Cairo: Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced Egypt's intention to enhance its collaboration with Cisco Systems, focusing on information and communications technology (ICT), artificial intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, innovation, and skills development. This announcement came during a meeting with Cisco Chairman and CEO Chuck Robbins, attended by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindi and ITIDA CEO Ahmed El-Zaher.

According to State Information Service Egypt, the discussions aimed at expanding technological cooperation and increasing Cisco's investments and activities in Egypt. Prime Minister Madbouly emphasized Cisco's role as a strategic partner and expressed the government's intent to attract further investment, leveraging Cisco's global expertise to bolster Egypt's digital transformation and technological capabilities.

The Prime Minister also highlighted the necessity of establishing clear frameworks for cooperation and encouraging Cisco to expand its operations within the country. He urged for the expansion of Cisco's training and capacity-building programs to help Egyptian youth acquire internationally recognized technology certifications.

Chuck Robbins, Cisco's Chairman and CEO, acknowledged the significant progress in the partnership with Egypt, expressing interest in exploring new cooperation areas. He noted Cisco's substantial investments and activities in the country, pointing out education and digital skills development as key priorities. Robbins revealed that Cisco's programs have already trained approximately 670,000 students in Egypt, with plans to significantly increase this number.

Robbins also spotlighted opportunities for innovation collaboration, including the establishment of innovation centers, addressing AI-related cybersecurity risks, and developing AI-powered applications. He affirmed Egypt's pivotal role in technology and AI, reiterating Cisco's commitment to exploring future cooperation with the Egyptian government.

Minister of Communications Raafat Hindi commended Cisco as a strategic partner, contributing to national digital transformation projects and development initiatives. He emphasized the impact of Cisco's training programs and corporate social responsibility initiatives, which have benefited numerous Egyptian youths and supported development projects.

Both sides agreed to continue coordinating on new cooperation opportunities, particularly in AI, cybersecurity, innovation, skills development, and advanced technology applications, to further enhance their strategic partnership.