Egypt’s Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly attended on Tuesday the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, represented by the National Telecommunication Institute (NTI), and global technology company Cisco Systems, to train 3,000 internationally certified trainers under the Cisco Networking Academy programme.
The ceremony was attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi, Cisco Chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins, and Francine Katsoudas – Executive Vice President and Chief People, Policy & Purpose Officer at Cisco.
The MoU was signed by NTI Director Ahmed Khattab, and Country Leader for Cisco Egypt Mohamed Kamel.
Under the MoU, 3,000 people will be trained to be trainers over three years, 1,000 annually, and receive international certification from Cisco Networking Academy.
The programme will qualify them to work as certified trainers in Egypt and abroad in specialised fields including data networking, information and network security, operating systems and artificial intelligence.
The initiative will particularly target university professors, faculty members and independent lecturers, helping build a specialised pool of trainers capable of transferring knowledge and developing digital skills in line with international standards.
Cisco Networking Academy is one of the world’s leading digital skills development programmes, providing training in the design, construction and maintenance of computer networks through partnerships with educational and training institutions.
Prime Minister Madbouly stressed the government’s focus on training and its efforts to maximise the potential of Egyptian young people, particularly in technology-related fields, through training initiatives and partnerships with specialised global companies.
Minister Hindi said the co-operation would provide young Egyptians with training based on international standards, expand their access to employment opportunities in ICT and strengthen their competitiveness in regional and global labour markets.
Earlier today, the prime minister and Cisco’s Robbins discussed ways to boost co-operation in information and communications technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, digital skills and innovation.
Madbouly referred to Cisco as a key strategic partner for Egypt, highlighting the government’s interest in expanding the company’s investments and activities in the country.
He also called for expanding Cisco’s training and capacity-building programmes, particularly initiatives designed to equip young Egyptians with skills and internationally recognised certifications in technology-related fields.
For his part, Robbins said Cisco had made significant progress in its partnership with Egypt over the recent years and was looking to identify new opportunities for co-operation. He said the company had so far trained and educated around 670,000 students and plans to expand its programmes in Egypt.
