Minister of Higher Education: Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Support the Transformation of Egyptian Universities into Smart Institutions

Cairo - Ahmed Sabry: Dr. Abdulaziz Qansouwa, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research and Acting Minister of Culture, received Benjamin Ho, CEO of Huawei Egypt, and the accompanying delegation, at the Ministry’s headquarters in the New Capital, to discuss ways to enhance joint cooperation in the fields of digital transformation, artificial intelligence, smart universities, technological capacity building, and preparing students for the labor market.

At the outset of the meeting, Qansouwa emphasized the Ministry’s commitment to continuing efforts toward digital transformation within the higher education system, noting that transitioning to smart universities tops the Ministry’s priorities, given the rapid global developments in artificial intelligence and digital technology, which impose new requirements on higher education institutions and their outputs.

The Minister praised the historical relations and civilizational ties between Egypt and China, underscoring the importance of fruitful cooperation between the two countries across various fields, particularly in education, scientific research, and innovation. He highlighted Egypt’s keenness to leverage Chinese expertise to support technological education pathways and applied universities, thereby contributing to the preparation of graduates equipped with the skills and knowledge aligned with future needs.

During the meeting, Dr. Qansouwa stressed the importance of leveraging artificial intelligence applications to support the transformation of Egyptian universities into smart universities, and to harness AI’s potential in developing the educational process, enhancing university services, and strengthening ties between the academic community and industry. He emphasized the need to bridge the gap between educational outputs and labor market requirements, as well as to support applied scientific research.

He pointed to the positive cooperation between the Ministry of Higher Education and Huawei in several past projects and initiatives, affirming the Ministry’s aspiration to expand this cooperation in the coming phase, particularly in the fields of artificial intelligence, cloud computing, and capacity building. He noted the Ministry’s welcome of collaboration with Huawei in transitioning to fourth-generation smart universities, by employing AI in university management and operations, developing smart classrooms and operations centers, enhancing cybersecurity, and supporting energy efficiency and the shift toward more sustainable universities. He stressed the significance of this project for the Egyptian higher education system, as well as cooperation in supporting innovation and applied scientific research, and financing outstanding research and technological projects for students and young researchers.

The two sides discussed the possibility of leveraging artificial intelligence to support the university hospitals system, and utilizing technological applications in the field of healthcare.

Attending the meeting were Dr. Sherif Keshk, Assistant Minister for Smart Governance, and Dr. Ghada Abdel Bari, Secretary of the Council for Foreign University Branches Affairs and Head of the Cultural Affairs and Scholarships Sector.