The duo share national ambitious plans for AI and intend to progress faster by leveraging and aligning their joint efforts
The recently agreed partnership between Egypt and Rwanda was formalised through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed at the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum. The alliance is intended to advance Africa’s digital sovereignty and accelerating both nations’ domestic AI strategies.
Rwanda is leveraging the pact to support its new National Artificial Intelligence Agency, approved in June, and its Digital Public Infrastructure strategy, designed to turn the country into a regional technology hub.
For its part, Egypt will export the expertise of its own National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, which aims to embed AI into public management and building specialist human capital.
The four core areas for the collaboration are healthcare, agriculture, governmental/public services and local language technologies. Pilots will be run in each of them, with the emphasis on practicality.
The two countries are advocating for a unified, responsible and inclusive approach to AI policy across Africa – Egypt participates in the African Union AI Working Group and the Smart Africa AI Council. Rwanda and Egypt will align their approaches.
The framework outlined in the MoU will establish a formal networks between government entities, universities, research centres and innovation hubs in the countries’ capitals, Cairo and Kigali.
The partnership mandates joint programmes to expand digital skills, foster local talent and speed the adoption of emerging technologies.
