Saudi Arabia: Amr Talaat, Egypt’s minister of communications and information technology, and Haytham Al-Ohali, Saudi deputy minister of communications and IT, discussed ways to enhance bilateral cooperation, particularly with regard to digital transformation and digital capacity building.

They discussed cooperation in launching a hackathon in Egypt in which Egyptian youth — including computer programmers, developers and content writers — would participate to enrich Arabic digital content.

Talaat referred to initiatives launched by his ministry to build digital capabilities. He said the Egypt Informatics University — established in the country’s new administrative capital — is the first in Africa and the Middle East specialized in communications, IT and related fields. He urged Saudi youth to study at the university.

Al-Ohali said the coronavirus pandemic has highlighted the vital role of information communication technology, referring to the development of digital government in Saudi Arabia.

He was in Egypt to attend the 42nd session of the executive council of the Islamic World Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, which was held in Cairo from Dec. 6-9 and hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education.