Minister of Communications and Information Technology, inaugurates the activities of the Future of Women Empowerment Forum in the Era of Digital Transformation

Project : Qodwa .Tech

Dr. Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, inaugurated the annual forum of the "Qudwa. Tech" initiative for women's empowerment (The Future of Women's Empowerment in the Era of Digital Transformation), organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology under the slogan: "Qudwa. Tech: Advanced Digital Solutions towards a Sustainable Impact"; coinciding with the international and local celebrations of Women's Day during the month of March of each year. In his speech during the forum, Dr. Amr Talaat stressed that the success of the communications and information technology sector lies in its ability to harness modern technologies to achieve a societal, economic and developmental impact in various sectors of society; referring to the "Qudwa. Tech" initiative launched by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to enable Egyptian women to use modern technological means to develop their projects and reach target markets. Dr. Amr Talaat explained that the celebration in March marks the 5th anniversary of the launch of the "Qudwa" initiative. "Tech" comes in conjunction with the occasions concerned with honoring women, whether at the local level through Egyptian Women's Day or at the level of celebrating International Women's Day; praising the success stories of women and girls who benefited from the initiative, which represent bright models for many women who were able to harness technology to achieve their goals; stressing the keenness of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to ensure women's participation in all initiatives, whether related to training or those aimed at creating job opportunities and monitoring indicators of participation rates. Dr. Amr Talaat added that the percentage of women's participation in the communications and information technology sector in general reaches 45%; expressing his aspiration to increase this percentage; directing thanks to the work team in charge of implementing the initiative, as well as thanking the United Nations Development Program and partners in implementing the initiative from entities and civil society. The "Qudwa.Tech" initiative has provided digital support to more than 11,000 women and businesswomen, by graduating 55 training groups from all governorates of the Arab Republic of Egypt in the craft and service fields by building their skills in digital marketing using social media sites, in addition to holding more than 70 advisory sessions and awareness seminars on topics supporting e-commerce, artificial intelligence applications, production of visual digital content and advanced digital solutions. Digital awareness was also raised on sustainable development issues for women craftsmen and knowledge pioneers who transferred their expertise to more than 3,000 women in their local communities in various governorates.

The initiative also had a prominent societal impact represented by role models in local communities, which reflects the sustainability of the "Qudwa.Tech" initiative's training programs and the expansion of its ability to reach and access all women's communities in various governorates, especially the most needy areas, by targeting multiple and new training paths characterized by flexibility, innovation and integration to develop the skills of craftswomen to use new and advanced technological solutions to keep pace with the rapid transformations of the digital society.

During the event, Mr. Alessandro Fracassetti, UNDP Resident Representative in Egypt, delivered a speech in which he referred to the program's commitment to supporting Egypt's plan to achieve sustainable development and enhance the ability to overcome economic and social challenges, by working on the main areas of sustainable development, inclusive growth, strategic innovation, and digital transformation. He also praised the partnership with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in the field of digital transformation for sustainable development and enhancing financial inclusion and economic empowerment of women, stressing the program's role in raising awareness of the opportunities available to women in the digital economy sector, in light of the efforts made at the international level for the social and economic empowerment of women, and the digital involvement of everyone to achieve gender equality. The forum's activities highlighted the effective role of the "Qudwa.Tech" initiative in investing in women's creative capabilities to open the way for women who own crafts and services businesses to help them catch up with the digital transformation path, as part of the efforts of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to respond to the requirements of women's digital empowerment in Egyptian society, through new programs and training aimed at improving the technological skills of craftswomen and entrepreneurs, and working to spread awareness of the importance of adopting modern technological solutions that support women's economic and social empowerment, based on the ministry's strategy towards building the human being and developing his skills in using technological solutions and applications and activating his role in the digital transformation system, and supporting the small and craft projects sector. In this context; Eng. Hoda Dahroug, Advisor to the Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Digital Community Development and Director of the Digital Transformation for Sustainable Development Project in Egypt, gave a presentation that included following up on the activities implemented by the "Qudwa.Tech" initiative in digital empowerment of craftswomen through training programs for digital marketing and e-commerce, and artificial intelligence applications, and the most important opportunities provided by the initiative for Egyptian women to face economic challenges by creating new opportunities in the fields of craft work and marketing for small projects using information and communications technology.

As part of the efforts made to establish institutional partnerships in the business sector; Training programs were implemented within the framework of the "Qudwa.Tech" initiative for female workers in the Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels, which includes 10 tourism companies, to train them on electronic marketing for their companies.

For his part, Major General Abdel Fattah Safwat, Marketing and Business Development Advisor at the Holding Company for Tourism and Hotels, indicated that the "Qudwa.Tech" initiative highlights the state's orientation to support and empower Egyptian women in the era of digital transformation; praising the efforts of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in advancing society and in developing