Cairo

His Excellency Atef Helmy, former Minister of Communications and Information Technology of the Arab Republic of Egypt, and President of the General Assembly of the Arab Union for Digital Economy, participated in an opening speech at the Seamless North Africa 2023 Conference held in Cairo, under the auspices of the Egyptian Council of Ministers, the Central Bank and the Arab Union for Digital Economy. His Excellency stressed in his speech that integration Between technology and the world of business and finance, “the so-called digital economy” has become one of the most important catalysts for economic growth in the world, and by comparing the Arab digital economy with global rates, we find that its contribution to the Arab GDP ranges at an average of 8% compared to more than 40% in countries such as the United States China and Europe, and despite the great disparity, this scene invites us to be optimistic about the enormous opportunities available for the development of our economic, national and regional resources.

His Excellency Atef Helmy indicated that the Arab vision document that was prepared by the Arab Union for the Digital Economy and approved at the Arab Summit in Algeria 2022 emphasized some pillars that must be set in priorities and addressed by policies in Arab countries. The first pillar includes the need for a digital infrastructure. It meets the requirements of population growth and bridging the digital divide, especially related to access to Internet services. While we find that experiments using the sixth generation of the Internet are now being conducted in some Arab countries, on the other hand, many countries in the region still have their infrastructure ranging below the third generation, and at rates that are not stable, with Internet services. and communications. The second pillar is related to digital skills training and education reforms. The digital economy promises to create millions of jobs, enable government institutions to become more efficient, and stimulate the growth of the private sector. The expansion of digital education will also have an important role in covering this axis. The third pillar is the need for legislation, executive regulations, and government agencies to keep pace with the rapid progress in digital technology, in order to acknowledge the changes and new reality imposed by these technologies, encourage innovation, and enhance the rotation of the investment wheel. The fourth pillar is combating cybercrime and data breaches, which confirms the need for strong cybersecurity frameworks and flexible data protection regulations. It also necessitates regional, Arab and international cooperation for this type of cross-border threat.

Through these pillars and by addressing them with national policies, investments and appropriate cooperation, through which we can activate the digital economy in Egypt and the Arab world, and harness the real potential of this digital revolution in creating and achieving economic growth and improving public services. There is no doubt that Egypt has made great progress in these areas.

His Excellency stressed that the Arab Union for the Digital Economy is working to adopt a set of important initiatives, such as the “Arab Food Market Initiative” to support food export and import between Arab countries, and the “Digital Education Platform” to accommodate Arab universities, institutes and training centers, and to support Arab training and educational content, as well as The “Qualifying One Million Arab Entrepreneurs” initiative, which seeks to support Arab youth.

He added that we are currently studying with some specialized Arab organizations to find financing and investment mechanisms based on reliability and modern technologies to enable and accelerate the launch of digital projects in the Arab region.

He stressed that despite the enormous challenges, the Egyptian economy and the Arab economies enjoy promising prospects in the field of digital transformation, which would raise social and economic results, enhance institutional flexibility, and stimulate the private sector and the competitiveness of our countries on the global map.

On behalf of the Arab Federation for Digital Economy, His Excellency also extended thanks and appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates, and Lieutenant General His Highness Sheikh Saif bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior and Honorary President of the Union, for their support of the Arab Vision for Digital Economy initiative, and the interest Their Highness made the projects that serve the Arab region and the agendas of Arab cooperation succeed.