The Arab Business Forum for
Information and Communication (ABFICT)

The idea of the Arab Business forum for Information and Communication Technology (ABFICT) first emerged when representatives of more than eighty leading Arab companies in the fields of Information & Communications technology gathered in Cairo on the 14th of January 2002. All participants shared a strong belief of the positive impact of information & communications technology on the Arab world’s development and economy. They highlighted the decisions of the League of Arab States Summit held in Amman, Jordan in March 2001 stressing the importance of enhancing the capabilities of the Arab World in the field of information & communications technology. The establishment of ABFICT was later blessed by the Arab Summit held in Beirut, Lebanon March 2002.

The ABFICT establishment Conference was held in Cairo in January 2003. It was addressed by H.E. Dr. Ahmed Nazif, the Egyptian Minister of Communication and Information Technology, who delivered the main speech in the plenary session. The conference was also addressed by H.E. Ambassador Ahmed Bin Helaly, the Deputy Secretary General of the League of the Arab States. The conference was attended by a crowd of Arab businessmen and representatives of leading Arab and multinational ICT companies along with esteemed representatives of regional NGOs and Arab administrations. During this conference, a statement of cooperation between ABFICT and the Global Business Dialogue on e- Commerce (GBDe) was signed. This agreement will enable ABFICT to gain access to the international best practices with regards to bridging the digital divide.

ABFICT is Co-chaired by Engineer Mohamed Omran, Chairman of Thuraya Satellite Telecommunications Co. (UAE) and Dr. Adel Danish, Chairman& CEO of Masreya Information Systems (Egypt). The Executive Committee consists of members representing Egypt, Kuwait, Palestine, and United Arab Emirates. ABFICT is also seeking to include Executive committee members from Jordan, Syria, Tunisia and Morocco. ABFICT has thematic Workgroups that focus on the following topics:

- Arab ICT business development.
- Increasing the Arabic content on the Internet.
- Regional development of e-Learning regionally.
- A fourth working group was founded to organize ABFICT contribution to the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS).

ABFICT has joined the Arab WSIS working group as the representative of the Arab ICT business sector in order to reflect their views with regards to the formation of an Arab information society and linking it to the global information society. ABFICT has participated in two Arab working group meetings held in Cairo in September 2002 and in Beirut in February 2003. In addition, ABFICT has participated in the ESQWA preparatory conference also held in Beirut in February 2003.

You can contribute to "Arab ICT Business Sector Action Plan" through filling the mass questionnaire (attached English and Arabic versions). ABFICT team has created this questionnaire in order to collect the Arab business sector views and responses to the different themes and aspects of the Overall Global Action Plan.

As a representative of the Arab ICT Business Sector and its focal point in the preparations for the WSIS, ABFICT is seeking your prompt feedback via e-mail info_abfict@masreya.com.eg or fax : 202- 760-56 85. In order to facilitate the feedback process and since the Arab preparations will continue till WSIS phase 2 (Tunisia 2005), ABFICT kindly requests the appointment of a contact person within your organization as a focal point for further future communication. Once finalized, the "Arab ICT Business Sector Action Plan" will be disseminated to all participants and other involved parties for final remarks and fine tuning.

Download mass questionnaire       (English)     (Arabic)

Young Women Leaders in Information Communication Technologies (ICT)

The Global Knowledge Partnership through its two member partners, the International Institute for Sustainable Development and Taking IT Global, and in collaboration with the Regional Information Technology & software Engineering Center (RITSEC) are organizing a two-day workshop for Young Women Leaders in Information Communication Technologies (ICT) on 14-15 June, 2003, in Cairo, Egypt. An estimated total of 40 young women from the Middle East and North African region are expected to participate in this workshop and to ensure that the voices of young women are heard at the Pan-Arab Regional Conference on the WSIS

The two-day workshop will include presentations, roundtables and discussions on topics related to young women from the Middle East and North African countries who are working in, or are interested in working in the field of ICT for development. More information on the agenda and speakers will be available shortly.

We are pleased to announce that a limited number of fellowships for Young Women leaders in the area of ICT from Pan-Arab countries are available to cover costs of participation in this workshop.

For more information on the content of the workshop and application process as well as criteria for participation, please email Maja Andjelkovic or Heba Ramzy at: hramzy@ritsec1.com.eg

Download Registration Form

THE ROLE OF CIVIL SOCIETY
IN BUILDING THE INFORMATION SOCIETY

During the last few years, the Arab civil society witnessed major qualitative changes characterized by the enlargement of the sphere of its commitment to society's affairs. The most important of these changes were the rising of a number of NGOs focusing on the dissemination of knowledge by using Information Technology means to improve the Arab society and promote it's entrance to the technological era.

What has so far been achieved in the field if Information Technology is an important indicator that the Arab NGOs can play a major role in promoting the usage of information in the society, not merely as a tool to introduce the socio-economic changes, but also as a necessity to contemporary life, and an essential field as well for attaining a renaissance and a social well being.

Departing from these principles, lies the importance of the participation of Arab NGOs in the undergoing preparatory process of the World Summit For Information Society (WSIS), and their contribution in the spreading of technological society, in recognition of their right to participate in decision- making , to draw policies and to lay projects, follow their implementation and also to benefit as well from their experiences and knowledge in dealing with various sectors of society in spreading Information Technology.

