Under the name "New information and communication technology leadership and digital empowerment", the global company Huawei organised the first Broader Way Forum entitled "Enabling digital transformation", in the presence of Minister of Communications and Information Technology Yasser Al-Qadi and Minister of Housing, Utilities, and Urban Communities Moustafa Madbouly, in addition to a number of company leaders and media figures. The forum aims to bring together workers in the industry to exchange ideas about the global trend of digital transformation and how Egypt can develop information and communications technology to increase its competitiveness. Al-Qadi said that President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi's inauguration of the Cairo ICT 2016 exhibition reflects the political attention information technology is currently receiving. "The upcoming period will witness an increase in the dependence on technology to turn into a digital society, and Huawei is one of the main companies that contributes to building technological societies around the world that fit well with Egypt's goals," he added. For his part, the housing minister said that his ministry aims to plan new cities using intelligent technological ways, where in 30 years about 25 cities were established with over one million residents. The chairperson of Huawei North Africa said in his speech that the Broader Way Forum aims to promote dialogue between partners of the information technology and communications sector, noting that Huawei seeks to establish a sustainable development system in the local market to achieve profitability for all involved parties through cloud computing and digital transformation technologies. During the forum, Huawei explained more about the convergence strategy of information technology and its daily innovative solutions, where cloud computing systems and SDN networks will nourish thanks to Huawei's solutions. Huawei stressed that the pace of digital transformation is becoming quicker, benefiting major industries and creating smart homes, networks, transportation, education, safe cities governments, and much more through cooperation at this critical stage. Hamadoun Toure, executive director of Smart Africa, said that the alliance aims to attract investments to the markets of the continent worth $300bn in the fields of telecommunications, data centres, and mobile application solutions in the fields of education and health. He noted that they will take part in Cairo ICT 2017, and an African summit will launch in May aiming to put information technology and communications among the development strategies of African markets in order to enhance the spread of broadband services. He demanded partnership programmes be activated between both the private and public sectors, as one of the ways to develop African markets.
