University of Technology, gateway to new millennium
Egypt, Education, 1/11/2000

With the beginning of the third millennium, the foundation stone of a new University for science and technology has been laid down in the Sixth of October City to usher Egypt and the Arab world into the 21st century.

Scientist Ahmed Zoweil, the winner of the 1999 Nobel Prize for Chemistry said that the new university will be provided with the state of-the-art equipment and would be financed by the Egyptian government and businessmen, noting that the budget for the University would reach L.E. 9 billion.

The Nobel laureate said that the new university, to be established on 300 feddans, will introduce modern sciences especially in the fields of atomic energy, space, informatics, micro-medical sciences, computer, economics, social studies and marketing.

The University will attract to its membership a number of Egyptian scientists who enjoy a worldwide reputation to implement the national program that will start during the first few years of the third millennium in a bid to further development, provide job opportunities, establish new communities and bring up new generations with new technologies.

In the same vein, the Ministry of Communications and Information is planning to reduce the Internet fees from 20 to 15 plasters per minute to expand Internet use among students and researchers. The new service will be named "Internet 900" and will be offered in cooperation with a private Internet Service Provider (ISP).

A recent report made by the Ministry of Communications said that volume of investments in the field of telecommunications will surge up to reach L.E. 573 million in the fiscal year of 2001-2002 compared to L.E. 23.9 million in 1999. Volume of exports is expected to hit L.E. 500 million in the coming five years.

According to the report, the private sector will establish centers for producing computers and marketing plants to attract major international companies working in the fields of manufacturing and services.

The private sector will also establish a training center to provide the new cadres with the most sophisticated methods in this field. Meanwhile, the government will establish the infrastructure projects to develop the communications network as well as providing incentives to attract foreign investments, e.g. 10-year tax exemption and preparing 25,000 programmers within the coming five years.

The report further added that the volume of the targeted exports of programming and information will reach $60 million in 2000 and $2.850 billion in 2009 compared to $20 million in 1999. Volume of demand for the Egyptian production will reach $700 million next year including $600 million in the field of communications and $100 million in the field of information.

The report pointed out that a number of measures will be implemented to encourage this kind of industry including the reduction in the customs and tax duties during the coming two years, preparing a unified law for communications and information.

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