Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Dr. Ayman Ashour, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, witnessed the signing of a cooperation protocol between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and Arish University, via video conference technology, in the presence of Dr. Hassan El Demerdash, President of the University; To establish the Digital Egypt Creativity Center “Creativa” within the University of Arish; With the aim of developing the skills of students and graduates of the university and the youth of North Sinai Governorate, and qualifying them in line with the requirements of the local and global labor market in the fields of communications and information technology.
During the meeting, Dr. Amr Talaat explained that the establishment of Egypt’s Digital Creativity Centers “Creativa” is the result of constructive cooperation between the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology, Higher Education and Scientific Research; Emphasizing the importance of the Egypt Digital Innovation Centers project, as it aims to build people through developing the digital capabilities of youth and qualifying them for the local and global labor markets; Pointing out his keenness to follow up the workflow of the training process and program initiatives offered by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Egypt’s Digital Innovation Centers in the governorates.
Dr. Amr Talaat added that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is establishing Digital Egypt Innovation Centers in various governorates according to an integrated plan developed by the Ministry to spread these centers nationwide, explaining that so far 13 Digital Egypt Innovation Centers have been established in the governorates, where 8 centers have opened so far in Aswan, Qena, Sohag, Minya, Mansoura, Menoufia, Ismailia and Cairo, with the start of the trial operation of 5 new centers in the first half of 2023 in the governorates of Alexandria, Giza, New Valley, North Sinai and Beni Suef.
Dr. Amr Talaat indicated that it is scheduled to reach 20 Digital Egypt Innovation Centers by the beginning of next year, as part of a plan aimed at establishing a Digital Egypt Innovation Center in each governorate.
Dr. Ayman Ashour stressed that the existing cooperation between the Ministries of Higher Education and Communications represents a model in the integration of government work in the field of digital services, and it has effectively contributed to training and qualifying university students and providing them with the needs of the local and international labor market in terms of digital skills and practical experience in the fields of communications, information technology, and technologies. Modern, as well as the fruitful cooperation between the two ministries in raising the digital infrastructure in Egyptian universities, and strengthening the community role of universities in serving their geographical surroundings.
The minister praised the protocol, which provides the opportunity to provide practical training for North Sinai students to gain experience and technological skills, support creativity and entrepreneurship among university students, and provide the digital services needed by the governorate, and its implications for serving the people of Sinai, stressing the completion of the plan to establish Cretiva centers in all governorates. , especially the border governorates, in implementation of the state’s vision of sustainable development; Pointing out that the experience of Egypt’s digital creativity centers within universities is one of the successful and constructive experiences, which had a clear and tangible impact in raising the digital capabilities of university students, and providing professional and technical advice to students and graduates.
The Minister thanked Dr. Amr Talaat and the Ministry of Communications team for their cooperation with the Ministry through many previous protocols and projects.
For his part, Dr. Hassan Al-Demerdash expressed the university’s happiness to host the Creativa Center, pointing out that an area of 2000 square meters has been allocated to establish a permanent headquarters for the center within the University of Arish, pointing to the signing of a previous protocol between the university and the Ministry of Communications represented by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), to provide Distinguished and high-quality training in languages and information technology for Sinai students and graduates of the university and various universities, praising the results of this cooperation in supporting the university in implementing the transformation into a smart university, implementing comprehensive development in North Sinai, localizing technology in it and supporting Sinai people in the fields of technology, information and digitization.
This protocol stipulates that the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology will manage and operate the Digital Egypt Creativity Center at Arish University. To be a center for training and development of creativity and entrepreneurship for youth in North Sinai Governorate. The center aims to provide training services for students and graduates of the university and the surrounding area to prepare cadres that contribute to supporting and developing the information and communication technology industry, spreading the culture of technological innovation and increasing business, in addition to providing specialized training services to prepare trainers from faculty members in the relevant colleges, and to hold and organize conferences and hackathons. And competitions specialized in the latest technologies that support knowledge transfer and creativity, and support the conversion of innovative ideas for young people based on information and communication technology into products or services, as well as contributing to spreading awareness and know-how of the latest developments in information and communication technology, its specializations and the skills required for it, and developing learning and training mechanisms through early use. information and communication technology.
The cooperation protocol was signed by Engineer Raafat Hendi, Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Infrastructure Affairs, and Dr. Hassan Al-Demerdash, President of Arish University, in the presence of Dr. Heba Saleh, Head of the Information Technology Institute, and Dr. Sherif Kishk, Assistant Minister of Higher Education for Smart Governance.