The Internet .. has entered the mainstream, while the use of the Internet as an educational tool has become as essential as paper, pencil and the blackboard- Abu Ghazaleh

 

MANAMA January 28, 2010 Mr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chair of the UN Global Alliance for ICT and Development (GAID), addressed the opening ceremony of the MENA ICT Week 2010 held under the patronage of H.E Sheikh Ahmed bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, on January 26, 2010 in the Bahraini capital.Abu-Ghazaleh Named Arab ICT Personality of the Year 2010

 

In his keynote speech entitled ICT Advancement in a Changing World, Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh stressed the significance of ICT for the socioeconomic development process in the Arab region and for upgrading the health and education services. He said, Online education has passed the beta stage and has entered the mainstream, while the use of the internet as an educational tool has become as essential as paper, pencil and the blackboard.

 

 

He called for the establishment of the Arab ICT Advancement Forum to be hosted by Bahrain as a platform for harmonized regional ICT development.

 

A statement by the Union of Arab ICT Associations (IJMA3), the organizer of the Week, welcomed Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh to address the Opening Ceremony, as well as to deliver the keynote speech in the Panel Session, in which he reviewed the status of the ICT sector in the Arab world, and discussed future directions and opportunities for growth. Abu-Ghazaleh Named ?Arab ICT Personality of the Year 2010 

Mr. Abu-Ghazaleh has also participated in the other events of the Week including the IJMA3 Annual Meeting on January 26th, and the Arab Golden Chip Awards ceremony on January 27th, during which he was granted the prestigious award of ?Arab ICT Personality of the Year, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the development of ICT in the Arab region and the global role he has played as the voice of Arabs at all international ICT and development forums.

 

The events were attended by several ICT ministers from around the MENA region, ICT experts and executives, ambassadors, and representatives of large organizations from across the MENA region and the world. It was widely covered by local and regional media agencies.

The MENA ICT Week 2010 was held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Ahmed Bin Atiyatalla Al Khalifa, Minister of Cabinet Affairs and in partnership with Bahrain Internet Society, IJMA3, US Commercial Service, Gulf Future Business, Bahrain E-Government Authority, and ARISPA. The theme of this years Week was Driving Economies for a Better Future.

Union of Arab ICT Associations

IJMA3, an alliance of Arab ICT organizations, was formed during the regional ICT conference held at the Dead Sea in Jordan in March 2004. Its members include the ICT associations of Algeria, Morocco, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, and Tunisia. As a uniting platform of the Arabic ICT private sector, IJMA3 is concerned with accelerating the process of development in the Arab countries through ICT.