Egypt hosted the first African Union Communications and Information Technology Ministerial Committee was held in Cairo on April 18-20 under the umbrella of the African Union (AU). Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Dr. Tarek Kamel gave the opening speech on behalf of Prime Minister Dr. Ahmed Nazif in the presence of the African Union Commissioner for Human Resources, Science, and Technology, Dr. Nagia El Sayed.

This Ministerial Committee is one of follow-up tools created at the World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) held in Tunisia last November as a permanent organization under the AU umbrella, headed by Egypt for two years, as it hosts the first meeting. The meeting aims to develop executive tools for and follow-up on the work plan for an African Regional information economy in addition to encouraging dialogue on mobilizing resources and developing skills necessary to execute the WSIS work plan.

The meeting was attended by 22 communications and information technology ministers; delegations from 30 countries representing all sectors of Africa; Egyptian private and public sectors leaders in the CIT industry; international and regional organizations supporting and operating in the field of CIT; ambassadors of African and Arab states in Cairo; MCIT affiliates including the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA) and the National Telecommunication Institute (NTI) and the Information Technology Institute (ITI).

The conference agenda includes electing members to the executive authority, approving the conference agenda, organizing its framework, holding bilateral meetings between participants and Egyptian businesses in the CIT industry. The conference will issue a report and experts’ directives to Africans in the field of CIT and also announce the Cairo Agreement.

Dr. Tarek Kamel announced that Egypt gives 40 academic CIT scholarships to experts from Africa and hosts training sessions at the ITI and the NTI. It is worth mentioning that ITI presents the 20 scholarships – which are completed over a 9-month period - within the framework of programs to transfer technology and experience to specialists in CIT throughout the 2006 academic year in addition to 20 other scholarships presented by the NTI on 3G mobile technology and networks, also studied throughout the 2006 academic year.

Egypt presented the conference with a suggestion to organize a regional program to prepare specialized CIT leaders, training them on CIT and leadership skills and attracting opportunities for regional cooperation in the field. Egypt also called for a workshop to be held in June that will be attended by all specialized experts to set a design and example for the training program.

A delegation of African Ministers of Communications and Information Technology and their accompanying delegations toured the Smart Village, visiting MCIT headquarters and meeting with Ministerial authorities. The delegation visited the Information Technology Industry Authority and met with Egyptian CIT industry employees either in local or international companies, in addition to watching a unique show of electronic cultural documentation by the use of modern CIT tools. The presentation includes a heritage panorama that includes nine interactive parts on Egypt’s Pharonic Coptic, Islamic, natural and modern heritage that is considered the first of its kind in the world. They also visited the Xceed call center to see Egypt’s latest achievements in call center services.

The conference was attended by Ministers of Communications and Information Technology from Mauritania, Ghana, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, Uganda, Kenya, Gambia, Lesotho, Senegal, South Africa, Burundi, Sierra Leon, Liberia, Tunisia, Nigeria, Guinea, and the Sudan.