The Ministry of Communication and Information and Technology and the Egyptian Space Agency have signed a cooperation protocol to equip a computer centre and integrated information system for the Egyptian Space Agency. The protocol's signing was witnessed, via videoconferencing, by Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Minister of Communication and Information Technology Amr Talaat. The protocol, which will last over three years, will see the preparation of infrastructure and a data centre to connect the centre up with all buildings under the space agency. It will also provide computing equipment, software, information network and security devices, servers and storage units for the agency. An agency online portal will also be made available and put into operation, to provide electronic services and external link lines to the agency. There will be cooperation agreements for training between the agency and institutions affiliated to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology. Abdel Ghaffar said the Egyptian Space Agency's establishment in 2019 was the culmination of significant efforts and the fruition of a dream that has been in place for 40 years. He indicated that Egypt has now become part of the global space system. The minister pointed out that the establishment of Egypt's first satellite centre is a qualitative leap in this field, and stressed that Egypt has become the permanent headquarters of the African Space Agency. This has increased the pressures and tasks placed on Egypt, and emphasises the country's aspiration for developing integrated centres and information systems. For his part, Talaat said the protocol is an important step in the cooperation between the ministries of Communications and Information Technology, and Higher Education and Scientific Research. He emphasised the synergy of all state sectors to create a knowledge-based society based on scientific research. The minister noted that the cooperation protocol aims to support the Egyptian Space Agency's information systems infrastructure. This comes as part of the state's interest in both developing Egypt's space industry and achieving regional leadership in this field.
