Prime Highlights
- Egypt plans to open a Cairo University branch in Eritrea, expanding its educational reach across Africa.
- A new financing institution, backed by the Central Bank, will fund scholarships for dual-degree programmes.
Key Facts
- Egypt currently has 129 universities, including public, private, national, technological, and foreign branches.
- President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has led Egypt since 2014 and has prioritised infrastructure and human capital development.
Background
Egypt is trying to be a top educational, research and innovation hub in the region. The country’s leadership announced plans to level up universities, broaden international collaborations and turn academic research into a real instrument for economic progress in late May 2026.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi met with PM Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Abdelaziz Konsowa to talk about the plan. The president emphasized the importance of modernizing higher education for the development of human resources and sustainable development. Moreover, he emphasized the importance of educating skills for the needs of labor markets in universities.
Currently, there are 129 universities in Egypt, including public, private, national, technological and foreign branches of universities. The talks were about faculty training and digital transformation, which involved establishing an executive committee for faculty training centres and administration systems.
The linking of scientific research with industries was another area of focus. The government’s target is to transform academic research into products and services that can be sold and generate innovations, and create technology parks.
The agenda also included upgrading the healthcare infrastructure at several hospitals in two of the Egyptian cities, Alexandria and Cairo, in the universities. Egypt is also to establish an extension of Cairo University in Eritrea.
The meeting discussed the strategy of exporting Egyptian education to the world by establishing partnerships with the leading international universities and joint academic programmes. A financing institution, created in collaboration with the Central Bank, will provide funding for scholarships for dual-degree programmes.
President Sisi instructed officials to drive innovation, improve international university rankings and make the fullest possible contribution to the economy from the education sector.
