Egypt is accelerating its digital transformation and forming a strategy that should significantly strengthen its economic sustainability by 2030. According to Mohamed el-Lethi, an international consultant on quality and sustainable development, the contribution of artificial intelligence to the country's GDP may reach 7.7 percent by the end of the decade. This is one of the most ambitious forecasts in the region, reflecting the growing importance of technology for the economic policy of the state.
The Egyptian government estimates that the AI market in 2025 will amount to $490 million, 70 million more than two years ago. The increase is taking place against the background of large-scale public investments: the authorities will allocate more than 13 billion Egyptian pounds to strengthen digital infrastructure and develop technological services. At the same time, a talent pool is being formed in the country: by 2030, it is planned to train over 30,000 AI specialists, and the number of companies in the industry should grow from 150 to 250.
Experts emphasize three key areas, the development of which determines the success of a digital strategy. The first is cybersecurity. The Egyptian market has already exceeded $220 million, and AI-based systems are capable of detecting up to 98 percent of threats, which reduces the cost of dealing with cyberattacks by about a third. The second is the green economy. The country is increasing the share of renewable energy, which already provides 20 percent of its needs, and the industrial sector has reduced energy consumption by 8 percent through the introduction of digital technologies. The third area is education. The authorities consider digital literacy as a tool to combat growing technological inequality. We are talking about the introduction of appropriate disciplines in schools and the creation of free retraining programs for adults.
El-Lethi notes that it is the integrated development of infrastructure, personnel and regulatory framework that will allow Egypt to strengthen its economic independence and take a leading position in the Middle East in the field of artificial intelligence. This approach makes the digital economy not only an instrument of growth, but also a factor of sustainability, which is especially important in the context of global technological changes.
