Current ICT Initiatives and projects - Egypt

ICT Initiatives are focused on eLearning, eHealth, eGovernment, eContent, Community Integration and ICT for people with disabilities; Broadband Access Network and Internet of Things.

ICT for Learning

MCIT has invested in projects and programs to support sustainable human development including:

- Education Development via Information and Communication Technology (ICT)

- Illiteracy Eradication Initiative

- E-Learning Competence Center (ELCC)

- ICT for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises

- Digital Libraries

The Egyption Education Initiative (EEI) was launched as a public-private partnership between the Government of Egypt and the World Economic Forum's ICT community as a progressive model for reforming Egypt's education system. The EEI seeks to add value to the national education process in new and innovative ways, directly improving the quality of education.

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 aims to provide equal opportunities to health services anywhere in Egypt, and expand medical insurance to all citizens. The main components/projects include:

- National Network for Citizen Health Treatment at State's Expense

- Pilot Project for Hospital Automation

- National Cancer Registry Program of Egypt

- PAN-African E-Network

- Educational Hospitals and Institutes Development

- Bab El sharia University Hospital Automation and Development

- AL-Azhar Specialized Hospital Automation and Development

- Critical Care Medicine Department Development

- Alexandria University Hospitals Development

- Health Insurance Organization Outpatient Clinics Development

- Cardiovascular Unit Automation at Ain Shams Hospital

- National Diabetes and Endocrinology Institute Operation Automation

- Health Insurance Organization Laboratories Information Network

- Egyptian Ambulance Organization Development

- National Network for Treatment at the Expense of the Country

- Automating the System of Intensive Care Units and Ambulances in Hospitals of the Ministry of Health

- Databases for Nurseries and Blood Banks

- Social Citizen Awareness of Non-Communicable Diseases such as Diabetes, Hypertension, Hepatitis, Tumors, etc.

ICT for Government

MCIT was instrumental in introducing eGovernment in Egypt from 2003 and extending ICT into public services. MCIT supports other Ministries in facilitating e-Government programs and services as part of the Egyptian Information Society Initiative (EISI). It aimed to modernize the citizen interaction with government by introducing ICTs to the internal operations of government departments and to their interface with the public.

The main components/ projects include:

- Digital Tranformation

- Tax Reform

- Digital Bill

- Farmer Card

- Database Integration

- Central Auditing Organization

- Central Agency for Organization and Administration

- South-South Cooperation Portal

- Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics

- Automation of Central Poultry Production Quality Control Laboratory

- Development of Environmental Monitoring Units in Cairo

- E-Indications Database Building for Measuring Information Society

- Gomhoreya Newspaper Hotline 139 Development

- Commerce Chambers Automation

- Automation in Fisheries

- Real Estate Finance Fund

- Increasing Productivity and Efficiency of the Government Bodies

- e-Payment

- National Integrated Databases for Citizens

- 'Tahya Misr Fund' Work System

- 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 a high priority on developing and distributing Arabic e-Content that forms the basis of intellectual and cultural inspiration for future generations. Accordingly, MCIT has supported the establishment of an e-content industry in Egypt through its Arabic e-content initiative. It 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 projects include:

- Ministry of Tourism Cabinet Office Library Automation

- Automating, Retrieving and Archiving Parliament Minutes

- Dar Al-Tahrir Printing and Publishing

- Siwa Heritage Documentation

- Mobile Applications for Tourism Promotion

- Improving Egypt Tourism Authority Websites on Search Engines

- Microsite for Tourism Campaigns Activation

- State Information Service Portal Infrastructure

- Productivity Enhancement Initiative Applications

- Live Streaming Channel

- Industrial Development Authority e-Portal

- Egypt Memory Online Shop

- Eternal Egypt

- The Architectural and Urban Heritage

- Beit Hathor

- Islamic Cairo Heritage

- Islamic Heritage Cities Exchange Platform

- Islamic Inscriptions

- Muslim Scientists Project

- Photographic Memory of Egypt Program

- El-Orman Digital Map

- Documentation of Al-AZHAR Al-Sharif Memory

- Botanical Gardens In Egypt Documentation

- Memory of the Arab World

- EGHeritage

- Archaeological Map of Egypt

- Egyptian Knowledge Bank (http://www.ekb.eg/ )

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 including:

- 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 constitute very important potential for protecting the environment, creating solutions for decreasing toxic emissions by other sectors.

