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Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Eng. Raafat Hendy, outlined the country’s Digital Egypt strategy and its key targets through 2030 during a high-level “Digital Egypt” session held as part of Egypt Forum 2026.

The session highlighted the government’s efforts to accelerate digital transformation, strengthen communications infrastructure, expand digital government services, develop technological skills, and enhance Egypt’s position as a regional hub for technology and digital infrastructure.

Hendy stressed that citizens are at the center of the digital transformation process and should be active participants rather than simply recipients of digital services. He emphasized that the impact of technology depends on citizens having the necessary digital skills, embracing continuous learning, and developing their ability to innovate.

Building Human Capital and Expanding Employment

The minister highlighted four key areas under the ministry’s human development strategy, which has been implemented since 2014.

The first focuses on creating high-value employment opportunities inside and outside Egypt. The country’s outsourcing industry has continued to expand, with around 280 centers employing approximately 200,000 people, while about 80% of their activities are directed toward exports.

The second area involves providing high-quality telecommunications and internet services at affordable prices across Egypt. Hendy noted that Egypt has ranked first among African countries in fixed broadband speeds for six consecutive years.

The third focuses on expanding digital government services and making them easier for citizens to access. The Digital Egypt platform, launched by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in 2022, currently provides around 250 government digital services, with further expansion planned.

The fourth area centers on developing digital skills through training programs and initiatives targeting different age groups and specializations nationwide. More than 2 million citizens have benefited from digital capacity-building programs over the past decade.

More Than EGP 600 Billion Invested in Digital Infrastructure

Hendy said that government and private-sector investments in telecommunications infrastructure exceeded EGP 600 billion over the past 10 years.

The investments have supported the development of telecommunications networks and the expansion of fiber-optic infrastructure as an alternative to copper cables.

Around 20,000 government buildings have been connected to fiber-optic networks, while approximately 5.5 million fiber-optic lines have been installed. The ministry is targeting the addition of one million new fiber lines annually.

Mobile network coverage has also been expanded through the addition of more than 3,000 mobile towers each year, alongside the provision of additional spectrum capacity to operators. Telecommunications companies have invested more than $6 billion in acquiring frequencies over the past decade.

Infrastructure development has also extended to villages covered by the presidential “Haya Karima” initiative, which benefits around 60 million citizens. Projects include fiber-optic deployment, improved mobile coverage, upgraded post offices, and digital skills development programs.

Egypt has also strengthened its international telecommunications infrastructure, with 10 new submarine cables added over the past decade, including six currently under construction. The country is also expanding landing stations and submarine cable routes to support the continuity of international services.

Digital Sovereignty as a Strategic Priority

Hendy defined digital sovereignty as the country’s ability to independently and sustainably control its infrastructure, data, and strategic digital services, while maintaining the ability to select technologies, products, and business partners.

He stressed that digital sovereignty does not mean isolation from the global technology ecosystem. Instead, it involves maintaining international connectivity within appropriate regulatory and security frameworks.

According to Hendy, Egypt’s approach to digital sovereignty is based on five key pillars: sovereign infrastructure, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence and data protection, developing specialized national talent, and expanding technology industries while diversifying supply chains.

Digital Egypt Targets Through 2030

The government’s targets for 2030 include expanding the Digital Egypt platform to 400 government digital services and increasing its user base to between 30 million and 35 million citizens.

The strategy also aims to extend fiber-optic connectivity to more than 55% of households and provide 5G coverage across all Egyptian governorates.

On the economic empowerment front, Egypt aims to create 200,000 additional jobs, particularly in high-value fields such as technology and artificial intelligence. The plan also seeks to support 250 startups developing artificial intelligence applications.

As part of its digital sovereignty objectives, Egypt plans to establish between five and seven large-scale data centers over the next four to five years. Some of these facilities are expected to become operational and begin exporting services by 2030, while construction of the remaining centers will continue.

The ministry also plans to develop national expertise in advanced technologies and quantum computing.

By 2030, Egypt aims to increase the ICT sector’s contribution to GDP to 8% and raise annual digital exports to $12 billion. The country also targets increasing domestic mobile phone manufacturing capacity to 30 million devices annually to meet local demand and support exports.

The session also addressed financial inclusion and digital payments, digital transformation within the judicial system, digital skills development, telecommunications infrastructure, fiber-optic networks, mobile services, and the “Haya Karima” initiative.

Participants further discussed data protection, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence applications, data-center development, and measures aimed at increasing the ICT sector’s contribution to the national economy and expanding high-value technology industries.