International organisations are working with the government and the private sector to make sure that Information Technology effectively encourages development. Sherine El-Madany listened in on a recent forum The proper use of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) as well as knowledge sharing will reduce poverty and empower people, explained guest speakers at the Global Knowledge Partnership International Forum held last week in Cairo. "ICTs are one of the main areas of attracting partnerships and promoting investment, which will enhance productivity and stabilise the economy," said Tareq Kamel, minister of communications and information technology. Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP), a worldwide network committed to harnessing the potential of ICTs for sustainable and equitable development, organised this forum with a special focus on the Middle East and North Africa, in collaboration with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. "This forum intends to provide an opportunity for participants to communicate, share ideas, and explore mutual goals," said Taher Helmi, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt. "Cross-sector partnerships in ICTs are key in advancing our society, as they will improve the business environment, create job opportunities, and will thus lead to economic growth," he added. Speakers also highlighted the importance of ICT in promoting the region's economy. Fawaz Zu'bi, president and CEO of Accelerator Technology Holdings, pointed out that the Arab world still suffers from poor connectivity and must bridge the current digital divide in order to integrate into the global knowledge economy. "We have a lot of capability within ourselves, but first we need to enable technology to live, breathe, and grow in our region," he said. In addition, speakers listed various examples of successful partnerships that aimed at building a developed information society in Egypt and the region. Akil Beshir, chairman of Telecom Egypt, said that initiatives such as the subscription-free Internet and the PC for every home have increased the number of ICT users in Egypt. Telecom Egypt has also decided to expand on a regional scale through private partnerships, recently starting to deploy the second fixed network in Algeria. "It is very important to establish public/private partnerships to set up a knowledge-based economy and society," said Karim Ramadan, general manager of Microsoft Egypt. Ramadan added that Microsoft created Arabic digital programmes to help under-developed communities participate in the knowledge-based society. Moreover, Microsoft has launched the software developer initiative to help youth receive a good education. Other speakers emphasised the way ICTs could be used to make a tangible difference in people's lives. "Farmers may use ICTs to know about market prices, women may generate more income by marketing products on the Net, students may use computers for distance learning, family members abroad may use ICTs to send money home, and global networks such as the GKP may run smoothly by using digital tools for communication," said Walter Fust, GKP's chairman.
