The speakers provided insight into the definition of a democracy, and how technology can play a crucial role in achieving it; the challenges and the solutions of deploying the infrastructure and training the required resources for this to work; and finally, how technology is a reliable tool for monitoring the election process.
Read more: Egypt Tomorrow: A call to action towards e-democracy
Qualcomm Incorporated through its Wireless Reach initiative, along with Mobinil, Click Diagnostics, the Egyptian Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) have launched a pilot program to test the technology framework designed to allow dermatologists to use Mobinil's 3G mobile network to diagnose skin conditions remotely.
"The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has facilitated the integration of ICT in health services and the provision of telemedicine to the remote and rural areas of Egypt," said Dr Hoda Baraka, first deputy to the Minister of ICT. "The Egyptian Teledermatology initiative, using mobile health technology, is inspired by pursuing equal opportunities for health services anywhere in Egypt and expanding medical insurance to all citizens. E-health programs bring better diagnostic and health services to a wider segment of the Egyptian society."
One recent film comedy to hit cinemas, for example, Asel Aswad (Molasses), depicts a young Egyptian who has lived in the United States all his life and takes time off to visit Egypt. He has to get an Egyptian passport and ID number, and his difficulties in doing so represent what many others have had to suffer, falling into a mass of red tape that can take days to sort out.
The potential move would be the first step toward electronically collecting the rest of government fees.
Read more: Egypt: Ministry of Finance moves toward electronic payment of government fees
Dr. Ahmad Darwish, Minister of State for Administrative Development, said in an interview from his Cairo office in early December that three main issues loom as priorities: changing the mindset of civil servants so that they accept reforms that will benefit them and the country; revising the structure of the civil service system so that it focuses on core functions and contract or outsource rather than support ones; and, improving the efficacy of service delivery systems in a manner that enhances efficiency and reduces petty corruption.
Read more: Egypt: System, mindsets top civil service reform priorities