16 January 2023
Three MCIT Projects Nominated for WSIS Prizes 2023


Three projects by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) have been nominated for the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Prizes 2023.
 
WSIS Prizes, presented by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), is an exceptional international recognition of WSIS Stakeholders as Winners and Champions for their excellence in supporting the implementation of WSIS outcomes, WSIS Action Lines and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
 
In Category 1 — AL C1. The role of governments and all stakeholders in the promotion of ICTs for development, “Digital Decent Life” has been nominated. The project is carried out by MCIT as part of its role in the Decent Life presidential initiative. In line with SDGs 5,8, and 10, Digital Decent Life is aimed at promoting digital literacy in rural villages to help achieve economic empowerment and create safe and productive interactive digital communities in the Egyptian countryside.
 
The main objective of the project is to leave no one behind by bridging the gap between urban and rural areas and improving the livelihoods of villagers. Women, girls and youth are at the heart of the initiative, with tailored programs organized to enhance their employability and ensure their access to decent work opportunities.
 
Another project is the “Smart Cities National Infrastructure Code and building supporting technical capacities.” It has been nominated in Category 2 — AL C2. Information and communication infrastructure.

The project, implemented by the National Telecom Regulatory Authority (NTRA), is aimed at fulfilling SDG 11. NTRA developed and issued codes and guidelines for designing and building the telecommunications infrastructure in smart cites in a way that helps accommodate a wide range of services, applications and future technologies, helping advance economic and social development. NTRA also organized a training program in optical fiber networks for those in charge of applying the guidelines and codes. The program is joined by 3,000 trainees.
 
Another entry by NTRA, the Egyptian African Telecom Regulatory Training Center (EG-ATRC) has been nominated in Category 4 — AL C4. Capacity building. EG-ATRC is Africa’s first telecommunications regulation-specialized training center. It aims to cultivate professionals capable of dealing with the challenges in the ICT sector through different training programs and drills in cybersecurity, spectrum management, smart cities and infrastructure, Type Approval, e-payment, licensing and market governance.
 
Projects in the WSIS Prizes contest are sorted in 18 categories. The voting process will result in identifying five projects with the highest number of votes given for project descriptions by WSIS stakeholders. An Expert Group will make in-depth analyses of the five most voted projects per category and will select one winning project per category, taking into account scale and impact of the project on the implementation of the WSIS outcomes and its contribution to sustainable development. The outcome of this phase will be the list of the 18 winning projects that will be announced and, together with the 72 champion projects, recognized at the WSIS Prize 2023 Ceremony at WSIS Forum 2023.
 
Voting is open until January 25. To vote for a project, kindly click here.
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