Egypt renews bid for ITU Council seat
Minister Raafat Hendy seeks African representation at the Doha plenipotentiary conference.
Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hendy announced in Doha that Egypt is renewing its candidacy for a seat on the International Telecommunication Union’s Council representing Africa. Hendy addressed the Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-26) and asked member states to support Egypt’s bid for the council seat.
Hendy stated that Egypt believes affordable, high-quality, and secure communications are fundamental for development, aligning with the ITU’s goals of digital inclusion and sustainable digital transformation. He highlighted Egypt's expansion of fibre-optic networks, 5G rollout, and efforts to connect rural areas, alongside implementing an IPv6 strategy and a 2026-2030 spectrum strategy.
On the sidelines, Hendy met with Saudi Arabia’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha to discuss closer cooperation, particularly in AI, building on a 2019 memorandum of understanding. They reviewed areas including AI, digital transformation, and business partnerships, agreeing to coordinate more closely in international telecoms forums.
Why it mattersEgypt is seeking to influence international telecommunications policy by renewing its bid for a seat on the ITU Council.