For youth (Gen Z, born from 1997 to 2012), working for others is not appealing. “It is abundantly clear … Gen Z is driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, with 50% [of survey respondents] expressing their desire to become entrepreneurs or start their own businesses,” a 2023 report from Samsung and Morning Consult noted. “This unwavering focus on entrepreneurship underscores Gen Z’s innovative mindset, their drive for autonomy and their eagerness to forge unique paths in the ever-evolving landscape of the future of work.”
In Egypt, Gen Z accounted for 28.5% of the population in 2023, according to data aggregator Statistica. Giving those youths the correct skills to help them open and successfully manage their own businesses means lower unemployment, more innovation and potentially broader wealth distribution.
A lot depends on having an advanced higher education system. “University is the right place for knowledge-based innovation; universities … are the most important source for the production and dissemination of new knowledge,” said a paper from the Information and Decision Support Center (IDSC).
To build such a thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem, the government launched the National Strategy for Higher Education 2030 in March 2023. The IDSC said the strategy “is reaffirming [the government’s] commitment to higher education and scientific research, recognizing their pivotal role in driving sustainable development and building a modern Egypt.”
Increasing quantity
Since the current administration took office in 2014, it has invested in expanding university education. The headline stat is the number of “state-owned, nonprofit, private, specialized and franchise higher education facilities [rose] from 48 in 2014 to 108 in 2024,” according to IDSC.
A breakdown shows very little expansion of traditional state universities, adding only four new ones from 2014 to 2024 to bring the total to 27. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Higher Education introduced a single tech-specialized academy, which it supervises directly.
On the other hand, the number of private sector multi-specialization universities jumped 40% over the past decade. That time frame also saw 30 new nonprofit universities, 10 technology-specialized ones, and eight established with international partners.
The government and private sector also created new types of higher education establishments during those 10 years. The first is “advanced sciences” nonprofit universities —16 were established. The other is independent education centers to further bridge the gap between academia and the workplace supervised by the Ministry of Higher Education — 11 were built in the past 10 years — and 10 “advanced technology” universities.
Those new facilities are built digital-first. According to the IDSC, they have “smart university premises, digital examinations, digital platforms to access university services, digital infrastructure to cope, education process management applications and advanced … curricula,” the IDSC noted.
Better quality
Improving the quality of university education is the other dimension of the government’s higher education strategy. In August, Ayman Ashour, minister of higher education and scientific research, told the media he aims to improve the quality of education to “meet current challenges and align with Egypt Vision 2030.”
His priority is to narrow the skills and knowledge gap between academia and the workplace. Since 2014, 37 university-affiliated centers — costing $63 million — have been established to give graduates more real-world skills before entering the workplace.
The plan is to add nine university centers by the end of 2026 and launch seven digital platforms to help students manage their careers by recommending job openings and training courses. Currently, one platform offers career advice and training under the “Be Ready” initiative launched in April 2023. According to the IDSC, of the 2,000 students enrolled in the initiative through August, 1,918 reported they found jobs
The government also is upskilling students, staff and faculty in Egypt’s universities. In the first half of 2024, it trained 300 faculty members on maximizing technology benefits during teaching, offered 1,000 university researchers free cloud access, and trained 1,000 workers in higher education establishments on cybersecurity.
Also during the first half of 2024, the government signed four cooperation protocols with international tech companies to encourage innovation in education.
International recognition
Those efforts elevated several local state and private universities to rank among the best higher education establishments in the world from various international ranking firms for 2024 and 2025.
In June, Cairo University entered the US News 2024-2025 Best Global Universities ranking for the first time. It was also the first Egypt-based university to do so. Overall, it ranked 271 out of 300, with seven of its faculties classified in their respective top 100 list.
In July, CWTS Leiden Ranking 2024 included 15 local state universities among the top 1,500 universities in the world. That is a significant increase compared to 2020 when only seven were classified. Also that month, QS World University Rankings chose 15 local private and public universities to rank among their top 1,500 universities.
In August, Shanghai Ranking classified eight state institutions, including Cairo, Ain Shams, Alexandria and Mansoura universities, in its top 1,000.
In October, the Times Higher Education’s World University 2025 ranked seven Egyptian private and public universities in the top 1,000 from 115 nations. Another 29 were classified among the 2,092 assessed establishments.
That is notable progress from last year when 28 ranked on that list versus this year’s 35. In 2016, only three Egyptian universities were in the overall classification.
Strategy 2030
Going forward, the National Strategy for Higher Education and Scientific Research 2030 will guide the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research’s efforts to improve higher education. According to the IDSC, the strategy’s mandate is to “cater to all of Egypt’s provinces” via customized academic programs, enhance the quality of university educators nationwide, and publish a “unified higher education” law and regulations.
The strategy comprises seven pillars to achieve its mandate. The first is signing cooperation and alliance agreements with established foreign universities to bring customized versions of their curricula to Egypt. The second is expanding interdisciplinary specializations to “solve society’s most complex problem,” said an explainer from the IDSC.
The strategy also plans to develop shared programs with universities across the region and other relevant establishments like UNESCO, the UN body that helps nations improve their education systems.
The 2030 strategy’s fourth pillar is increasing cooperation between universities and Egypt-based corporations to bridge the skills gap. Another is expanding the “sustainability” of university operations and ensuring academia and research are relevant to hot topics in the non-academic world, such as climate change.
Another pillar is including foreign cultures and knowledge in locally developed curriculums, thus helping graduates better integrate and work with foreign partners. Lastly, the strategy will encourage innovation and entrepreneurship by “linking education with investment and scientific research.”
Success cornerstone
Implementing the government’s 2030 higher-education strategy in today’s tech-dominated world requires a prudent approach starting from pre-university years. IPSOS, a think tank, published a report in August stressing governments need regulation to prevent too much dependence on technology and artificial intelligence (AI).
Its survey results show 25% of respondents from 30 nations believed too much technology would be detrimental to the quality of education. The IPSOS survey also revealed “36% … say they must ban generative AI from schools, [while almost all] surveyed nations prevent kids under 14 from accessing social media.”
The other cornerstone to achieving the government’s strategy goals is upfront investments to accommodate the latest technologies and academic requirements. IDSC stressed, “Those investments will pay dividends for individual universities and the macroeconomy.”
This story first appeared in February’s print edition of Business Monthly.
