Sisi: Digital Egypt Strategy bolsters CIT sector

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi on Monday affirmed Egypt’s keenness to enhance cooperation with the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and participate effectively in the UN agency’s work and activities

The President’s remarks came as he met the visiting ITU Director-General, Doreen Bogdan-Martin, on Monday, Presidency Spokesman Ahmed Fahmy said. Attending the meeting were Communications and Information Technology Minister Amr Talaat and ITU Representative and Regional Director of the Arab Countries office, Adel Darwish.

In his remarks, President Sisi noted the ITU’s pioneering role as a United Nations specialized agency in the field of information and communication technology and also as a global platform for governments and the private sector, spokesman Fahmy said.

During the meeting, the President highlighted the state’s interest through the “Digital Egypt Strategy” to advance the communications and information technology sector and develop its infrastructure as Egypt’s gateway to the future.

In this context, President Sisi said Egypt is looking forward to the enhancement of ITU support for the country’s efforts in the field of information and communications technology.

For her part, the Secretary-General of the International Telecommunication Union expressed valuation of Egypt’s role and its extended contributions to the work of the Union, the latest of which is hosting the current edition of the Global Forum for Regulators in Sharm El-Sheikh, spokesman Fahmy said.

The ITU chief lauded the Forum as constituting an important international platform that attracts wide participation for cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the world’s bodies concerned.

Convening the Forum in Sharm el-Sheikh, she went on, reflects the confidence of the international community in the Egyptian ICT sector and its distinguishing potentials, expertise and promising future.

She also stressed the ITU’s interest in boosting cooperation with Egypt in a way that contributes to supporting the country’s digital development process, especially in light of the state’s intense interest in this sector, the Presidency spokesman said.

Following the meeting with the visiting ITU chief, President Sisi conferred with Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli and of Communications and Information Technology Minister Talaat for a review of ongoing efforts to expand capacity building of Egyptian human cadres and train them on digital skills, Presidency spokesman Fahmy said.

The state’s efforts in this direction, President Sisi said in remarks during the meeting, aim to upskill human cadres in a way that builds their capacity to undertake CIT professions, adding that such efforts benefit from the competitive advantages of Egypt as a promising country in providing outsourcing services.

During the meeting, the President was briefed on the progress of action under way to advance the design and manufacturing of electronics in Egypt by expanding the local production of devices and the design of electronic circuits.

Commenting on this briefing, President Sisi called for strengthening efforts to develop the outsourcing industry, support independent professionals and increase their numbers, by investing in human cadres and providing training, qualification and capacity-building programs, in line with the modern requirements of the labor market and the knowledge-based economy, spokesman Fahmy said.

President Sisi also urged boosting the competitiveness of Egyptian cadres at the international level, in a way that contributes to increasing Egypt’s digital exports and keeping pace with the rapid development worldwide in the communications and technology sector, the Presidency spokesman said.