Overview of ICT Initiatives in Egypt
The Government of Egypt through the Ministry of Communication and IT and other key stakeholders have launched sectoral ICT Initiatives over the past number of years, which are briefly described below.
ICT for Learning
The projects and programs under the ICT for Learning initiative collectively reflect MCIT's vision to use information and its underlying technologies to further sustainable human development in Egypt and to build an information society capable of absorbing and capitalizing upon the emerging knowledge revolution.
The main components/ projects of this initiative are:
- Education Development via Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
- Illiteracy Eradication Initiative
- E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC)
- ICT for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
ICT for Health
The Government of Egypt and its Ministry of Health have established several e-Health programs to bring better diagnostic and health services to a wider segment of the Egyptian society. MCIT has facilitated the integration of ICT in health services and the provision of medical education to remote or underserved areas of Egypt. The e-health initiative is inspired by pursuing equal opportunities for health services anywhere in Egypt, and expanding medical insurance to all citizens.
The principle objectives of the e-Health initiative are as follows:
- Extend better medical diagnostic services to rural areas
- Provide a training facility for the medical community
- Acquire international consultations for special cases
- Reduce the cost of health care through better patient management
- Optimize utilization of expertise and resources
- Provide an advanced medical services in emergencies
- Create an electronic databases for medical records
The main components/ projects of this initiative are:
- Emergency Medical Call Center and Ambulance Service
- National Network for Citizen Health Treatment
- Information System Units in Governmental Hospitals
- National Healthcare Capacity Building Project
- Pilot Project for Hospital Automation
- Women's Mobile Health Unit Project
- National Cancer Registry Program
- The Suzanne Mubarak Center for Women's Health in Alexandria
- IT Health Master Plan
- National PACS Project
- Integrated National Health Record System
ICT for Government
MCIT was instrumental in introducing e-government in Egypt and extending ICT into public services. As a general mandate, MCIT supports other ministries in facilitating e-Government programs and services as part of the Egyptian Information Society Initiative (EISI). One of the core objectives of the initiative is to modernize the way citizens interact with their government by introducing ICTs to the internal operations of government departments and to their interface with the public.
The main components/ projects of this initiative are:
- National Land Registration System
- Automation of Notarization Offices
- Prohibited from Transaction System Network
- Automation of Chambers of Commerce Project
- Egyptian Geography Network (EGN)
- Sheikh Zayed Geographic Information Systems Unit
- e-Commerce Map for Alexandria Chamber of Commerce
- General Organization for International Exhibitions and Fairs (GOIEF)
- Infrastructure Development of the City of Luxor
- National Organization for Potable Water and Sanitary Drainage
- Upgrade of the Central Agency for Organization and Administration (CAOA)
- National Council for Childhood and Motherhood
- e-Government Applications
- Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems
- Ministry of Finance
- Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS)
- MFTI Economic Databases and Decision Support Services
E-Content
The digital content industry encompasses the creation, design, management and distribution of digital products and services and the technologies that underpin these activities. Egypt places high regard in developing and distributing Arabic e-Content that forms the basis of intellectual and cultural inspiration for future generations. Accordingly, MCIT has led the way to the establishment of an e-content industry in Egypt through its Arabic e-content initiative. This initiative aims to enhance the competitiveness of the Egyptian e-content industry by supporting the production, use and distribution of Arabic digital content on global networks.
The main components/ projects of this initiative are:
- Online Journalism
- CULTNAT
- National Archives of Egypt
- Fekr Rama Portal
- Luxor Portal
- Egynews Portal
- Science and Technology Portal
- Community Development Portals
- Telecentre Network
- The Egyptian Sign Language Dictionary CD
Access for All
MCIT seeks to guarantee universal, easy, affordable and rapid access for all Egyptian citizens to ICT, and stimulating awareness of the potential uses and benefits of ICT. In this respect, MCIT has implemented a number of programs with the chief aim of providing benefits to users, promoting computer literacy, and encouraging increased use of ICT by the public.
The main components/ projects of this initiative are:
- IT Clubs
- Mobile Internet Unit
- Egyptian Olympiad in Informatics
- Egypt PC 2010 - Nation Online
Green ICT
Greening ICT, or applying user-friendly policies, has become a dire need. Environment protection is an important issue for human safety, for sustaining social and economic development, and for preserving natural gifts for next generations. ICT tools, widely spread currently, constitute very important potential for protecting environment, creating solutions for decreasing toxic emissions by other sectors.
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