ICT minister mulls bolstering AI, digital transformation partnerships in Geneva

Egyptian Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindy has engaged in a series of bilateral meetings in Geneva on the sidelines of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS Forum 2026). The minister held discussions with high-level officials from Estonia, Nigeria, the African Union (AU), and the Smart Africa alliance, focusing on enhancing collaboration in key digital sectors.

During his meeting with Estonia's Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs, Liisa-Ly Pakosta, Hindy explored mechanisms to boost cooperation on AI deployment. The aim is to improve government services and share expertise in responsible AI governance. With Nigeria's Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Bosun Tijani, Hindy discussed expanding cooperation on infrastructure development and activating a memorandum of understanding for training digital talent in fields such as AI, data science, cybersecurity, cloud computing, software development, and digital government.

Further discussions with Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union, centered on promoting cooperation in digital infrastructure, continental digital transformation, AI regulatory frameworks, and AI sandboxes. Hindy extended an invitation to Mataboge to visit Egypt for the upcoming African Presidential Youth AI and Robotics Competition.

In talks with Lacina Koné, Director General and CEO of Smart Africa, Hindy focused on strengthening cooperation in digital skills development, artificial intelligence, public digital infrastructure, and digital innovation. Both sides emphasized the importance of translating collaborative efforts into practical projects with tangible results across Africa. Senior Egyptian officials, including the Executive President of Egypt's National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Mohamed Shamroukh, also attended these meetings.

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The two sides discussed opportunities for implementing joint capacity-building initiatives, sharing expertise in digital skills development programs, strengthening cooperation on AI governance and its applications, and supporting public digital infrastructure projects in Africa.