Hence, we extend the invitation to all Arab NGOs that focus their activities in disseminating information technology, or to those working in the field of development that prioritize it as their principal objective.

Those Arab NGOs willing to participate in the undergoing preparatory works and meetings for the convening of WSIS should apply to the Civil Society Department in the General Secretariat of League of Arab States to provide them with related documents concerning this matter and facilitate their participation in the ongoing preparations.

Salma Al Hasani Al Jaza'ery
Director of Civil Society Department, League of Arab States.
Address: League of Arab States, Tahrir Square, Cairo, Egypt.
Tel: (+202) 575 05 11 - 576 74 65
Fax: (+202) 574 03 31 - 576 10 17
e-mail: civilsoc.dept@las.int

Financial Assistance for Arab Least Developed Countries

The Information for Development Program (InfoDev), www.infodev.org, is a global multi donor grant program under the World Bank. InfoDev mission is to work on promoting information and communication technologies for social and economic development, with a special emphasis on the least developing countries.

The Conference Scholarship Fund under the InfoDev Program block grants to organizers of conferences that foster the utilization of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) for development. The purpose of the grant is to sponsor the conference participation of ICT professionals from developing countries. Ministry of Communications and Information Technology was awarded a $17,500 grant for the event "Pan-Arab Regional Conference on World Summit on the Information Society", which will take place in June 16-18 2003, for the participation of selected professionals from the least developed Arab countries.

The scholarship is limited to paying the travel and perdiem for the professionals participating from the least developed Arab countries. The main criteria for a country to receive the InfoDev scholarship fund is to have one of the fellows from each country represent civil society, and that at least one of the two fellows is a woman.

Contact Information:

Mr. Ashraf Moussa
Program Officer, International Relations Department, Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
Address: Ahmed Oraby St., Mohandeseen 12651, Giza, Egypt.
Tel: (202) 30 88 179
Fax: (202) 34 46 088
Mobile: (2010) 520 4466
e-mail: amoussa@mcit.gov.eg

Please Download the Speakers' List

Please Download the Program of the conference

Please Download the Final Schedule

Sponsors in Alphabetical Order

Microsoft

"We have been committed to serving the Middle East for the past 11 years," said Emre Berkin, Vice President of Europe Middle East Africa. Prior to his new appointment, Faramawy ran Microsoft Egypt for five years. Under his leadership the subsidiary witnessed accelerated growth and various successes and established itself as the largest and most successful software company in Egypt.

http://www.microsoft.com/egypt/home.asp

Mobinil

1998 witnessed the birth of MobiNil, the first Global System for Mobile Communications operator in Egypt. MobiNil has a strong network in Egypt with over 1785 Sites. MobiNil was the first GSM Operator in Egypt to extend its network services to the Underground Stations, we have installed 17 Micro BTSs covering the underground stations in Cairo.

http://www.mobinil.com/en/

Telecom Egypt

Telecom Egypt, (Arento in the past), was established in 1918 as the Egyptian Telegraph and Telephone Administrator. Intelligent Network Services IN, Integrated Services Digital Network ISDN, Calling Line Identification CLIP and High Speed Data base on FR/ATM backbone are introduced.

http://www.telecomegypt.com.eg/english/

UNESCO

UNESCO with its unique mandate to promote the free exchange of ideas and knowledge plays a key role in the WSIS preparation. UNESCO’s contribution incorporates the ethical, legal and sociocultural dimensions of the Information Society and helps to grasp the opportunities offered by the ICTs by placing the individual at its centre.

http://www.unesco.org

Vodafone

Vodafone Egypt (formerly branded Click GSM) was founded and launched in November 1998 as Misrfone Telecommunications S.A.E. It's an international consortium, with a team of over 1,900 employees, and paid-in capital of LE 1.2 billion. Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director Ian Gray, Deputy Chairman Mohamed El-Hamamsy, and Chairman Mohamed Nosseir, are the ones leading the organization's relentless success.

http://www.clickgsm.com/

"Steering Committee of The Pan- Arab Regional Conference on WSIS; a Participatory Approach to the Summit"...

The Pan - Arab Regional Conference on WSIS (Cairo; 16th- 18th of June 2003), is the main Arab Conference to be held in preparation for the WSIS. The conference organizers; The Egyptian Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the League of Arab States were keen to establish a steering committee representing Arab States and UN organizations active in the Arab region, as well as covering civil society and private sector to ensure a harmonious and open process of interaction in preparation for the Conference.

The steering committee is headed by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology- Cairo, represented by Prof. Nadia Hegazy and with membership of:

- League of Arab States represented by its Technical Department and Civil society division
- Mr Rhida Guellouz, in his capacity as Head of the Arab Working for the WSIS.
- Arab Business Forum for Information and Communication Technology (ABFICT)
- Economic and Social Committee for Western Asia (ESCWA)
- United Nations Development Program (UNDP)/ Information Communication technologies for Development in the Arab Region (ICTDAR)
- United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- Regional Information Technology and Software Engineering Center (RITSEC)

The committee met on several occasions to discuss the working of the conference, its agenda and form of output.