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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 13 - 19 April 2000 Issue No. 477
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Books Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
Speaking IT
IN LINE with presidential directives, the cabinet will closely follow up the implementation of government plans for technology transfer. At a small-scale ministerial meeting on Saturday, attended by Prime Minister Atef Ebeid and Technology Minister Ahmed Nazif, President Hosni Mubarak affirmed commitment to achieving a technological revolution in the coming few years. Mubarak said that building a technology base was "a priority" for the government. "Information Technology is the language of the new world in all economic and social sectors," Mubarak told the ministers.IT topped Mubarak's agenda during his visit to the United States last month, which included meetings with hundreds of IT businessmen and experts and the conclusion of a number of ground-breaking agreements.
Nazif told Saturday's meeting that a technology service and e-commerce centre would be established, in cooperation with the American PSINet company, to serve the Arab and African regions at a cost of $50 million. In another project, computer giant IBM will fund the training of some 15,000 Egyptians at a cost of $120 million over the next five years. The two deals were concluded during the president's visit to Washington.
A specialised regional training centre will also be established to Arabise software commands and applications.
Prime Minister Ebeid reviewed the steps which the government will take to support IT policies, including the drafting of a unified law for communication, establishing an authority for the development of the IT industry, signing international agreements for the liberalisation of the IT sector and completing plans for the establishment of an "intelligent village" which will serve as a model for technology compounds.
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