Launch of the AI Everything Middle East & Africa Summit and Exhibition

Engineer Raafat Hindi, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology, affirmed that Egypt’s hosting of the first regional edition of the “AI Everything” summit reflects the country’s commitment to becoming a regional platform for innovation, investment, and talent development driving AI-powered transformation.

Efforts

He highlighted the Ministry’s efforts to develop a range of national applications based on artificial intelligence technologies across several sectors, including early disease detection, education, machine translation, government services support, and speech-to-text conversion.

These remarks were delivered in a speech by Eng. Raafat Hindi, presented on his behalf by Eng. Ahmed Elzaher, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), during the opening of the AI Everything Middle East & Africa Summit and Exhibition, hosted by Egypt under the patronage of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt. The event is organized by GITEX Global Network in strategic partnership with ITIDA.

The AI Everything Middle East & Africa Summit and Exhibition is being held on February 11–12 at the Egypt International Exhibition Center, with the participation of leading decision-makers, global technology company leaders, more than 100 investors, experts, specialists, and entrepreneurs from over 30 countries.

A Strategic Platform

The summit represents a strategic platform for knowledge exchange, exploring investment opportunities, and strengthening international partnerships in advanced technology. It is considered one of the most prominent global tech events in the Middle East and Africa and the first fully AI-dedicated global event held this year.

A National Capability

Hindi explained that within the framework of Digital Egypt, artificial intelligence is not treated as an isolated technology but as a national capability aimed at achieving real impact, driven by public interest, responsive to societal needs, and aligned with development priorities. He added that this approach is delivered through an integrated, multi-axis framework that moves AI from infrastructure to meaning and ultimately to real value in people’s lives.

He noted that the first pillar, “Intelligence,” focuses on building national AI capabilities through developing models that understand the Arabic language, national institutional structures, and the Egyptian cultural context. He announced the launch of a national large language model as part of the public digital infrastructure, the “Karnak” model, ranked as the top Arabic language model in the 30–40 and 70–80 billion parameter categories. The model is intended to provide a foundation enabling startups and the private sector to build AI applications tailored to Egyptian society’s needs.

Serving Community Needs

He added that the second pillar, “Meaning,” focuses on deploying AI applications driven by community needs rather than technology alone. He announced the launch of the first versions of two national flagship applications based on the Karnak model:

“SIA”, a smart personal tutor supporting students and teachers in Arabic language and Egyptian history at the secondary level.

A smart legal and regulatory guidance assistant to help citizens and small businesses understand regulatory frameworks.

Governance

The third pillar focuses on governance in public services through integrating AI technologies into the Digital Egypt services platform. This includes the AcQua application, which uses natural language processing to review all Digital Egypt contact center calls and detect inaccurate information or unprofessional practices, as well as the launch of REACT, a language-model-based smart assistant supporting customer service employees.

Healthcare Services

The fourth pillar, “Accessibility,” focuses on expanding access to healthcare services through AI engines developed by Egyptian engineers for early detection of diabetic retinopathy, macular edema, and breast cancer, trained on local data.

He noted cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to share these solutions and transfer expertise to Arab and African countries through the AI-Share initiative.

Practical Power

The fifth pillar, “Capabilities,” aims to make AI a practical force for both citizens and the state. Hindi announced the launch of the “Tarjuman” machine translation application and the “Bel-Masry” system, which understands Egyptian colloquial Arabic and performs multiple tasks including speech-to-text, translation, and text-to-speech, enhancing access to information and improving government efficiency and transparency.

Human Skills

The sixth pillar, “Skills,” focuses on investing in human capacity building across all levels, from basic digital skills to advanced AI engineering and specialized sector expertise. He announced the launch of the “Lughat” language-learning application based on language models to support English learning, empower the Egyptian workforce, and open new employment pathways in the private sector and the growing outsourcing industry.

National AI Strategy

Hindi stressed that this approach transforms AI into real value within Digital Egypt. He noted that the National AI Strategy is the result of years of collaboration between the public and private sectors and has helped Egypt advance 60 places in the global AI readiness index. He also pointed to Egypt’s role in shaping Arab and African AI strategies, noting that hosting the first regional AI summit in Cairo reflects Egypt’s regional leadership.

Reshaping the Global Economy

He stated that AI represents a historic technological shift comparable to past breakthroughs that reshaped nations and the global economy, but with unprecedented speed and scale. He referred to the global debate on how to deploy AI in ways that ensure prosperity without undermining human creativity, within governance frameworks that guarantee fairness and active state participation.

He emphasized that the summit confirms that the Middle East and Africa will not merely observe AI development but will actively participate in shaping and leading it.

Digital Egypt Vision

Hindi noted that since its launch in 2019, the National AI Strategy has positioned AI as a cornerstone of building Digital Egypt. With the launch of the second phase (2025–2030), AI is being embedded across key sectors including healthcare, agriculture, education, justice, and government services, within an ethical and responsible governance framework.

He concluded by stressing that AI will impact all aspects of life, presenting both challenges and transformations, and called for leveraging AI to achieve sustainable growth and prosperity for humanity.

Industrial Transformation

Trixie LohMirmand, CEO of inD (the global organizer of GITEX), said: “Artificial intelligence represents the fastest industrial transformation of our time, and speed has become the new currency of power. Those who move first and can mobilize at scale will shape the next phase. Egypt is strongly present in this landscape. This is not just the opening of an AI exhibition, but the beginning of a new era for Egypt and the entire region, where ambition, capability, and momentum converge to reshape the future.”

A Gathering for Startups

The exhibition features more than 350 specialized and startup AI companies from around the world and represents one of the largest gatherings of startups and investors aimed at strengthening global technology partnerships, attracting investments, and highlighting Cairo’s role as a major AI innovation hub in the Middle East and Africa.

Participating companies are showcasing advanced AI applications and solutions in government services, healthcare, fintech, cybersecurity, smart cities, digital infrastructure, and Arabic-language AI models tailored to Middle East and Africa markets.

GITEX Series

The AI Everything Middle East & Africa Summit and Exhibition is an extension of the global GITEX event series held in multiple countries to support digital transformation and innovation.

Egypt’s hosting of the event supports the implementation of the National AI Strategy 2025–2030 and reinforces Egypt’s position as a regional hub for innovation and advanced technologies, aligned with the national vision of leveraging AI as a key driver of economic development, industrial competitiveness, foreign investment attraction, and a knowledge-based economy.

A Diverse AI Ecosystem

The summit agenda reflects the maturity and diversity of Egypt’s AI ecosystem, featuring activities designed to support local capabilities, highlight innovation, and accelerate company growth. This includes the AI MEA Supernova startup competition and showcases of Egyptian AI companies at various growth stages.

Training Programs

The event also includes advanced hands-on training programs through the AI Academy, offering AWS-certified training in agentic AI, large language models, and data protection, as well as an AI hackathon sponsored by Capgemini demonstrating real economic impact in sectors such as tourism.

These activities are complemented by networking sessions and workshops on expansion strategies, alternative financing models, and investment opportunities in Africa’s AI ecosystem.

The opening ceremony was attended by Ahmed Salem Abdeh, Minister of Digital Transformation and Administrative Modernization of Mauritania, along with leaders from Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, ambassadors, government and private sector officials, and experts from more than 30 countries.

Source: Press Release