Dr. Amr Talaat: “Creativa” Provides an Integrated Training Ecosystem to Prepare Talents

Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Major General Tarek Marzouk, Governor of Dakahlia, visited the Digital Egypt Innovation Center “Creativa,” established by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology at Mansoura University in Dakahlia Governorate. The center aims to provide an enabling environment that supports technological innovation and entrepreneurship while building the capabilities of young people across the governorate in various technology fields.

Cutting-Edge Technologies
At the beginning of his visit, Dr. Amr Talaat toured the laboratories equipped with state-of-the-art technologies.
Dr. Talaat and Major General Tarek Marzouk also held a roundtable discussion with a group of freelancers, organized by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing the freelance sector and highlight the mechanisms provided by the ministry to facilitate freelancers’ work. The session was attended by Eng. Ahmed El Zaher, CEO of ITIDA, along with several ministry and governorate officials.

Freelancers
In his remarks, Dr. Talaat affirmed that freelancers represent one of the most vital production arms of the ICT sector due to their central role in enhancing Egypt’s presence on the regional and global stage, expanding job opportunities, and contributing to bringing foreign currency into the national economy. He added that freelancers also serve as ambassadors of Egypt through their direct work with international companies.
Dr. Talaat further explained that several global companies had indicated, during his meetings with them, that they worked with Egyptian freelancers even before deciding to invest and establish digital service centers in Egypt. He emphasized that this aligns with a global trend where major companies test talent through freelance platforms before selecting the countries in which to expand.

Promoting Freelancing Culture
Dr. Talaat stressed that the ministry aims to promote the culture of freelancing among youth, noting that Mansoura City is home to a large base of highly skilled and experienced freelancers—one of the key drivers behind organizing this meeting to hear from them and explore ways to further develop their skills and empower them to compete globally in the freelance market.
The session included an open discussion on issues relevant to the freelancing community, including access to financial services, social insurance, healthcare services, digital service pricing mechanisms, and ways to facilitate the transfer of remittances in foreign currency to ensure business continuity and competitiveness in global markets.

ITIDA Initiatives
During the meeting, ITIDA showcased its efforts and initiatives to support freelancers, which include providing an integrated suite of services and offering training and professional mentoring programs—most notably the ITIDA Gigs program designed to enhance freelancing skills.
The initiatives include practical solutions to the challenges freelancers face, such as healthcare services, work visas, and various financial and social services through partnerships with relevant service providers. They also include shared workspaces, specialized career consultations, and support for building strong professional identities and profiles.
Major General Tarek Marzouk affirmed that he would work to provide a set of facilities and services to freelancers. He emphasized the importance of strengthening communication and cooperation by receiving any documents or records that outline their digital projects and contracts with clients to help facilitate their requests, especially those related to access to credit facilities.

Studying Challenges
At the conclusion of the meeting, Dr. Talaat confirmed that the ministry would study all the challenges raised by freelancers and develop actionable mechanisms to address them, ensuring that more Egyptian youth are empowered to compete globally.
Dr. Talaat and Major General Tarek Marzouk also witnessed the signing of two memoranda of understanding between the ministry and the governorate.
The first MoU aims to establish institutional cooperation between the ministry and the governorate to create a digital work model capable of keeping pace with digital transformation and emerging technologies by supporting the establishment of digital transformation and information systems units within the governorate and its affiliated directorates, deploying systems and applications that enhance service delivery, improving resource utilization, and building digital capacity among government staff. It also aims to promote digital culture and skills among citizens through community digital initiatives implemented under the ministry’s supervision.
The MoU was signed by Eng. Ghada Labib, Deputy Minister for Institutional Development, and Dr. Ahmed Al-Adl, Deputy Governor of Dakahlia.

