The projects and programs under the ICT for Learning initiative collectively reflect MCIT’s vision to use information and its underlying technologies to further sustainable human development in Egypt and to build an information society capable of absorbing and capitalizing upon the emerging knowledge revolution.
MCIT seeks to guarantee universal, easy, affordable and rapid access for all Egyptian citizens to ICT, and stimulating awareness of the potential uses and benefits of ICT. In this respect, MCIT has implemented a number of programs with the chief aim of providing benefits to users, promoting computer literacy, and encouraging increased use of ICT by the public.
The Government of Egypt and its Ministry of Health have established several e-Health programs to bring better diagnostic and health services to a wider segment of the Egyptian society. MCIT has facilitated the integration of ICT in health services and the provision of medical education to remote or underserved areas of Egypt. The e-health initiative is inspired by pursuing equal opportunities for health services anywhere in Egypt, and expanding medical insurance to all citizens.
The digital content industry encompasses the creation, design, management and distribution of digital products and services and the technologies that underpin these activities. Egypt places high regard in developing and distributing Arabic e-Content that forms the basis of intellectual and cultural inspiration for future generations. Accordingly, MCIT has led the way to the establishment of an e-content industry in Egypt through its Arabic e-content initiative. This initiative aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian e-content industry by supporting the production, use and distribution of Arabic digital content on global networks.
Greening ICT, or applying user-friendly policies, has become a dire need. Environment protection is an important issue for human safety, for sustaining social and economic development, and for preserving natural gifts for next generations. ICT tools, widely spread currently, constitute very important potential for protecting environment, creating solutions for decreasing toxic emissions by other sectors.
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) training works hand in hand with other national projects such as IT Clubs, PC for Every Home, Broadband, and Laptop for Every Professional Initiatives. The national plan is to provide the technological infrastructure, make available all the resources, and develop the skills and knowledge, at an affordable fee and flexible enough to meet needs of the future. ICT training is intended to boost the skills and knowledge of university graduates who despite their specialized education have found themselves without the necessary ICT knowledge needed for the marketplace. It is the conviction of MCIT that the rate of employment in this country will increase dramatically through the acquisition of ICT knowledge and skills. The idea is not in transforming the youth into computer programmers, but in enhancing the young with the various backgrounds and teaching them how to make technology serve their needs and provide solutions. The Government of Egypt has devised programs in cooperation with numerous training institutes to fully meet the needs of the society. The ICT Training project is comprised of two main programs: Basic Training Program and the Specialized Training Program.
Technological development in Egypt is a highly promising and dynamic market. Accordingly, the government is continuously working on providing the optimum investment, legal, and administrative climate to further encourage investors in this field.
There is no doubt that the ongoing success Egypt has achieved in carrying out the initiatives it had launched highly depends on the adopted approach. This approach aims at making the most of all aspects of development realized on both the regional and international levels in information and communication technology (ICT). Such success also has to do with Egypt's contributions to the sector. The International Relations sector at Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is one of the key pillars of pushing forward the development and growth of the ICT sector in Egypt. It has contributed to creating partnerships with all concerned parties regionally and internationally in a bid to maximize Egypt's role on the global level. It has also facilitated an enabling environment for the sector's growth, making use of and contributing to setting international strategies for the Information Society. Moreover, the International Relations sector has been playing an extremely important role in initiating and putting into force cooperation with the concerned parties operating in ICT on the national, regional and international levels. The aspired international cooperation could have never been realized without the availability of the required collaboration among all decision-making bodies. This could be accomplished through a vast number of initiatives in the areas of political planning and practical application. In this respect, MCIT continues to adopt the same approach of constructive cooperation with several concerned parties on the national, regional and international levels and with several countries, institutions and organizations around the world.