English - Human Development Reports - United Nations ...

Egypt’s Position in Technology and Information Led GlobalizationIT is seen as aprerequisite for Egyptto build, manage andeffectively use theinformationinfrastructure of thetwenty-first century.Government of Egyptwill also invest inresearch anddevelopment in orderto tailor services andproducts for the poorand illiterate.is quite high, at 55.2 per cent. Accordingly,the percentage of Internet users is as low as4 per cent of the total number of Internetusers in Egypt. Cairo, on the other hand,where the illiteracy rate is relatively low,contains 75 per cent of Internet users.Thus,while other countries in the world areredefining illiteracy to be the lack ofcapacity to use computers, Egypt is stillsuffering from the primary problem of theinability to read and write.Bilingual / Single Language DivideEgypt faces another problem, namely thelanguage barrier. Not everyone in Egypt isbilingual or at least speaks English. Thosewho do not speak English will face theproblem of how to deal with newtechnologies, access the Internet or gaininformation through it. Therefore, thenumber of schools teaching English languageas an obligatory course is rapidly increasing.The National Program for Closingthe Digital GapOver the years, the Egyptian governmenthas applied several programs to close thedigital gap, whether in comparison withother countries or at the national levelbetween socioeconomic groups and betweenthe different regions. IDSC led the way overthe last fifteen years, in diffusing IT ingovernment offices, and in establishingmore than 1,500 information centers all overEgypt. More recently, in 1999, a newMinistry for Communication andInformation Technology was established toimplement a broad National Program, whichconsists of strategies, policies, programs andprojects.Strategies and PoliciesGovernment Commitments. The governmenthas committed to expanding the informationand communications technology in Egypt. Ithas stated its intention to be a role model inusing the new technology in all facets of itsoperations. It will implement the E-Governmentconcept, paving the way for the privatesector to follow.Building Human Capacity in Educationand Training. Increasing the number ofpeople with high skills in IT is seen as aprerequisite for Egypt to build, manage andeffectively use the information infrastructureof the twenty-first century. This will beachieved through schools, universities,communities, and the workplace, using theappropriate means for each.Expanding Basic Connectivity to PeopleEverywhere. This will be accomplishedthrough the expansion of CommunityAccess Centers, to make Internet andtelecommunications services available andeasily accessible to everyone. During thelast fifteen years, more than 1,500 InformationCenters have been established, of whichmore than 600 are in villages. GOE will alsoinvest in research and development in orderto tailor services and products for the poorand illiterate.Creating More Affordable Access toInformation Tools. This program intends toreduce taxes and customer fees for accessingnew technologies, to support new technologiesand techniques that will enable fast accessin rural areas, and to subsidize connectivityto remote areas.Creating new Opportunities for SMEsthrough E-Commerce and E-Business.This is to be achieved by encouraging thedevelopment of micro-enterprises and smallbusinesses that harness the power of newinformation and communication technologies,as well as by developing venture-financingsources that can drive innovation.Fostering Policy, Regulatory Policy andNetwork Readiness. This will beaccomplished by developing policies,regulations, and practices that willencourage private sector investment, whileharvesting the full social, cultural, andeconomic benefits of the Internet, and otherinformation and communication technologies.Enhancing Financial Infrastructure. Aprerequisite for more openness to the newtechnologies is building a less “cash”dependent economy and restructuring thefinancial sector.Programs and ProjectsThe Egyptian government is committed to86 -Egypt Human Development Report 2000/2001