By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
The
Government of Egypt and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have
signed a new agreement to strengthen collaboration on responsible artificial
intelligence (AI) governance, institutional capacity development and the
establishment of Egypt's future AI Sandbox.
The
agreement was signed on the sidelines of the World Summit on the Information
Society (WSIS) Forum 2026 in Geneva, against the backdrop of global discussions
on AI governance and digital cooperation.
The
partnership aims to support the development of responsible AI policies while
creating a controlled AI Sandbox environment where AI systems can be tested and
evaluated before wider deployment. The initiative is expected to help Egypt
promote innovation while ensuring AI technologies are developed and implemented
in a safe, ethical and accountable manner.
The
signing ceremony was witnessed by Egypt's Minister of Communications and
Information Technology, H.E. Eng. Raafat Hendy, and UNDP Chief Digital Officer
Robert Opp.
The
agreement was signed by UNDP Egypt Resident Representative Chitose Noguchi and
Dr. Hoda Baraka, Advisor to the Minister for Technology Talents Development and
National AI Lead at Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology (MCIT).
Also
present at the ceremony were Eng. Mohamed Shamroukh, Executive President of the
National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), UNDP Egypt Assistant Resident
Representative Abeer Shakweer, and Eng. Mahmoud Badawi, Assistant Minister for
Digital Transformation at the Ministry of Communications and Information
Technology.
The
collaboration is expected to strengthen Egypt's institutional capacity for AI
governance while supporting the country's broader digital transformation agenda
through the development of frameworks that encourage responsible innovation and
the safe deployment of emerging AI technologies.
