Egypt, UK strengthen ICT cooperation

Lezeth Khoza
By Lezeth Khoza, Junior journalist
Johannesburg, 15 Jan 2026
Mark Bryson-Richardson, British ambassador to Egypt and Amr Talaat, Egyptian ICT minister.
Mark Bryson-Richardson, British ambassador to Egypt and Amr Talaat, Egyptian ICT minister.

Egypt and the UK are strengthening their ICT cooperation by exploring ways to boost investment in the sector and attract more British companies to invest in the North African country's offshoring industry.

This is according to Egyptian minister of communications and information technology (MCIT) Amr Talaat, who met with British Ambassador Mark Bryson-Richardson earlier this week.

The two sides discussed collaboration in the areas of digital transformation and digital skill development, as well as a partnership in artificial intelligence (AI) and advanced technologies. They also discussed supporting innovation, start-ups, and entrepreneurship.

This meeting follows Egypt’s recognition as the continent’s leading country in AI readiness in the 2025 Government AI Readiness Index published by Oxford Insights.

It also topped the Policy Capacity pillar globally with a score of 100, tying with other two European states, including the UK.

One of the important aspects of the meeting was that Egypt and the UK representatives discussed ways to expand cooperation in cloud computing, data centres, cybersecurity, fintech, and digital infrastructure, to capitalise on the North African country's potential as a regional hub and gateway to African markets.

Talaat went on to emphasise the depth of the current relationship between MCIT and the European country across multiple areas.

He highlighted his desire to widen this cooperation in the near future to include ac-ademic engagement in ICTs through partnerships between Egypt's University of In-formatics and British universities. He also sought cooperation for digital capacity-building programs run by MCIT and its affiliates.

The minister also stressed the significance of encouraging British companies to leverage the competitive advantages of Egypt’s ICT sector, most notably the availability of a highly qualified talent pool.

Bryson-Richardson, for his part, indicated a desire to strengthen cooperation between the parties in the field of digital transformation, as well as encourage more English ICT enterprises to invest in the country.

“Furthermore, the meeting discussed organising an event in Egypt with the participation of several Egyptian and British ICT companies, during which the competitiveness of Egypt’s ICT sector in digital transformation and offshoring would be emphasised,” MCIT stated.

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