Egypt's Ministry of Communications and Information and Technology has signed two Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with Microsoft to develop digital skills among the country's youth. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, witnessed the signing. The agreements will launch and implement several initiatives to build youth capacities, stimulate technological innovation and entrepreneurship, and incubate start-ups working in the information technology (IT) field. They come as part of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's endeavour to prepare national competencies in various fields of technology, and create an environment that supports technological innovation. The first MoU aims to create cooperation between the ministry and Microsoft Egypt, to launch the national capacity building programme, Tamayouz. The agreement, which will last for three years, will prepare young qualified employees in the fields of technology required to implement Egypt's digital projects. Its scope of work includes cooperation in implementing the "Professional Online" initiative, to provide professional self-training for about 10,000 IT specialists in Egypt every year. This is in addition to implementing the "Develop and Change" initiative for digital, employment, and programming skills, which aims to target developing 1,000 youth annually. The "Global Skills" initiative has also been launched to develop youth skills in the 10 most in-demand jobs around the world, with a target of 10,000 trainees in 2021. The MoU includes cooperation with the Information Technology Institute (ITI) in implementing the "Go Ahead" initiative, which targets freelancers in Egypt. It targets about 1,200 trainees annually. This comes as part of the "Professional Online for Training the Trainers" initiative, which will see cooperation undertaken to build the capacities of 3,000 trainees. Every three months, IT specialists across Egypt will cooperate in implementing the skills development initiative through training tracks for 500 IT workers in government agencies. Moreover, workshops will be implemented for 100 government leaders through the Microsoft Business School for Artificial Intelligence. The second MoU was signed between the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and Microsoft Egypt. It aims to enhance cooperation in the fields of incubating startups, stimulating technological innovation, and supporting and training entrepreneurs. This will take place through Microsoft Egypt's worldwide programme known as "Microsoft for Startups". The MoU includes four cooperation tracks between Microsoft Egypt and ITIDA's Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC). It includes supporting 100 startup companies and enhancing their sustainable growth opportunities, by providing Microsoft Azure cloud services worth an estimated $3m. The two sides will cooperate to train 500 entrepreneurs from different governorates in technological disciplines and provide them with knowledge on best practices related to the growth of start-ups and strategies for entering the market. Microsoft will work with ITIDA to enrich the "Egypt Innovate" platform, as well as cooperate in creating a space dedicated to startups and training under the name Microsoft Space at the Digital Egypt Innovation Center. It aims to provide practical training in digital skills relevant to the market and with internationally accredited certificates. Talaat said that the signing opens new horizons for cooperation with Microsoft Egypt, as part of his ministry's keenness to establish partnerships with specialised international companies. This cooperation will develop Egypt's IT industry, and enhance the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology's efforts in creating a base of digitally qualified staff. It also targets enabling them to contribute to the development of Egypt's various sectors, by using technology to accelerate digital transformation processes. The minister added that the aspects of cooperation include partnerships in implementing initiatives stimulating pioneering work among young people across Egypt. This will allow them to obtain non-traditional job opportunities in the local and global labour market, particularly in advanced IT. The cooperation also includes implementing an initiative to incubate startups working in the IT field. This is of great interest to the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology as one of the pillars for the development of the national economy.
