Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hendy opened the eighth edition of the FDC Summit, announcing plans to launch a comprehensive national data centre strategy by the end of the year. The summit is being held from 22–24 September under the patronage of the Ministries of Communications and Industry, bringing together government officials and technology leaders.
Hendy said the ministry is pursuing an integrated vision to build a digital economy that supports development, creates jobs, strengthens digital sovereignty and improves public services. He noted that the government aims to make 400 services available through the Digital Egypt platform by 2030 through the expansion of digital identity, electronic signature and digital mail services.
The minister highlighted Egypt’s efforts in artificial intelligence, noting that the second phase of the national AI strategy targets support for more than 250 start‑ups, training over 30,000 specialists and enabling 36% of citizens to use AI‑powered tools by 2030. He also pointed to the launch of “Karnak”, Egypt’s first national Arabic large language model developed by Egyptian engineers.
Hendy stressed that data centres have become a cornerstone of the digital economy and said Egypt is leveraging its strategic position, through which 20 international submarine cables carrying about 90% of internet traffic between Europe and Asia pass, to attract data centres, cloud services and digital investments.
He also described cybersecurity as a pillar of national security and trust in the digital economy, noting ongoing implementation of the National Cybersecurity Strategy 2023–2027 and preparations for its next phase.
On the sidelines of the summit, Hendy and Industry Minister Khaled Hashem witnessed the signing of a memorandum of understanding between MCS and the Industrial Modernisation Centre to strengthen co‑operation in cybersecurity awareness, capacity‑building, digital transformation and AI applications for the industrial sector.
