Egypt to Launch National Data Center Strategy by End-2026, ICT Minister Says at FDC Summit
Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Raafat Hindi, inaugurated the eighth edition of the FDC Summit, held from September 22 to 24 under the patronage of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Industry, and the Cabinet’s Information and Decision Support Center.
The summit brings together government officials, regulators, technology and telecommunications executives, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence experts, as well as representatives of major global, regional, and local technology companies.
During his keynote speech, Hindi outlined the government’s vision for building a digital economy that supports economic development, contributes to GDP growth, creates jobs, and improves the delivery of government services. He also emphasized efforts to promote innovation and entrepreneurship, localize technology, develop a knowledge-based economy, and strengthen Egypt’s digital sovereignty.
The minister said the government is working to integrate digital identity, electronic signatures, and registered digital mail to create a more seamless digital experience for citizens. These initiatives are expected to support the expansion of Egypt’s Digital Platform to 400 government services by 2030.
Hindi also highlighted Egypt’s efforts to support startups through 24 Egypt Digital Innovation Hubs across 20 governorates, providing skills development, incubation programs, investor connections, and market access opportunities.
On artificial intelligence, the minister said Egypt has been developing a national framework since 2019. The second phase of the National AI Strategy aims to support more than 250 AI startups, train over 30,000 specialists, and enable 36% of citizens to use AI-powered tools by 2030.
He also pointed to the development of locally built AI applications, including “Karnak,” described as Egypt’s first national Arabic large language model, developed by Egyptian engineers at the Applied Innovation Center, alongside other applications such as “Loghat” and “Belmasry.”
Hindi identified data centers as a critical component of the digital economy, supporting data hosting, digital services, AI applications, advanced computing, and the continuity of essential services.
He noted that Egypt’s geographic position and digital infrastructure provide a strategic advantage, with 20 international submarine cables passing through the country and carrying around 90% of internet traffic between Europe and Asia. The government aims to capitalize on this position by attracting data centers and cloud services, processing and hosting data locally, developing digital applications, and expanding digital service exports.
The minister announced that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is preparing a national data center strategy, which it plans to launch by the end of 2026.
Cybersecurity was also highlighted as a key pillar of national security and confidence in the digital economy. Hindi said Egypt is implementing the second edition of its National Cybersecurity Strategy for 2023–2027 while preparing a third edition to address emerging technological risks and strengthen the resilience of critical sectors.
He further noted that the ICT sector recorded growth of more than 19% during the 2025/2026 fiscal year for the first time, supported by a 24.3% growth rate in the final quarter of the same fiscal year.
On the sidelines of the summit, Hindi and Industry Minister Khaled Hashem witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between MCS and the Industrial Modernization Center. The agreement aims to enhance cybersecurity awareness and capacity building, support digital transformation and cyber readiness in the industrial sector, and develop joint initiatives in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, and cybersecurity.
The two ministers also toured the FDC Summit exhibition, which features global and local companies showcasing technologies and solutions in digital transformation, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, and other areas of the digital economy.