Egypt Honors 10-Year-Old Prodigy Martiros Mina for Global Coding Achievements

Egypt's Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Raafat Hendy, has officially honored 10-year-old Martiros Mina for his remarkable success in local and international programming and robotics competitions.

Martiros, a fourth-grade primary school student, recently earned a gold medal in an international Python programming competition hosted in China, placing him among the top two percent of participants globally, according to the ministry. Minister Raafat Hendy emphasized that promising technology talent is a vital national asset, noting the ministry's dedication to helping young minds convert their passion into globally competitive innovations.

During the meeting, young Martiros shared how his passion for programming and robotics began at a very early age. He built his first robot at just five years old, started studying programming at a specialized academy a year later, and began competing locally at age seven. By eight, he was already participating in international tournaments across China, Estonia, and Romania.

Highlighting his practical ingenuity, Martiros presented a standout invention to Minister Raafat Hendy: a robot tour guide modeled after King Tutankhamun, created to help visitors explore Egyptian antiquities at the Egyptian Museum.

In recognition of his extraordinary aptitude, Minister Raafat Hendy made an exceptional exception to allow Martiros to join the Robotics and Embedded Systems track under the Digital Egypt Clubs initiative, bypassing the standard minimum enrollment age. Furthermore, the minister gifted him a laptop and several robotics kits to support his continued project development.

The ceremony was also attended by Hoda Baraka, adviser to the communications minister for technological skills development, alongside Martiros's parents. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology continues to expand its nationwide training pipeline through programs like the Digital Egypt Marvels and Digital Egypt Cubs initiatives, which have collectively trained hundreds of thousands of young students across Egypt.