(Ecofin Agency) - Egypt signs a deal with South Korean tech company Samsung to build an educational tablet plant in Beni Suef, over 100km south of Cairo. The agreement will see Samsung invest $30 million in the facility.

Construction work is expected to last until March 2022 and tablet production will commence right after. According to the Egyptian ICT department, 1,000 local engineers will be trained in the use of the latest technologies.

This project aligns with the government’s ambition to introduce information and communication technologies in schools. Samsung's investment in Egypt is part of the presidential initiative Egypt Makes Electronics (EME), which is an essential component of Egypt's digital transformation strategy.

Since 2015, Egypt has been making moves to partner with the world's largest companies to build and operate technology plants, and train the local workforce. The country wants to start manufacturing electronic devices locally.

The Samsung plant will help increase Egyptian exports, reduce imports of electronic devices, and create hundreds of thousands of jobs for highly experienced engineers, technicians, and skilled workers.

Muriel Edjo