Supporting Digital Community Development
The second MoU aims to support digital community development and enhance the capabilities of youth, women, and persons with disabilities using ICT tools.
The memorandum includes five main pillars:
– Economic and social empowerment of women through the “Qodwa.Tech” initiative, which will train 50 women in digital marketing and guide 300 participants in e-commerce skills.
– Preparing youth for freelancing by training 1,000 young men and women in programming, artificial intelligence, and computer applications.
– Promoting e-learning culture and supporting its development by accrediting five new e-learning centers and delivering training programs to 700 beneficiaries, including faculty members, students, and teachers, through the Competitive Egypt E-Learning Center.
– Enhancing digital citizenship skills and safe internet use through awareness sessions and training for 200 students and youth, delivered by the Digital Citizenship and Online Safety Initiative.
– Supporting and empowering persons with disabilities and raising awareness of the National Network for Persons with Disabilities (Taheel) services for employment and training through awareness sessions targeting job seekers and connecting them with service providers and employers in the governorate.

Showcasing Beneficiary Success Stories
Dr. Talaat also held an extended meeting with beneficiaries of the center’s services and programs, including trainees, entrepreneurs, and freelancers.
He praised the inspiring examples of graduates of Creativa Mansoura initiatives, which reflect the vision behind establishing the Digital Egypt Innovation Centers—designed to serve all those who seek to pursue a career in ICT or develop their technical and professional skills.
Dr. Talaat emphasized that the ICT sector offers promising opportunities across academic and professional specializations due to the growing demand for trained talent in various modern technology fields. He noted that Egypt possesses a distinguished human capital and that the ministry prioritizes investing in this high-value resource to strengthen youth competitiveness. He pointed out that demand for digital skills is now global and unrestricted by geography, offering vast opportunities while simultaneously creating intense competition that requires dedication and continuous learning.

An Integrated Training Ecosystem
Dr. Talaat added that the defining characteristic of the modern labor market is the rapid evolution of technologies and required skills. He explained that “Creativa” provides an integrated training ecosystem designed to prepare talent capable of keeping pace with this ongoing evolution through progressive training programs aligned with labor market needs.
The meeting also included presentations from two startups supported by ITIDA at Creativa Mansoura:
– “Lathgha” App, a digital therapeutic solution powered by AI for treating speech disorders, stuttering, and aphasia, with total investments of EGP 6 million and sales of around USD 8,000.
– “Galsa.com” Platform, an advanced digital habilitation platform using AI-powered assessments to help parents support children with developmental and behavioral challenges, with total investments of EGP 2.4 million and sales exceeding EGP 2 million.

Innovating Digital Solutions
Graduates of the six-month and nine-month intensive training programs at the Information Technology Institute (ITI) in Creativa Mansoura, along with participants in summer training and the MaharaTech platform, shared how these programs qualified them to work in global companies and innovate AI-powered digital solutions. They also highlighted how continuous training and mentorship helped them transform ideas into technological products and enabled trainees and university students to enter the global freelance market in various tech fields.

Graduates of the National Telecommunications Institute (NTI) programs—implemented at Creativa Mansoura—including the Creativa Freelancing program and the 4-Month Initiative, discussed their practical experiences after graduation in specialized tracks such as 5G-6G, Cloud DevOps, and VoIP. They illustrated how the advanced training helped them acquire the technical skills needed to secure distinguished job opportunities in major ICT companies.

Inspiring Models
Several inspiring graduates of the Digital Egypt Generations initiatives also shared their experiences.
A fifth-grade student from the “Digital Egypt Pioneers” initiative spoke about how the program enhanced her technical skills and developed her critical and creative thinking, as well as helping her manage time and participate in the “Digitopia” competition.
A graduate of the “Digital Egypt Cubs” initiative, specializing in cybersecurity, discussed the technical and personal skills he gained during the program.
A participant from the “Digital Egypt Leaders” initiative shared how the program helped advance his career and enabled him to secure freelance opportunities inside and outside Egypt.
A graduate of the “Digital Egypt Builders” initiative also shared her experience earning a professional master’s degree in digital arts through a partnership between the ministry and an international university.

Source: Press Release