These engagements mark a significant step in Egypt’s efforts to position itself as a regional leader in digital services, deepen international cooperation, and create new job opportunities for its youth in the global tech economy.

Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Amr Talaat, met with top Italian industry leaders and business representatives in Rome to deepen cooperation in the ICT sector and promote Egypt as a global offshoring hub, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced June 19. The meetings were part of a broader push to attract foreign investment and expand bilateral partnerships in digital transformation and innovation.

Dr. Talaat met with Enrico Bagnasco, CEO of Sparkle and President of Confindustria Assafrica & Mediterraneo, alongside Egypt’s Ambassador to Italy, Bassam Rady. Discussions focused on fostering partnerships between Egyptian and Italian ICT companies, with a spotlight on expanding cooperation in digital capacity building through linkages between Sparkle Academies and Egypt’s WE Applied Technology Schools.

The Minister also reviewed the achievements of the ongoing partnership between Telecom Egypt and Sparkle, particularly in enhancing international digital infrastructure. He outlined Egypt’s Digital Egypt Strategy for the Offshoring Industry, emphasizing the country’s strategic advantages, including a skilled multilingual workforce, advanced infrastructure, and competitive incentive packages for investors.

In a separate meeting, Dr. Talaat met with Alfonso Siano, Head of International Relations at Intesa Sanpaolo, Italy’s leading banking group. Discussions centered on expanding the bank’s operations in Egypt and exploring collaborations in FinTech innovation. The Minister highlighted Egypt’s fast-growing offshoring sector, particularly in banking and financial services, and its ability to support global operations with digitally skilled youth and cutting-edge digital infrastructure.

Further discussions were held with Gianfranco Previtera, President of AlmavivA, one of Italy’s largest tech companies, and Amr Sayed, Business Development Manager for MENA. AlmavivA shared plans to scale its Egypt office and grow its workforce to meet rising demand for offshoring services, leveraging Egypt’s talent pool and cost-effective business environment.

This push to deepen Egypt–Italy digital cooperation directly supports Egypt’s broader ambitions to become a global hub for IT offshoring, digital services, and innovation-driven investment. Egypt’s Digital Egypt Strategy for the Offshoring Industry, launched by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), aims to attract $9 billion in digital exports annually by 2026.

Hikmatu Bilali