The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat, on behalf of President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, has attended the closing ceremony of the 25th edition of Africa and Arab Collegiate Programming Championship (ACPC). It was organized by the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport (AASTMT), in Sharm El-Sheikh, under the patronage of Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly.
From 25 Arab and African countries, 145 teams of university students were selected out of the 4,000+ teams that participated in ACPC semifinals.
In his remarks, the ICT Minister emphasized that the promising ICT sector has achieved unprecedented growth rates locally and globally. He explained that it has achieved the highest growth rate of about 15-17% over the past four and half years. The ICT sector has become a driving force for different state sectors depending on technology as the main pillar for implementing their development plans.
Talaat added that a major change has happened in the skill set required by the global labor market. According to international reports, about 85 million jobs will have been lost by 2025, while nearly 100 million new roles may emerge due to the different required future skills. He clarified that specializations such as Artificial Intelligence (AI), cybersecurity, the Internet of Things (IoT), data analysis, blockchain, and other modern technologies will be in high demand.
The ICT Minister indicated that total worldwide IT spending is projected to total $4.6 trillion by the end of 2023, an increase of 5.1% from 2022. He pointed to the change in the nature and patterns of work with the growing reliance on remote work and freelancing. International reports indicate that around 15-25% of the global workforce is currently joining the freelance market. This percentage is expected to increase by 2025, reaching 35-40%, he added.
Talaat praised AASTMT role and keenness to prepare trained calibers capable of joining the labor market and implementing automation projects in various Arab and African countries. He also congratulated ACPC winners and all contestants, highlighting that in scientific competitions, no one loses, because all participants win experience and practical and technical knowledge.
For his part, AASTMT President Ismail Abdel Ghafar stated that technology is hope. He encouraged ACPC contestants to prepare well for the international competition that AASTMT is organizing in November 2023, and invited them to join the initiatives and training programs provided by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT).
The ICT Minister and AASTMT President honored the first three winning teams in the 25th edition of ACPC. The first-place winner is “Three Sannin” from AASTMT.
ACPC closing ceremony was attended by the former Minister of Education Yousry El-Gamal, the Assistant ICT Minister for Strategy and Implementation Sherine El-Guindy, and AASTMT President's Advisor Ossama Ismail.
The idea behind the competition is based on developing students’ abilities to use systemic solution methods and computer algorithms to solve industry-related problems by creating programs to solve the problems in the best way and the shortest possible time, using the minimum computer memory.
