Vodafone says Egypt’s digital growth driven by talent, regulation

Egypt’s digital sector growth is being driven by regulation, talent, and customer-focused services, Vodafone executive Mohamed Abdallah said on Thursday.

Abdallah, chief executive of Vodafone and Vodacom International Markets, was speaking at the British Egyptian Business Association (BEBA) UK Business Mission 2026 in London.

He said Vodafone had operated in Egypt for 28 years and had seen the country’s telecoms sector evolve from basic mobile services to 3G, 4G, and now 5G technologies.

“We’ve seen first-hand how the telecommunications landscape has transformed, and how Egypt has built the foundations for a truly digital economy,” he said.

Abdallah said regulatory support had played a key role in enabling digitalisation and attracting investment in telecoms infrastructure.

He said Egypt’s second pillar was its talent base, adding that more than 10,000 engineers in the country now support Vodafone’s global operations in software development and digital services.

The third pillar was a focus on customer experience, which he said had enabled Vodafone Egypt to expand into financial technology, enterprise services, and data centre operations.

Abdallah said Egypt is now at a pivotal stage in its digital journey, supported by rising investor confidence and momentum in large-scale infrastructure and technology projects. He added that continued collaboration between the private sector and government remains essential, noting ongoing engagement with ministries, including Finance and Health, to align on infrastructure needs for future growth.

He also said Vodafone is developing strategic proposals and white papers to help strengthen Egypt’s digital infrastructure and support long-term investment. He said capital investment in Vodafone’s Egypt operations had risen about 40 per cent year-on-year, reflecting growing confidence in the market’s direction and regulatory stability.

He said investor confidence was closely tied to policy predictability, particularly in long-term infrastructure projects.

Investor confidence, he added, is closely tied to policy predictability and long-term visibility, particularly in infrastructure projects with six to eight-year investment cycles. Despite the long horizons, he said, rising capital commitments demonstrate a strong belief in Egypt’s position as a regional digital and technology hub connecting Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.