The state is giving the green light for Egyptian universities to open up branches abroad: The Madbouly government has approved plans to establish branches of Egyptian universities abroad in a push to develop the higher education sector standing globally and promote education service exports. Cairo University has already secured approvals to open branches in Qatar’s Doha and Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh, while talks are ongoing for the university to establish a branch at the UAE’s Ajman University, a source from Cairo University told EnterpriseAM.

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Cairo University’s foray into the Gulf may only be the start: Alongside Cairo University, Alexandria University and Ain Shams University are also working to ink agreements to open up branches abroad, our source told us. The Gulf may also not be the only destination, with Higher Education Ministry Spokesman Adel Abdel Ghaffar telling Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa (watch, runtime: 2:04) in January that the overseas branches will be in countries in Africa, Asia, and the Arab world, without specifying any particular country by name.

REMEMBER- The government’s plan to open Egyptian university branches abroad in its education export push came to light at the start of the year during a meeting between President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, Higher Education Minister Ayman Ashour, Education Minister Mohamed Abdel Latif, and Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouly.

The private sector is being tapped as an important partner for the project: Despite the move involving state-run universities, the move is being done in partnership with the private sector, with no financial burden on the state, according to the statement from January’s high-level meeting that provided little to no other details on the new initiative.

Private universities want in too: Future University in Egypt (FUE) received an offer to open a postgraduate studies branch in the UAE, FUE President Ebada Sarhan told EnterpriseAM. This is not the first time Egypt has attempted to set up universities abroad, Sarhan said, adding that Cairo University previously operated a branch in Sudan’s Khartoum, while Alexandria University currently operates one in Chad.

Foreign universities are also opening up in Cairo: The government has been encouraginginternational universities to set up shop in Egypt as part of its plan to internationalize higher education, boost academic standards, attract investment, and position itself as a regional education hub. Egypt currently hosts nine international university branches, with plans for more in the coming years.

Egypt’s rise in university rankings over the last few years may have played a part in the increased interest abroad: Egyptian universities have been climbing global rankings due to efforts to enhance academic programs to match international standards, Abdel Ghaffar told EnterpriseAM. To do this, the government has been ramping up efforts to enhance its higher education system and global rankings by expanding its universities, forging global partnerships, and attracting private investment. To illustrate the importance of these rankings to the state, a target to increase the number of Egyptian universities on the QS World University Rankings from 15 to 28 was explicitly mentioned as part of the plan for President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s third term by the Cabinet Information and Decision Support Center.

This is particularly important for establishing Egyptian universities’ standing in the region: Cairo University jumped to eighth place in the latest Times Higher Education Arab university rankings, up from 28th place last year, marking the first time an Egyptian university made it to the regional top ten list.

Opening up branches abroad will only be good news for Egyptian universities standing in the region and further afield: President of Badr University in Assiut Mostafa Kamal told EnterpriseAM that the expansion of Egyptian universities abroad is a major chance to enhance their global reputation, attract more students, and create new financial resources. He also stressed the importance of leveraging Egypt’s strong academic expertise both locally and internationally to improve education quality, as the current curricula still require more development to meet global standards.

Getting foreign students to enroll in Egyptian universities in Egypt is also part of the plan: The government is aiming to attract 200k foreign students to Egypt by 2030, targeting USD 2 bn in annual revenue, a source at the Higher Education Ministry previously told EnterpriseAM. There are currently 130k international students enrolled in Egyptian universities, with the number expected to rise as universities climb up the ranks.

So far, this has been pretty successful: International student enrollment in Egyptian universities has significantly increased over the past few years as the government works to boost university rankings and enhance partnerships with international institutions. Egypt has attracted students from around 100 countries and is also utilizing its cultural offices abroad to attract more international students.

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