Joseph Hanania, Managing Director, HP Middle-East, participated at the recently concluded World Economic Forum (WEF) in the Middle-East. Held at Sharm EL Sheikh in Egypt, the event was attended by more than 1,200 government, business and civil society leaders from 46 countries to help prepare the way for a more prosperous and peaceful future for the Middle East. Participants looked at the role of businesses as the engines of job creation and the need for leaders to work together for peace and stability.
In his workshop, titled ‘Leveraging ICT for Development and Increased Competitiveness in the Middle-East, Mr. Hanania discussed how the ICT industry has turned into a key driver of productivity and growth in today’s increasingly complex global economy. Highlighting the linkage between ICT readiness and overall competitiveness, he said “Policy-makers and the business community should harness the potential of technologies to better leverage the development process, and to attain sustained rates of economic growth that will enable countries to enhance efficiency and opportunity for all.”
The WEF on the Middle East comes at a crucial time as the region goes through tremendous transformation. The forum’s broad agenda this year was to enlighten the next generation of leaders about the need for partnerships and dialogue between countries and how to best utilize the technology for the next wave of growth.
Mr. Hanania’s workshop touched upon the recent findings of the WEF’s Global ICT report. The report examined factors, policies and practices that are central to the development of ICT in the ME region. There are references to countries and industries that have been able to benefit from ICT, the regulatory climates conducive to such success and detailed priorities which should be set to promote the technological modernization of the region.
He also moderated an interactive workshop entitled ‘Looking for the Next Big Idea’.
“The objective of the forum was to identify the source of major Arab inventions and innovations and how these can drive economic, social and cultural development across the Middle-East,” he added.
Another session conducted by Mr. Hanania was ‘New Approaches to Further Education’.
The session touched upon a new education system and reform to cater to the needs of the latest societal changes: It touched upon the different approaches being taken to reform education in the Middle-East; the necessity to obtain a university degree and the how longer this was relevant to today’s job market; steps required to ensure that private universities and training institutes are properly accredited and regulated.
For Hewlett-Packard, the World Economic Forum offers a platform from which to discuss the global challenges of the 21st century stretching from the digital divide to greenhouse gas emissions. With more than one billion customers in 178 countries, HP is truly a global citizen.
HP is investing heavily and working closely with governments and businesses alike to close the gap between technology-enabled and technology-excluded societies by developing new products, new customers, and new employees in the process.
The World Economic Forum is an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging leaders in partnerships to shape global, regional and industry agendas. Incorporated as a foundation in 1971, and based in Geneva, Switzerland, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit; it is tied to no political, partisan or national interests.
About HP
HP is a technology solutions provider to consumers, businesses and institutions globally. The company’s offerings span IT infrastructure, global services, business and home computing, and imaging and printing. For the four fiscal quarters ended April 30, 2006, HP revenue totaled $88.9 billion. More information about HP (NYSE, Nasdaq: HPQ) is available at www.hp.com.
About HP Middle East
HP is the largest technology and solutions provider in the Middle East with 670 employees and subsidiaries in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh, Jeddah, Khobar, Cairo, Ramallah and Oman servicing the GCC, Egypt and the Levant. HP has been present in the Middle East since 1968 and opened its first regional office in 1994. HP Middle East is the market leader for enterprise, small and medium business and consumer technology products and offers a large portfolio of solutions and services in various business domains.
More information about HP in the Middle East is available at www.hp.com/me
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(1) Based on internal data and industry analyst reports
2) 4Q 2005 IDC Worldwide Quarterly PC Tracker Database, March 2006
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