Ahmed Elzaher, chief executive of Egypt’s Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), outlined the agency’s approach to artificial-intelligence startups at the opening of Techne Summit Alexandria on 3 October 2026. Speaking on behalf of the communications and information technology minister, he said the objective is to turn AI capabilities into products and services that solve real problems and can scale. ITIDA cited 19.2% growth in Egypt’s information and communications technology sector. Elzaher said wider access to AI models makes customer understanding, specialised data, industry expertise and strong relationships more important to a company’s competitive edge.

Elzaher identified four priorities for helping startups progress: skills, resources, real-world application and scale. These include building AI capabilities, improving access to cloud and computing resources, and giving startups opportunities to test products with actual customers. ITIDA pointed to programmes and partnerships such as StartIT and AWS, incubation and acceleration through Creativa Innovation Hubs, partnerships with Plug and Play and 500 Global, and the Venture Ready programme with GIZ. The release presents these as parts of the agency’s support landscape; it does not say every showcased company received each service.

The agency also said it was preparing an AI competition with an unnamed government ministry, where startups and teams would be invited to address practical challenges. Elzaher said adopting technology alone is not enough: companies also need viable business models, investment readiness, market access and an ability to grow. ITIDA linked its approach to Egypt’s National AI Strategy 2025–2030. Elzaher encouraged entrepreneurs to use EgyptInnovate, the national innovation and entrepreneurship platform, to share needs, experiences and ideas for improving programmes. The agency said such feedback can help keep support responsive to market conditions.

As strategic partner of Techne Summit Alexandria 2026, ITIDA hosted a dedicated pavilion for ten Egyptian technology startups benefiting from its programmes: KoCyber, STEMulator, Fabritec, Aman 7, Dackatra, Just2Pay, Polaris GRC, Dragons, Syncode X and EVRAID. The agency said their fields include cybersecurity, education technology, software as a service, property technology, health technology, financial technology, AI, business automation, deep technology and electric mobility. The pavilion was designed to connect these firms with investors, businesses and potential partners. ITIDA said the exposure could open routes to customers, partnerships and markets; its release announced no specific investment or commercial contract.