Egypt’s AI Export Race Has Three Different Finish Lines

In just six months, three Egyptian government bodies announced three different figures for the future of the country’s technology exports. The first came from the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in February: $12 billion by 2029, with 630,000 new jobs created. Then, at a meeting with the Digital Transformation Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, Communications Minister Raafat Hendy offered a different figure: $8 billion by 2028. Just days ago, applications closed for a tender launched by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme in Egypt. It seeks to draft a new strategy with a target larger than either of the others: $16 billion by 2030, at a compound annual growth rate of nearly 30%.

Three figures, from three bodies, for one industry. The difference is not a minor detail. More than $8 billion separates the lowest estimate from the highest, enough to change the scale of everything from training budgets to the actual number of jobs created.

What no one disputes is the direction of the industry itself. In 2022, Egypt had about 90 outsourcing companies, which run foreign companies’ operations from Egypt, and roughly 100 delivery centres. By the end of 2025, that had risen to more than 240 companies and 270 centres. The stated target for this fiscal year alone is $6 billion, close to two thirds of Egypt’s overall digital export target. In other words, under all three projections the industry is not starting from zero. It is building on a growth path that has continued for at least four years.

For readers working in the field or considering it, the details matter more than the headline figures. The latest strategy, led by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency, is not about traditional call centres or technical support. It focuses on artificial intelligence, data analytics, engineering research and development, and chip design. These activities command greater value and higher pay than the traditional outsourcing on which Egypt built its reputation over the past decade. If any of the three targets is met, the jobs created are therefore more likely to be for data engineers, model developers and analytics specialists than telephone support staff.

This places Egypt in a broader regional race. Morocco is targeting $4 billion in digital exports and 270,000 jobs by 2030. Jordan plans to double its technology workforce from about 25,000 employees by 2033. Under any of its three figures, Egypt’s ambition exceeds those of both countries combined. That partly explains why more than one government body is competing to adopt the largest number.

But three conflicting figures from three different bodies in less than six months are more than a bureaucratic detail. They signal that the momentum is real, but coordination among the bodies responsible for it remains incomplete. The figure worth watching is not any one of the three, but which survives once the final strategy from the Information Technology Industry Development Agency is announced. It launched the latest tender with the United Nations and will probably determine the figure on which actual training and recruitment planning is based in the coming years.

For anyone already working in digital business outsourcing, or considering moving into it from Egypt or another Arab country, the practical message is clear despite the competing figures. Demand is expanding, and the value sought is shifting from basic technical support towards roles in AI, data analytics and advanced engineering. People with skills in these areas will find themselves in a growing market regardless of which of the three figures ultimately prevails. That is the most reliable basis for a decision today.