Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi continued a series of bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2026, chaired by Egypt in Geneva, where he discussed expanding cooperation with Kenya and the World Bank Group in digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and digital capacity building.
He also witnessed the signing of a letter of intent between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the United Nations Development Program to support responsible AI governance in Egypt. As part of the meetings, Hindi held talks with Kenya's Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, William Kabogo Gitau, to discuss mechanisms to strengthen bilateral cooperation in ICT and to follow up on the implementation of the memorandum of understanding signed between the two countries.
The discussions focused on transferring Egypt's experience in digital capacity building and skills development in software engineering and telecommunications equipment, as well as cooperation in developing digital infrastructure, particularly fiber-optic networks, submarine cables, and cross-border connectivity.
The two sides also discussed promoting digital literacy, enhancing the skills of young people and residents of remote areas, and providing training in emerging AI technologies. Hindi also witnessed the signing of a letter of intent between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the UNDP to strengthen national capacities in responsible AI governance.
The cooperation will include exploring and designing an AI Sandbox in Egypt, providing a supervised regulatory framework for testing and evaluating artificial intelligence systems before their large-scale deployment. The initiative aims to ensure compliance with responsible AI principles, regulatory requirements, and public-interest objectives, while supporting the institutional capacities needed to design and operate auditing and evaluation mechanisms.
The letter of intent was signed by Adviser to the Minister for Technological Skills Development Hoda Baraka and UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt Chitose Noguchi in the presence of UNDP Chief Digital Officer Robert Opp and UNDP Assistant Resident Representative in Egypt Abeer Shakweer.
On the sidelines of the signing ceremony, the two sides discussed opportunities for cooperation to enhance Egypt's competitiveness in the outsourcing industry, participate in international public digital infrastructure initiatives, and explore collaboration in quantum computing, emerging technologies, and related capacity-building efforts.
Hindi said the cooperation is aligned with the priorities of Egypt's National Council for Artificial Intelligence, Quantum Computing and Emerging Technologies, reflecting a transition from discussing responsible AI to implementing it in practice. He stressed the importance of developing national expertise in designing, operating, and institutionalizing regulatory sandbox frameworks.
For her part, Noguchi said artificial intelligence has enormous potential to support sustainable development, but its effective use requires responsible and inclusive regulatory frameworks. She added that cooperation with Egypt's communications ministry would help strengthen institutional capacities and governance tools to ensure that Egypt's digital transformation is secure, equitable and focused on human development.
In a separate meeting, Hindi met with Vice President for Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence at the World Bank, Sangbu Kim, to discuss expanding cooperation in digital transformation, supporting the integration of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises into the digital economy, promoting innovation in government technology, responsible AI and developing digital skills linked to employment opportunities.