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Egypt's AI Ambition: From Aspiration to Infrastructure
7 Feb
Summary
- Egypt ranks first in Africa for AI readiness, driven by policy.
- AI could add $1.5 trillion to African GDP by the decade's end.
- Cairo is set to host Ai Everything MEA Egypt in February 2026.
Artificial Intelligence has transitioned from an aspiration to a foundational infrastructure within Egypt, influencing economic policy and public discourse. This shift is positioning Cairo as a key center for AI collaboration, investment, and innovation across Africa and the Middle East. The nation's commitment is further solidified by its Second National AI Strategy for 2025 to 2030, emphasizing AI as a sovereign capability.
Egypt's AI readiness is recognized globally, with the nation ranking first in Africa according to the Oxford Insights Government AI Readiness Index. This achievement is attributed to mature policies, skill development, and public sector adoption. Projections indicate the ICT market will surpass $9 billion by 2030, fueled by cloud, cybersecurity, and data services.
The upcoming Ai Everything Middle East & Africa (MEA) Egypt event, scheduled for February 11-12, 2026, in Cairo, will convene global leaders, technology companies, investors, and startups. This platform aims to strengthen regional AI collaboration and investment, highlighting Egypt's strategic role in the burgeoning AI economy. The event will showcase industry breakthroughs and AI use cases across various sectors.
Egypt's strategic advantages, including its geography, energy mix, and connectivity, make it a practical base for serving Africa, the Middle East, and parts of Europe. The country's focus remains on applied AI in priority sectors like financial services, digital health, manufacturing, and logistics, with a growing ecosystem of local startups developing Arabic language models and enterprise automation solutions.
