Geneva: Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindy held a series of bilateral meetings on the margins of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS Forum 2026) running from July 6 to 10 in Geneva under the presidency of Egypt. During his meetings with top officials from Estonia, Nigeria, the African Union (AU), and the Smart Africa alliance, the minister discussed ways to boost cooperation in Artificial Intelligence (AI), digital transformation, capacity building, and telecom infrastructure.
According to State Information Service Egypt, Hindy engaged with Estonia's Minister of Justice and Digital Affairs Liisa-Ly Pakosta to explore mechanisms for fostering cooperation on AI deployment to enhance government services and share expertise on responsible AI governance. Hindy also met with Nigerian Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy Bosun Tijani, where they deliberated on expanding cooperation for infrastructure development and activating a bilateral MoU to train digital talent in AI, data science, cybersecurity, cloud computing, software development, and digital government.
During talks with Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union Lerato Dorothy Mataboge, the minister reviewed strategies to promote cooperation in digital infrastructure, continental digital transformation, AI regulatory frameworks, and AI sandboxes. Hindy extended an invitation to Mataboge to visit Egypt in October for the third edition of the African Presidential Youth AI and Robotics Competition (AYAIR).
In a meeting with Director General and Chief Executive Officer of Smart Africa Lacina Kon©, the minister discussed ways to strengthen collaboration on digital skills development, artificial intelligence, public digital infrastructure, and digital innovation. They also deliberated on supporting startups and implementing joint capacity-building initiatives, sharing expertise in digital skills development programs, and strengthening cooperation on AI governance and its applications.
Hindy and Kon© emphasized the importance of translating this cooperation into practical projects with tangible results across the continent. The meetings were attended by senior Egyptian officials, including Executive President of the National Telecommunications Regulatory Authority of Egypt (NTRA) Mohamed Shamroukh. As the forum concludes, Hindy honored high-level session managers and is expected to deliver the presidency report outlining the summit's outcomes and key recommendations.