Egypt signs MoU with France’s Thales to develop apps, build capacity in AI

Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) has signed a MoU with Thales, a global provider in high technology solutions to further develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) applications in the country.

The MCIT aims to fortify the AI industry in Egypt and develop local skills, technology, infrastructure and governance mechanisms to ensure its sustainability and competitiveness through its National AI Strategy.

In a bid to accelerate innovation, the two entities will explore the capacity to build solutions across these industries, as well as the impact of AI on government, jobs, education and the digital divide.

Thales and MCIT will also work closely with start-ups and organise hackathons to advance the professional development of local talents and enhance local capability.

“Egypt is keen on adopting and developing emerging technologies. This collaboration, which leverages AI for the benefit of citizens, accelerates our efforts of building a digital Egypt. The alliance also reflects the strategic partnership between Egypt and France in AI, as this marks the sixth consecutive MoU signed with our French partners in the past 18 months and we look forward to more,” said Dr Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology.

“The partnership with Thales is in line with the four pillars of the National AI Strategy, the first of which is capacity building, as we will collaborate in building the AI capabilities for the different segments of society. Additionally, we will also work on two more pillars, AI for Government (AI4G) and AI for Development (AI4D). These are achieved through developing AI-powered applications in different fields, as well as working to establish a common stance for Egypt and France for AI-related topics through conducting joint research on AI ethics.”

Sherif Barakat, CEO, Thales Egypt, said: “This MoU with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is an important milestone for Thales. The collaboration puts AI at the forefront of our joint projects, with an aim to provide smart and safe solutions and services for the Smart Cities of the future. The coming stage will focus on innovative solutions in fields such as ground transportation and e-government. Thales is committed to providing the best technologies and procedures in our joint projects.”.