ICT Minister Signs MoU with Rwandan Counterpart, Meets Officials from Sudan, UN, ICANN, TikTok
Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hendy has held a meeting with Minister of ICT and Innovation in Rwanda Paula Ingabire, on the sidelines of the WSIS Forum 2026, which Egypt is chairing this year in Geneva, Switzerland. The two officials discussed mechanisms for strengthening bilateral cooperation in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI), digital transformation, and digital capacity building.
Following the discussions, the ICT Minister and his Rwandan counterpart signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) aimed at deepening cooperation in digital transformation and AI. The MoU provides for joint efforts to formulate a responsible, inclusive, and development-oriented African approach to AI, the implementation of tangible, measurable AI pilot projects in the healthcare, agriculture, local languages, and government services sectors, and enhanced collaboration among government entities, universities, research centers, and innovation hubs in both countries.
The agreement further calls for joint contributions to shaping African positions within regional and international AI governance forums—including the African Union, the Global Initiative on AI, the International Telecommunication Union, and the United Nations' High-level Advisory Body on AI—as well as the exchange of expertise in digital government infrastructure, service portals, and interoperability standards.
The signing of the MoU represents the culmination of discussions held between the two ministries following the visit of the Rwandan Minister to Egypt in late June, during which the two sides addressed avenues for enhancing cooperation in ICT fields.
Hendy also met with Minister of Digital Transformation and Communications in Sudan Ahmed Ghandour to explore new avenues of cooperation and the exchange of expertise between the two countries in the fields of digital transformation, AI, digital capacity building, and infrastructure development. The meeting addressed cooperation in the training of Sudanese personnel and the development of digital capabilities across technical specializations, including AI, cybersecurity, and personal data protection.
In addition, the ICT Minister held a meeting with United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Envoy for Digital and Emerging Technologies Amandeep Singh Gill. They discussed means of strengthening cooperation between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the United Nations in the field of AI governance.
The meeting addressed ongoing international developments in the transition from establishing principles to implementation, as well as the importance of building capacity, enhancing interoperability, and developing flexible governance frameworks capable of adapting to the rapid pace of technological advancement—all with a view to enabling developing countries to participate effectively in shaping the global AI governance framework.
The discussion also reviewed Egypt's role in supporting regional and international efforts in the field of AI, its experience in AI governance, the progress achieved in implementing the National AI Strategy and capacity-building programs, as well as ongoing efforts related to assessing the impact of AI applications, regulatory sandboxes, and technical reviews of AI systems conducted through the Egyptian Center for Responsible AI (ECRAI).
In a separate meeting, Hendy met with President and Chief Executive Officer of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) Kurtis Lindqvist. The two sides discussed enhancing cooperation on priority issues, including preparations for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 and means of supporting universal acceptance of domain names to enable the use of various languages and writing systems on the internet. The meeting also addressed Egypt's leading role in supporting the Internet Governance Forum at both the international and regional levels.
The ICT Minister further held a meeting with Executive Director of Public Policy for the Middle East, Eurasia, and Africa at TikTok Emir Gelen. The meeting covered potential cooperation between the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and TikTok in child online protection, as well as strengthening cooperation in capacity-building programs and enriching cultural and scientific content in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) on the platform.
The meetings were attended by Executive President of NTRA Mohamed Shamroukh, Assistant ICT Minister for Digital Transformation Mahmoud Badawi, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Technology Talent Development Hoda Baraka, Advisor to the ICT Minister for Economic and Statistical Affairs and Executive Director of the International Policy Department at NTRA Ahmed Said, and Head of the Central Department of International Relations at MCIT Samah Aziz.
