Digital empowerment of individuals in local communities

Supporting remote areas and digital empowerment of individuals in local communities is one of the main objectives of digital community development projects, which are implemented by increasing digital access to local communities, including remote, marginalized, rural and less fortunate areas, using ICT tools.
Since 2008, integrating remote and marginalized areas has become part of the strategic objectives of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, as integrated technological development projects were implemented in the Siwa and Nubia regions to create a sustainable development model for these remote communities.
Since that date, digital community development projects have been working to support citizens in remote areas using ICT tools and solutions that contribute to improving the quality of life of citizens by providing technological sustainability centers in different governorates (technology clubs), as well as integrating innovative applications of new technologies into services provided to citizens, such as the use of remote diagnosis technologies in health services.
The activities of digital community development projects to empower citizens in remote areas include: the Presidential Initiative for Remote Diagnosis, and the Qudwa Initiative. Tech for women empowerment, e-learning, empowerment of persons with disabilities, qualifying youth for the labor market and employment, community awareness of climate change and environmental sustainability issues, spreading online safety and protection from digital risks. The focus on supporting remote areas is closely linked to the institutional development of NGOs in remote and rural communities, allowing them to play a more effective role in the sustainable development of these communities. Thus, civil society organizations and NGOs can be the umbrella for digital community development project activities, by working to build the capacities of civil society workers and preparing training groups that provide training content (TOT) according to the needs of local environmental citizens, in addition to establishing digital sustainability centers and new technology labs equipped with computers and the Internet, in addition to providing programs that enhance the skills of those in charge of these centers and thus achieve more sustainability and continuity.