Egypt’s ICT 2020 Strategy and UAE ICT Strategy 2021 are driving growth of the regional ICT sector

Dubai, United Arab Emirates - Thursday, October 16th 2014 [ME NewsWire]

As part of a continued drive to promote entrepreneurship and innovation within the ICT sector, Majed Al Suwaidi, Managing Director of Dubai Internet City (DIC) and Dubai Outsource Zone (DOZ), today met with H.E. Eng Atef Helmy, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology (CIT) to discuss potential areas of collaboration.

Supporting each other by promoting partnerships across companies and talent in Egypt and the UAE, fostering entrepreneurship, and supporting smart initiatives, would result in further growth for the regional ICT sector. Egypt’s ICT 2020 Strategy, which seeks to establish Egypt as a global digital hub, and the recent UAE ICT Strategy 2021, will position both the UAE and Egypt as global industry leaders and strategic business hubs, working hard to drive continual development across the region.

The UAE and Egypt’s ICT sectors are thriving, with ICT spending in the UAE forecast to grow by 5 per cent over the course of 2014 to reach $15 billion. The UAE is also moving steadily up the ranks of global ICT indexes; a recent World Economic Forum study ranked the UAE first among Arab States in government success in ICT promotion and first in mobile network coverage, and with 85% of UAE residents now online, the highest number in the Middle East. Internet use in Egypt has grown at an annual rate of 10 per cent, and investments in Egypt’s ICT sector reached $6.6 billion last year.

Speaking after the meeting, Majed Al Suwaidi said,

“The Middle East’s ICT industry is growing significantly, with ICT spending across the region projected to grow by 8 per cent in 2014, compared with global growth of 2.1 per cent, according to market research company Gartner.”

“The UAE in particular has seen huge growth across the ICT sector in recent years through proactive government initiatives, including smart initiatives, cutting-edge infrastructure and connectivity. Dubai Internet City provides an innovative hub for companies from around the world to set up their companies, as well as a community to foster and support entrepreneurship, and the Emirate is now home to industry giants including Facebook, HP and DELL.”

“I look forward to working closely with Egypt’s Ministry of Information and Communications Technology to collaborate and promote the development of a robust ICT sector, both in Egypt and the UAE, as well as across the entire region.”

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About Dubai Internet City

Dubai Internet City (DIC) is the Middle East and North Africa’s largest ICT hub. Since the year 2000, DIC has successfully developed a prosperous ecosystem for technology organisations and today is home to Fortune 500 listed companies and multinationals as well as some of the region’s most dynamic and successful technology SMEs and start-ups from all elements of the ICT value chain.

DIC provides a wide range of facilities including state-of-the-art offices, a robust IT infrastructure, 24-hour security, retail services and hotels, spread across the business park’s unique and tranquil landscape; an environment that helps ICT businesses develop, innovate and grow.

For more information, please visit: www.dubaiinternetcity.com

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