Page:    1    2    3    4    5    6    7    8    9    10    11    12    13    14    15    16

The interest generated by Minister Kamel’s efforts to strengthen Egypt’s ICT sector was apparent from the size of the delegation that accompanied him from Egypt. NUSACC partnered with the Northern Virginia Technology Council (NVTC) to co-host a reception in Virginia that drew large numbers of ICT companies from Greater Washington DC and the East Coast technology corridor.

Also in cooperation with the NVTC, NUSACC co-hosted a breakfast on June 21 for a group of Egyptian business leaders representing Eitesal, an Egyptian non-profit association promoting Egypt’s ICT industry. Marleine Davis and Shahira Tewfik, NUSACC’s Directors of Operations and Public Affairs, respectively, provided a briefing on NUSACC’s mission, vision, and activities with a view to promoting business-to-business relationships in the United States.

Tunisian Minister of Communication Technology Dr. Montassar Ouaili speaks at a roundtable discussion held at the Embassy of Tunisia in Washington DC.

Tunisia

In June, in cooperation with the Embassy of Tunisia, NUSACC hosted an off-the-record luncheon in honor of H.E. Dr. Montassar Ouaili, Tunisia’s Minister of Communication Technology, at the Embassy of Tunisia. The event included leaders from the IT industry and the U.S. Government. Minister Ouaili, then a candidate for the position of Secretary General of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), delivered remarks on Tunisia’s emerging IT opportunities, the ITU, and life after the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) – which Tunisia hosted in November 2005.

Oman

In May, David Hamod served as a panel moderator at the U.S. & MENA Information and Communications Technology Project

Forum conference, entitled “Making Connections in the Middle East and North Africa.” The event, convened in Muscat, Oman, was sponsored by the U.S. Trade and Development Agency with the support of Oman’s Ministry of National Economy.

The three-day conference looked at best practices and success stories in the region with regard to privatization, technology parks (like Knowledge Oasis Muscat), e-commerce and e-government, financing, Internet access, emerging trends, and other issues. Some of the visiting guest speakers included: Hon. David Gross, U.S. Coordinator for ICT Policy at the U.S. Department of State; H.E. Omar Al-Kurdi, Jordan’s ICT Minister; and a wide variety of high-level officials from the Sultanate of Oman.

Qatar

In March, NUSACC co-hosted a luncheon at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for the Qatar Science and Technology Park (QSTP), part of the Qatar Foundation. The first facilities of QSTP – the Innovation and Technology Transfer Center, and the Emerging Technology Center – are scheduled to open in late 2007, according to Dr. Eulian Roberts, the Park’s CEO.

There are at least three compelling reasons to invest in the QSTP, according to Dr. Roberts: It is linked to top-rated international universities; it is considered a free zone with tax and ownership incentives; it provides access to world-class research institutes.

Initial emphasis is on the following sectors: aircraft operations, environmental technology, water technology, gas and petrochemicals, healthcare, and information and communication technologies (ICT). One of the centerpieces of the QSTP will be ExxonMobil Research Qatar, a center for R&D and training.

Tunisian Minister of Communication Technology Dr. Montassar Ouaili speaks at a roundtable discussion held at the Embassy of Tunisia in Washington DC.

H.E. Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Oman’s Minister of Commerce and Industry, with Ambassador Hunaina Al-Mughairy (right).