Cairo ICT opens with Egypt's digital targets: 13.7 million people now use Digital Egypt
The 30th edition, themed 'AI in Action', showcased Karnak, the Arabic AI model with more than 300,000 downloads.
Cairo — Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly opened the 30th Cairo International Exhibition and Technology Conference for the Middle East and Africa, Cairo ICT 2026, at the Egypt International Exhibition Centre in New Cairo on Saturday. The event runs until 10 November under the theme "AI in Action".
The targets
Communications Minister Raafat Hendy set out the sector's goals under Egypt Vision 2030: 200,000 new professional jobs, support for 250 AI start-ups, five to seven specialised AI data centres, 30 million locally made mobile phones a year with 30% exported, and digital exports of $12 billion by 2030. The plan also aims for fibre coverage of 55% of the country, 5G in every governorate and annual sector growth of 16-19%.
Digital Egypt grows
The government's Digital Egypt platform now offers 261 services and has 13.7 million active users, up 32% from 10.4 million in 2025. Completed transactions rose from 23.8 million to 36 million, and the platform is on the final shortlist for the UN Public Service Awards.
Karnak
The ministry highlighted Karnak, a large language model built by the Applied Innovation Centre, which it says ranks first among Arabic-language models and has been downloaded more than 300,000 times. Three new apps built on it were launched: Karnak Legal, for simple legal guidance; Seya, a study assistant for secondary-school pupils; and Senna, which helps detect tooth decay in children under six.
Source: Daily News Egypt, 7 November 2026.
