EC News DeskVMware and Egypt’s National Telecommunication Institute, NTI, have signed a MoU to establish NTI as the VMware IT Academy regional lead for the Middle East and Africa. The initiative will help train the next generation of ICT instructors and university students, helping organisations in Egypt digitally transform and embrace a future based on a software-defined infrastructure approach.
As the regional lead, NTI will train instructors and provide technical support to other institutions that are members of the VMware IT Academy Programme, helping to increase access to this type of education and training. The aim is to empower Egypt’s young and fast-growing population, including undergraduates and fresh graduates, with the skills required to help the country on its digital transformation journey.
The VMware IT Academy supports Egypt’s ambitious ICT 2030 strategy, which aims to develop the communications sector and maximise ICT’s contribution to the economic growth of the country. The academy will also bolster Egypt’s position as a regional ICT hub. Indeed, Egypt’s ICT sector achieved growth of between 15% and 18% during the first three quarters of the fiscal year 2018-2019 and is expected to account for 5% of GDP by the end of the fiscal year, according to the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology.
VMware IT Academy and NTI plan to create a scalable model for continuous education in VMware technologies, to be delivered by organisations that include academic institutions, not-for-profits and government entities.
NTI, which is an affiliate of Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, will work with VMware IT Academy to expand the knowledge and technical capacity of students and instructors at organisations that take part in the programme, equipping them with the technical skills needed to succeed in the digital economy.
Prof. Iman Ashour, Director, NTI, said: “As ICT continues to grow in importance as a pillar of Egypt’s economy, it is vital that the IT professionals of tomorrow have a deep understanding of technologies that will help to deliver digital transformation across Egypt and the region. That’s why the VMware IT Academy is so important not just for the ICT sector, but also the wider economy and society. Moreover, as a burgeoning hub for ICT, Egypt is also positioned to export ICT skills to the African continent.”
Ahmed El Saadi, Country Manager, Egypt, North Africa and Levant at VMware, said: “NTI has strong ICT education and knowledge in Egypt for several decades and is an ideal collaboration partner to help develop the VMware IT Academy, which will nurture talent and assist in bringing the full the benefits of digital technology, including virtualisation, cloud computing, AI and IoT, to Egypt. We’re excited to help support Egypt’s ICT goals by helping students and IT professionals expand their knowledge of VMware solutions.”
VMware has significant experience of expanding ICT knowledge in Egypt through partner programmes and recent initiatives such as its collaboration with Egypt’s Information Technology Institute, ITI, an affiliate of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, MCIT. The collaboration between ITI and VMware, which was signed in April, will support Egyptian ICT students with professional training to bridge the gap between academic studies and the skills needed in today’s competitive job market and to empower local ICT talent and expertise.
