Recent reports reveal that Egypt was selected at the recent G-8 summit to participate as a member of an International Technological Committee to help alleviate Africa’s growing development gap.
Egypt, along with Tanzania, Senegal and South Africa, represents the African community in the committee, announced the Egyptian Information Service.
Egypt’s representative in the committee, Ra' fat Radwan, stated that the group would focus on achieving technological parity between Africa’s northern and southern regions.
The program is the result of initiatives of G-8 nations, in collaboration with various organizations including the EU, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the World Bank, and the UN Development Program.
The group has begun to explore ways to utilize global information technology advances towards realizing socio-economic progress, in addition to ways of incorporating developing nations into the digital revolution.
Future plans include the establishment of an international expertise center to help developing countries devise new policies to promote technology, and the creation of Internet and communications centers throughout Africa.
A plan to connect Africa’s educational and research facilities with the Internet and with one another is also being reviewed.
Furthermore, the committee will work towards boosting investments on the part of wealthy nations to assist in the endeavor. –(MENA Report)
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