Hisham Mahran: Meeting President El-Sisi Marks a New Chapter for Orange Egypt’s Digital Partnership
Orange Egypt CEO Hisham Mahran has highlighted the significance of his participation in a high-level meeting with President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Orange Group CEO Christel Heydemann, describing the discussions as an important step in strengthening the company’s partnership with Egypt around digital transformation, technology investment and skills development.
In a LinkedIn post following the presidential meeting, Mahran reflected on taking part in the talks alongside ICT Minister Raafat Hendy, Orange Group CEO Christel Heydemann and Orange Middle East and Africa CEO Yasser Shaker, as the two sides discussed expanding cooperation across telecommunications and advanced digital technologies.
The meeting placed Orange Egypt’s future role in the country within a much broader technology agenda, extending from connectivity into artificial intelligence, cloud computing, cybersecurity, digital health and the development of Egyptian technology talent.
Mahran Highlights Presidential Meeting
Mahran said the meeting with President El-Sisi reinforced the importance of the partnership between Orange and Egypt in advancing digital transformation, encouraging innovation and investing in Egyptian youth.
His comments following the meeting pointed particularly to the responsibility of Orange Egypt in translating the broader discussions into initiatives on the ground.
Mahran said Orange Egypt is committed to advancing AI, cloud computing and cybersecurity, while continuing to support digital education and entrepreneurship.
The message comes as Orange increasingly positions its Egyptian operation beyond its traditional role as a telecom operator, with digital infrastructure and technology services becoming a larger part of its activities.
El-Sisi Calls for Increased Orange Investment in Egypt
During the September 27 meeting, President El-Sisi expressed Egypt’s interest in seeing Orange Group increase its investments in the country, citing opportunities for further growth and expansion.
The discussions covered Orange’s activities in telecommunications, digital transformation and technology systems, while the President highlighted the group’s work in Egypt across telecom services, smart platforms, community development and digital education.
The presidential meeting also opened discussions over potential Orange participation in the second phase of Egypt’s National Digital Health Project.
The proposed cooperation could draw on the group’s capabilities in digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity and systems integration. No agreement to implement the second phase was announced during the meeting.
200,000 Training Grants and €25 Million for Startups
Skills development formed another major part of the presidential discussions.
Orange Group announced plans to provide training grants to around 200,000 people in Egypt, focusing on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity and including opportunities to obtain internationally recognized certifications.
The discussions also addressed training in data analytics and cloud computing as Egypt seeks to prepare more young people for technology-intensive jobs.
Orange additionally allocated €25 million to support Egyptian startups working in AI and advanced technologies and committed to equipping a number of universities with modern technology laboratories.
The laboratories are intended to give students greater exposure to practical applications of emerging technologies.
Orange Sees Egypt as a Model for Africa
The meeting also carried significance beyond the Egyptian market.
Heydemann said Orange’s experience in Egypt and its cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and other state institutions could provide a model for initiatives elsewhere in the region, particularly Africa.
That puts Orange Egypt in a potentially wider role within the group: not simply as one of its national operations, but as a market where models involving digital services, skills development, innovation and public-private cooperation can be developed and potentially replicated.
Mahran’s comments after participating in the presidential meeting reinforce that direction. For Orange Egypt, the talks were not simply a high-level corporate meeting, but a signal of a broader partnership in which telecom infrastructure, AI, cloud, cybersecurity, digital health and human capital are increasingly interconnected.