Benya, prominent group across Egypt, Africa and the Middle East, has vowed to always deliver comprehensive, integrated, and sustainable ICT solutions that help enable the digital transformation of the smallest of businesses, to the largest of nations. And with its rebranding, it is holding on to this promise. Telecom Review Africa spoke to Ahmed Mekky, Chairman and CEO of Benya Group, who shed light on the importance and values of the company and why it stands out in the market. He stressed that they are “constantly searching for the latest and best ways of working to achieve our objectives”.
With the rebranding of Benya Group, what additions came with it in terms of services?
Since the establishment of Benya Group in 2017, we have successfully established our presence as a trusted partner and a leader in technology solutions and infrastructure in Egypt, Africa and the Middle East.
In the past four years, Benya advanced its services by focusing each of its subsidiaries on different enablers of digital transformation. By doing so, we aim to contribute strategically to the ICT value chain, from providing the necessary investments and advisory services; to building, operating and sustaining digital transformation initiatives. Accordingly, we have successfully participated in national mega projects in Egypt, and Africa: we deployed technology infrastructure for 2530 public high schools in Egypt; we have been awarded the largest digital transformation project for public enterprises in the Middle East by the Egyptian Ministry of Public Enterprise Sector; and we have partnered with the DRC government to build and operate its national fiber optic network.
What differentiates your company from other players in the ICT industry?
At Benya, we implement the best practice approach to leverage opportunities utilizing the latest technologies and realizing their impact on our clients’ visions and plans. Accordingly, we are constantly searching for the latest and best ways of working to achieve our objectives.
In addition, we establish solid partnerships with global players in the ICT sector. This, combined with our deep industry knowledge, allows us to deliver the highest quality standards in ICT solutions for our clients.
Why choosing Egypt as your anchor market and what are your expansion strategies in the African region?
We chose Egypt for its unique business importance, strategic geographical location, and historic ties with countries in Africa and the Middle East.
Most importantly, Egypt is a pioneer in the region when it comes to economic modernizations steps. In recent years, the country has taken concrete steps to accelerate the digital transformation of its economy and enhance the day-to-day lives of its citizens. This is expected to create new business opportunities which will further fuel economic growth in Africa and the Middle East.
At the same time, we believe that Africa has every potential to adopt digital transformation as a driver for growth. With the necessary funding and investments, Benya will develop the necessary competencies to support the continent’s intra-Africa trade and growth plans.
Being the first mega Fiber Optics cables manufacturing facility in Africa and the Middle East, what are Benya Cables’ next projects in the region?
Earlier this year, we have announced the establishment of Benya Cables, the first mega Fiber Optic manufacturing facility in Africa and the Middle East, in conjunction with the global leading manufacturer of fiber optic cables, Corning. We announced the initial agreement last June in partnership with the Arab Organization for Industrialization (AOI). In August, we signed the final agreement to establish the fiber optic production factory as well as a Tripartite agreement to expand knowledge and capacity building on fiber optic technologies with AOI and the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport.
The factory’s production is set to start during H2 2021, producing up to four million kilometers of optical fiber annually. We have also signed two strategic agreements to utilize the factory production. The first is a strategic supply agreement with Africa Data Centres (ADC) to secure sourcing of critical fiber optic infrastructure and technology across seven countries in Africa. The second agreement was with the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and New Information and Communication Technologies to build a 16,000 kilometers National Fiber Optic Network to connect all of its cities digitally.
Can you detail to us the set of cloud enabled solutions that Benya offers to its customers?
We have partnered with key ICT industry players to establish the first multi-cloud venture for businesses and enterprises in Egypt, Benya Raqmeya.
The multi-cloud concept improves the enterprises’ experience by providing cost effective options to run their business solutions and services. Benya Raqmeya is built to be a One-Stop-Shop digital marketplace where enterprises can pick and choose solutions based on their business needs and allocated budgets. Enterprises have the freedom of choosing between different cloud services in a way that helps them avoid vendor lock-in while allowing them to focus on running their business.
