The Cairo ICT 2010 Forum kicked off yesterday with thousands of visitors, businessmen and participants attending the first day of the conference. The four-day event focuses on various themes all coming under the umbrella of information and communication technology.

The topics to be discussed include I-Max and 3D Cinema, Challenges and Opportunities in the Cinema Industry, Green ICT, Digital Identity, E-Health and E-Government.

H.E. Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel gave his opening address to the crowd yesterday. He focused on the accomplishments, challenges and opportunities in the industry.

“The ICT sector has proved to be successfully managing the impacts of the latest global financial crisis,” Kamel said in the opening remarks yesterday.

“As well, the ICT sector is the second growing sector in the Egyptian economy and plays a tangible role in the Egyptian economy.”
Some of the discussion focused on the economic challenges of the last year and opportunities that lay ahead in 2010. While last year’s event was held in the shadow of the financial crisis, many companies that couldn’t make it in 2009 are present at this year’s conference.

“I was asked about the importance of the Cairo ICT forum recently and I want to stress on this point so much,” said Ossama Kamal, the managing director of Trade Fairs International, the organizers of Cairo ICT. “As the stock exchange reflects economy’s activity, Cairo ICT Forum is a mirror for our activities. When the sector is up, you will see this in the forum and when it’s down that’s obvious too. Cairo ICT is the thermometer of the whole sector’s behavior.”

Exhibitors this year include big names from the ICT industry—both in Egypt and abroad—as well as companies from many other industries such as media and real estate, which have undergone increased IT penetration.

The forum didn’t just gather businessmen, corporations and institutions working in the field of ICT, but also was an opportunity for consumers to meet with producers to see the latest developments in ICT and new gadgets.

This, the fourteenth year of the conference, presents panels tackling cutting edge issues like green ICT, e-waste and the role of the civil society promoting ICT dissemination.

Companies in the ICT industry in Egypt and worldwide have been working, not only to reduce their own emissions, but also to provide solutions for reducing the carbon footprint of other industries.

“Not a matter of luxury, we have to set our agendas in regards of environment and ICT,” Kamel stressed. “It’s a quite critical issue that people everywhere support this and this industry.”

Another goal of this year’s event is moving Egypt into a position in which it can play a more active role in the ICT industry—regionally and globally.

“With increasing interest in this field, the real challenge for us now is how to make Egypt a destination of ICT investments,” said Hoda Baraka, first deputy minister at MCIT.  “Egypt has the potentials to establish and put up with more investment, being local or international ones.”

Industry leaders, top corporations and government bodies will work together to develop the industry here and ensure Egypt has the human resources, expertise and funding to move the country in forward in the IT field.

“Pushing it in this direction, ICT sector can be a staple to improve our graduates’ employability,” Baraka said. “It’s a sector that have the potentials to lead, hence, pushing it forward and making it the destination for investments is what we are all about.”