Orange to Train 200,000 Egyptians, Invest EUR 25 Million in Tech Startups.

Orange Group will provide training grants to around 200,000 Egyptians in artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity and commit EUR 25 million (EGP 1.475 billion) to support startups working in AI and advanced technologies, the Egyptian Presidency announced on Sunday after a meeting between President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Orange CEO Christel Heydemann. The meeting, attended by Minister of Communications and Information Technology Raafat Hindy and senior Orange executives, also covered proposals to equip several Egyptian universities with technology laboratories and to explore cooperation on the second phase of Egypt’s national digital health project.

"Orange’s cooperation with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and other Egyptian institutions could serve as a model for the company’s work elsewhere in the region, particularly in Africa," Heydemann said during the meeting.

Program details and government priorities

According to the statement, the training programmes will target roughly 200,000 Egyptians, focusing on AI and cybersecurity and offering participants opportunities to obtain internationally recognized professional certifications. The company will also establish technology laboratories at several Egyptian universities to provide students with hands-on experience of advanced digital technologies.

President El-Sisi urged deeper collaboration between the government and Orange to prepare young Egyptians for the labor market, highlighting training in AI, data analytics, cloud computing and cybersecurity as priority areas. The meeting also touched on the possibility of involving Orange in the second phase of Egypt’s national digital health project, leveraging the company’s capabilities in digital infrastructure, cloud computing, cybersecurity and systems integration; however, the Presidency said no agreement on that project was announced.

Investment and startup support

• EUR 25 million (EGP 1.475 billion) allocated by Orange to back startups working in AI and advanced technologies.
• Training grants for approximately 200,000 Egyptians in AI and cybersecurity, with pathways to internationally recognized certifications.
• Technology laboratories to be equipped at multiple Egyptian universities to strengthen practical training.

The discussions also reviewed Orange’s broader operations and investment footprint in Egypt, with President El-Sisi encouraging the company to expand its investments in the country. Heydemann positioned the Egyptian collaboration as a potential blueprint for similar partnerships across the region, in particular Africa.

Context and outlook

The announcement comes amid a wider national push to expand digital and AI skills. Earlier this month Egypt signed a memorandum of understanding with Intel to train one million citizens annually in AI over three years and to certify 1,500 instructors — a parallel initiative that signals growing public-private activity in skills development.

For Orange, the combined package of training, university labs and startup funding represents a multifaceted approach: workforce development to enlarge the talent pipeline, campus-based practical infrastructure, and direct capital to scale technology ventures. For Egyptian policymakers, the engagement offers immediate capacity-building benefits and the prospect of deeper systems-level collaboration on digital health and other strategic national projects, though formal agreements on those larger projects remain to be finalised.