Cairo ICT's 30th Edition Puts AI Deployment at the Centre of Its November Programme

The Egypt International Exhibition Center will host Cairo ICT's 30th outing, which opens on November 7 and runs through November 10, 2026. The theme is "AI in Action," and the framing is deliberately practical: how organisations use artificial intelligence to improve services, raise efficiency and support innovation, rather than speculation about what the technology might eventually do.

Official delegations from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, China, Sudan, Togo and Rwanda will attend, scouting investment opportunities, comparing notes on expertise and discussing joint work on digital solutions.

The opening programme includes a ministerial summit titled "AI in Action: From Success Stories to Nationwide Impact." Raafat Hendy, Egypt's minister of communications and information technology, is expected to take part alongside several other ministers.

Osama Kamal, chairman of Trade Fairs International, the organiser, said the anniversary edition would concentrate on applications that answer real needs for businesses and communities. The theme, he said, points to solutions organisations can put to work: better services, higher productivity, new room for growth.

"Cairo ICT brings together decision-makers, technology developers, investors, and entrepreneurs to connect innovation with market needs," Kamal said.

He added that the accompanying events are meant to support partnerships, create openings for young talent and startups, and encourage applications that deliver economic and social value.

The conference agenda stretches across telecommunications, banking and financial services, healthcare, education, government services, energy, agriculture and irrigation. Media, content production and digital gaming are covered too.

Sessions will work through what adoption actually demands — infrastructure and data centres at one end, workforce skills and integration with systems already running at the other.

Three sessions are given over to AI in journalism and media, bringing Arab news organisations together with public-sector media executives to weigh the opportunities and the difficulties the industry now faces.

A roundtable on sovereign AI infrastructure takes place on November 7, organised by Cairo ICT with the Arab Information and Communication Technologies Organization and the Smart Africa alliance. It will examine cooperation between Arab and African countries on computing capacity, data centres and data governance, with an eye on infrastructure shaped around the region's own requirements.

Further closed-door sessions and roundtables cover children's online safety, the part Arab and African women play in shaping AI's future, applications in energy and mining, banking data centres, infrastructure security and smart transportation.

Those taking part include senior representatives of ministries, government agencies, the Central Bank of Egypt and regional and international organisations, alongside specialists in technology, digital policy, social development and cybersecurity, and representatives from business and academia.

Several side events run in parallel. AIDC², an exhibition and conference on AI, data centres and cloud computing, returns for a third edition. PAFIX, devoted to digital payments and financial inclusion, holds its 13th edition under the patronage of the Central Bank of Egypt. Connecta and Connecta Play cover smart devices, entertainment technology and digital gaming, with a new collaboration involving the Information Technology Institute, led by Heba Saleh.

The Innovation Arena gives startups and entrepreneurs space to demonstrate products and meet investors, potential business partners and organisations that back innovation.

Inside Connecta, the AI Innovation Factory runs from November 8 to 10 with Mercatura Forum. Its programme mixes an AI hackathon and solution development challenges with robotics activities, workshops and specialist mentoring, aimed at moving ideas toward prototypes that participants can present and refine.

Cyber Zone activities are held in cooperation with Cyshield. Dedicated areas will be set aside for business meetings and for cooperation agreements to be signed between participating government bodies, companies and institutions.

This year's edition introduces the MEA AI Awards 2026, which recognise companies and individuals contributing to the development and application of AI across the Middle East and Africa. Specialist judging panels will assess entries and pick the winners.

Cairo ICT will also launch "Khayal" through a strategic partnership with Aroma, awarding the best short film made using AI. Organisers describe it as the first Arab event of its kind.