Egypt's communications and finance ministries plan to launch an artificial intelligence hackathon. Communications Minister Raafat Hindi announced the plan at Cairo ICT 2026. The event will ask startups, entrepreneurs, and innovators to solve practical challenges with AI.
Program goals
The hackathon will support startups, entrepreneurs, and other innovators. Participants will address a set of challenges using modern technology. The communications ministry will coordinate similar initiatives with other ministries.
AI strategy context
Egypt is implementing the second phase of its national AI strategy for 2025 to 2030. The strategy covers governance, data, infrastructure, applications, ecosystem, and capacity building. The National AI Council coordinates efforts between government bodies and the technology sector.
Local tools and safeguards
The Applied Innovation Center has built an Arabic language model called Karnak. Researchers and entrepreneurs can use it to create products for Arabic-speaking users. Egypt has also issued a responsible AI charter to protect privacy and clarify responsibilities.
The hackathon remains in the planning stage. The communications ministry wants more collaboration with ministries and startups. It also plans to attract investment in AI data centers.