’s most significant national statistical initiatives aimed at building a comprehensive and integrated database covering population distribution, housing units, and economic establishments across the country.
Officials said the project is expected to provide accurate and real-time data to support policymakers, development planning, and government decision-making processes.
Discussions covered cooperation in developing the technological infrastructure required for the census, including upgrading CAPMAS’s digital infrastructure, developing specialized applications, and supplying census representatives with tablet devices.
The two sides also explored ways to leverage Egypt’s government digital infrastructure, including the Digital Egypt Platform and the national government interoperability framework, to facilitate integration and data exchange with state institutions during census implementation.
A key focus of the meeting was the integration of artificial intelligence technologies into census operations.
According to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, AI tools will support census representatives through speech-to-text technologies capable of converting verbal responses into written data during field operations, in addition to enabling advanced data analytics and extraction of deeper statistical insights from census results.
The discussions also addressed ongoing cooperation to support CAPMAS’s broader digital transformation agenda, including plans to develop an AI-powered smart assistant for the agency’s official website to improve user experience and facilitate access to statistical information and services.
Minister Raafat Hindi emphasized the ministry’s commitment to providing full technical and technological support to ensure the successful execution of the 2027 census project.
He also stressed the importance of establishing a comprehensive implementation timeline for all joint digital transformation initiatives between both entities.
Hindi further highlighted the importance of integrating AI technologies across CAPMAS operations in cooperation with the ministry’s Applied Innovation Center, including the use of AI applications to support self-enumeration services for citizens participating in the census process.
For his part, CAPMAS Chairman Akram El-Gohary stated that the success of the census project heavily depends on cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, particularly in relation to digital tools and record-based census methodologies.
He added that CAPMAS aims to increase self-enumeration participation rates to 50% of households during the 2027 census cycle.
During the meeting, Major General Tawfik Abdel Rahim Kandil, Deputy Head of CAPMAS, presented an overview of the census project and its implementation methodology based on advanced digital technologies.
Officials noted that the adoption of digital and AI-driven census methodologies aligns with Egypt’s broader digital transformation strategy by enabling real-time population and infrastructure data, improving crisis-response capabilities through continuously updated records, enhancing data quality through integration with national digital registries, reducing operational costs, and accelerating data publication cycles for government entities and researchers.
The meeting was attended by senior officials from both the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and CAPMAS, including digital transformation, IT infrastructure, and census project leaders overseeing the technical implementation of the 2027 census initiative.