Nokia, Cisco, IBM, & other world ICT giants to meet for the first time in Syria at MENA ICT Week 2011
· 500 international experts from 14 countries including USA and Europe to convene in Damascus from March 25-29
· “3rd annual MENA ICT Week to witness an unprecedented meeting between movers and shakers in the ICT sector in Syria” – Dr. Rakan Razouk, CEO of the Syrian Computer Society
MENA ICT Week 2011, to be launched in Damascus on Friday (March 25, 2011), will play host to giant ICT companies, government agencies, and think-tanks from around the world, with Cisco, Nokia and IBM converging on a meeting of such scale for the first time in Damascus.
The conference, launched under the auspices of Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri, brings together 500 major ICT experts from 14 countries, including USA, UK, Australia, several Arab countries, Asia and Africa.
Held from March 25-29, MENA ICT Week 2011 is organized by the Syrian Computer Society (SCS), the country’s leading ICT association, with the Arab organization for ICT – IJMA3, an initiative of USAID’s Global Development Alliance. The conference is considered to be the most prominent in the ICT sector in the Arab world, with this year’s event marking the 3rd annual cycle, following meetings of a similar nature in Beirut and Bahrain in previous years.
Dr. Rakan Razouk, Chairman of the SCS, said: “The 3rd annual MENA ICT Week will witness an unprecedented meeting between movers and shakers in the ICT sector here in Syria. This conference provides participating companies with an excellent opportunity to network, meet and cooperate on a B2B level. The MENA ICT Week 2011 will allow Syrian companies to interact with internationally-acclaimed ICT companies, to hopefully establish common work opportunities geared towards developing the ICT sector in Syria."
Organizers revealed that MENA ICT Week 2011 will bring together senior speakers from Nokia, Cisco, IBM (represented by its vice president Cathy Rogers, USA), Zein Telecom, and several other leading solution providers, communications and information technology specialists.
Moreover, the week will also host representatives from the World Bank, US-based TechAmerica, UK-based eSkills, and several other UN agencies (including the United Nations
Global Alliance for ICT and Development – UNGAID – chaired by Arab personality Talal Abu Ghazala).
The conference also brings in American speakers from developmental and business sectors that are not directly related to ICT, including Mercy Corps, a major relief agency, and Bridging the Divide, whose mission is to “promote long-lasting partnerships between civil society leaders in the Middle East & Africa and globally-minded Americans.”
During deliberations, participants will discuss three focal areas; Arab strategies that seek to achieve sustainable ICT development, current climate of ICT in the Arab world and the challanges facing sufficient development of the sector, as well as future strategies geared towards developing the ICT sector.
MENA ICT Week 2011 coincides with the country’s landmark annual event, Shaam Expo 2011 for informatics and communication, which brings together leading ICT companies from Syria and the region, and is considered as the second-largest expo in the region next to GITEX.
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Note to the Editor:
MENA ICT Week 2011 will also include the following noteworthy activities:
· The Arab Golden Chip Awards: The Golden Chip will be awarded to outstanding people working in service companies in the field of ICT in the Middle East and North Africa. The award will highlight significant achievements by leading figures driving ICT change and innovation around the region and in their countries. The winners will be selected by a jury of acclaimed members from the regional ICT sector.
· Meeting of Arab Organization for ICT (Ijma3): Ijma3, an initiative of USAID’s Global Development Alliance, is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization consisting of a consortium of 19 national ICT society and association members from 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. Located in Beirut, Lebanon, IJMA3 is dedicated to advocating policies that advance the industry’s growth and development, facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services, and harnessing ICT toward the fulfillment of critical regional development challenges. IJMA3 is a member of – and the regional representative for – the World IT and Services Alliance, an international body representing the interests of the ICT industry globally.
· Meeting of World Information Technology and Services Alliance – WITSA:
WITSA meeting is one of the most important events in the area. The hosting of the WITSA meeting by SCS and Ijma3 in Syria signifies is a testimony of the attention given to ICT in the Arab area, especially in Syria.
· Business Matching Workshop: Designed to create business linkages between companies across the MENA region.
· Shaam Expo 2011: Shaam Expo is one of the biggest ICT exhibitions in the Arab world. It was, and still is, the most important meeting on the national level between demanders and suppliers of ICT services and solutions. It is also an important resource that introduces you to the new innovations and development in the field. Shaam Expo 2011, held on the sidelines of MENA ICT WEEK 2011, will be held from March 25-29, with the bazaar extending from March 25-April 1, 2011.
About the organizers and affiliates:
· Syrian Computer Society (SCS) was established in 1989 as an initiative from its late founder, Eng. Basel Al Assad and a group of founding members working in the field of IT. Today, the society expanded to include nearly 4507 working members and 6297 supporting members from all Syrian governorates.
Mainly, the SCS is aiming to adopt and encourage all research activities that support the Arabization, Standardization and unification of IT terminologies which contribute in enhancing the IT level in Syria. SCS is promoting for IT knowledge by organizing seminars, lectures and scientific conferences in cooperation with national and international scientific councils. It is also disseminating IT culture through TV programs, articles, magazines and scientific books in cooperation with Media institutions, in addition to cooperating with ICT institutions to develop methods and networks needed for information exchange.
For more information please visit the society website: http://www.scs.org.sy
· The Arab ICT Organization – IJMA3 was created in 2004 as part of the IT Mentor Alliance, an initiative of USAID’s Global Development Alliance. IJMA3 is an international, non-governmental, non-profit organization consisting of a consortium of 19 national ICT society and association members from 14 countries across the Middle East and North Africa. As the regional voice of the ICT industry, IJMA3 is dedicated to advocating policies that advance the industry’s growth and development, facilitating international trade and investment in ICT products and services, and harnessing ICT toward the fulfillment of critical regional development challenges. IJMA3 is a member of – and the regional representative for – the World IT and Services Alliance, an international body representing the interests of the ICT industry globally.
For more information please visit the IJMA3 website: www.ijma3.org
· World Information Technology and Services Alliance – WITSA is a consortium of over 70 national ICT-industry associations with members representing more than 90% of the world ICT market. WITSA was founded in 1978 as the leading voice of ICT industry all over the world and it has since increasingly participated in advocacy in international public policy that affects the "global information infrastructure." It voices the concerns of the international IT industry in organizations such as the World Trade Organization (WTO), the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, and the G8. http://www.witsa.org/v2/
You can find more information about MENA ICT week by following this link:
http://www.menaictweek.com
Please contact the press relations office for more information and help:
Ms. Samiha Al Saleh and Ms. Reem Al Bnoud via the following numbers:
Tel: 00963 11 88278540- 00963 11 88278544
Fax: 00963 11 88278550
Email: prees@menaictsyria.com