Minister of Communication and Information Technology Atef Helmy stated that Egypt would participate in Gitex Dubai 2013 as part of a strategy to attract investment in the information communication technology (ICT) sector, expand its activities and create job opportunities. Helmy headed to Dubai for a four-day visit that started 20 October, to participate in the events of Gitex Dubai 2013. He met with officials to discuss means of enhancing cooperation, benefiting from all Gitex participating countries' experiences in the ICT field and expanding activities of the ICT sector "to reach the same growth rates ICT sector was able to previously achieved, which led to the creation of an enabling environment of trust and interaction with Egypt's labour market needs," Helmy stated. "Egypt's participation in Gitex Dubai 2013 guarantees an intensive presence for Egypt in ICT international events and maximises benefiting from every participating country," Helmy said, adding that ICT officials from 150 countries were to attend the event. Some countries are participating for the first time, including Belarus, Brazil, Finland, Kenya, Serbia, Lithuania, Slovenia, Tunisia and Ukraine. The visit schedule included meetings with ministers, chairman of United Arab Emirates (UAE) Telecommunication Regulation Authority and top international ICT heads, such as Ericsson, Wipro, Oracle, HP and UAE Etisalat. The event is taking place in Dubai's World Trade Centre under the theme "Lets Create, Disrupt and Re-imagine Together". According to the ministry's statement, Egypt's participation in Gitex is sponsored by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA). ITIDA's participation is the eighth in ICT international events in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia. Gitex Dubai 2013 is a platform gathering large trademarks in the Middle East, and represents an opportunity for those who are willing to invest and for emerging markets in the ICT field. Gitex has been providing exhibitors with direct business opportunities since 1981.
