Transforming Egypt into IT exporting country
Egypt, Economics, 5/21/2001

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's interest in the communications and IT sector is mainly designed to turn Egypt into a technology-exporting country, said Minister of Communications and IT Ahmed Nazif.

Winding up a three-day visit to France, Nazif said his Ministry is paying attention to the regional dimension of the IT industry with the aim of exporting it to Arab and African countries after the encouraging signs of the first exporting operations.

Within this framework, the offshore development. project for setting up and exporting software is being adopted, he added.

The volume of IT investments had witnessed a leap, increasing from LE 290 million in 1999 to L.E. 620 million in the year 2000, Nazif said, adding that a similar surge is expected to happen this year.

The IT will contribute to realizing a genuine economic progress in Egypt which owns a good infrastructure including a telephone network, roads, communications and airport in addition to trained power, the Minister said.

The IT field will also create job opportunities for youth in the years to come, he added.

During his successful visit to Paris, Nazif said he met with French Secretary of State for Industry Christian Pierret as well as heads of French major IT and communications companies who voiced interest in investment in Egypt after the success of the French firm operating in Egypt in the fields of mobiles and satellites.

His talks with Pierret tackled means of enhancing bilateral cooperation in the IT domain and the facilities provided by the Egyptian government for luring investments and establishing a free trade zone in the IT realm, Nazif said.

He also briefed Pierret on the process of privatizing Egypt Telecom, benefiting from France 'a experience in this respect, he added.

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