Legislative Services

MCIT collaborates with Ministry of Justice to enhance the Government's performance, facilitate work in ministries and affiliates, promote and increase the efficiency of the various legislative services provided. This is aligned with developing IT government infrastructure and digital services, which aim to move from paper based systems to e-transactions, thus securing documents, improving work conditions for employees and enhancing efficiency. It focuses on developing how citizens interact with Government bodies by applying ICT techniques in internal processes. The main components/ projects of this initiative include

- Automation of Agricultural Land Registration

- Personal Status Document Archiving - Public Prosecution

- Banned from Acting Network

- Developing Documentation Offices and Illicit Gains Authority

Internet Safety

MCIT established a National Committee for Child Online Safety to synchronize and coordinate efforts in relation to Internet security. The main components/projects include:

- National Committee for Child Online Safety

- Legislative Framework

- Online Arabic Content

- Work Mechanism

- Technology Solutions

- Law Enforcement

- Awareness Raising and Capacity Building

- Education

- Availing Arabic Content

- Regional and International Cooperation.

ICT for Community Integration

MCIT's efforts to increase community integration using ICTs are aimed at: empowering rural and marginalized communities through development projects and raising awareness of benefits of ICTs; promoting development in rural and marginalized areas through application of technology solutions to establish an integrated sustainable development model; empowering women through illiteracy eradication programs; and improving services in education, healthcare and supporting SMEs. The main projects include:

- ICT for Illiteracy Eradication

- Kenana Online Community Development Portal.

- Telecenter E-Learning Academy

- Community Development Portals

- Telecentre Network

- Youth Social Enterpreneurship Program

- ICT for M/SMEs Development Program

- Mobile IT Clubs

- ICT for Illiteracy Education

- Youth Employment Generation

- Integrated ICT for Development in SIWA OASIS

- Managing Agriculture Knowledge

- Mobile IT Unit and Universities Ideas Bank

- Integrated ICT Solutions and Development - Nuba Project.

ICTs for People with Disabilities

In March 2012, MCIT launched the ICTs for People with Disabilities initiative, which aimed to improve the quality of life for people with disabilities by using ICTs to facilitate access to information and knowledge, boost interaction with the community and increase opportunities for employment. The initiative involves the participation of people with disabilities and organizations representing their interests, and focuses on integrating people with disabilities in the Egyptian society and empowering them through ICTs. It aimed to remove barriers and facilitate opportunities for people with disabilities - using ICTs to develop their abilities and potential - and enabling them to enjoy their rights, fulfil their responsibilities, and participate fully in developing their communities and society. The main components/projects included:

- Jobs and Skills for Persons with Disabilities with Focus on ICT-Based Solutions

- Supporting Hearning and Visually Impaired Students

- Tamkeen Portal

- Technical Support for Inclusive Community Centers

- International Computer Driving License for PwDs

- Training for Better Employment Opportunities

- Launch of an Accessible Web Portal

- Development of Inclusive and Special Needs Schools

- Development of Centers for Disability Services at Egyptian Universities

- Development of a Unified Egyptian Sign Language Dictionary

- Employability Enhancement Program

- Tamkeen Competition

- Support of the National Council on Disability Affairs

- e-Learning for Schoolchildren with Hearing and Sight Impairments.

MCIT adopted specific polices to empower people with disability through ICT, to increase acces and to involve people with disabiltiy in determining government policies and strategies.

Cross cutting areas

MCIT has adopted policies to support a conducive environment, standards and applications for

- Arabic Digital content development

- Cloud computing - to promote use of cloud computing technologies and relevant applications

- Digital Identify Management - to promote privacy and personal security in cyberspace

- eCommerce - to promote uptake and confidence

- Mobile applications - increase access to applications and provide universal access to services

- Open source software - to increase the use of open source software by government and in development applications

- Intelligent Transportation Systems