The Academy Company for Information Communication Technology (ACICT), the technological investment arm of the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport (AASTMT), has launched a strategic partnership with Logix, a leading company in smart transformation and information security, to launch the largest smart and secure educational platform in Egypt and the Arab World. This is part of ACICT’s efforts to support Egypt Vision 2030 in developing knowledge, innovation and scientific research.

This agreement aims to empower the educational sector and prepare it for the post-Covid era, especially after the increased confidence in distance learning and the need for an integrated and safe platform for smart education. The agreement was signed by Eng. Ahmed Sharaf, Managing Director of ACICT and Eng. Sameh Khader, General Manager of Logix in Egypt.

Knowledge Development and Innovation

Eng. Ahmed Sharaf, Managing Director of ACICT, said: “Egypt is the most populous country in the Arab World and the third-most populous in Africa. Its migrant minds constitute nearly 10 per cent of the population, with Egyptian experts and innovators at the forefront of every research, scientific and academic institution worldwide. That’s why, one of the key goals of Egypt Vision 2030 is to develop knowledge, innovation and scientific research. This includes a plan to bring back Egyptian migrant minds and enhance the capabilities of the innovation and development system and a knowledge economy that is based on smart learning and its tools.”

Sharaf added: “Despite the negative impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has accelerated the adoption of distance learning. It has pushed us to move away from traditional education methods that were a great challenge to enhance the quality of education and its outputs because of operational and financing obstacles. We now have a new opportunity to benefit from this transformation, which requires concerted efforts by adopting the best smart practices and enhancing them with security and information protection. This ensures the highest level of performance and achieving the educational outcomes that decision-makers aspire to achieve.”

Egypt as a Role Model

Eng. Sameh Khader, General Manager of Logex in Egypt, said: “The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the world unexpectedly and without prior preparations to deal with the consequences, which resulted in taking quick unplanned measures in many sectors. Hence, the need for our cooperation with the Academy Company for Information Communication Technology, the technological investment arm of the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport, an affiliate of the Arab League. We will work together to build an integrated platform for smart learning featuring the highest cybersecurity and protection levels. This will help to provide world-class smart learning in Egypt both for basic and higher education.”

Khader added, “Egypt is an ideal arena for building the platform. It has all the factors for the success of the experiment and launching it as a regional model. There are millions of students in this country that has a large population of youth. In Egypt, there are diverse community groups, this allows us to test our system across different networks and communication systems. Our education system includes various curricula in terms of content, languages ​​and applications. If our platform succeeds in Egypt, we are confident that it can be implemented across the Arab World and Africa as well other regions and countries around the world. We look forward to AASTMT’s extensive network and its many branches in Egypt and the region, which will act as an ideal incubator to develop and transform our platform into a real experience.”

Regional Cybersecurity Market

Sharaf said that the secure smart education platform will mark the starting point for a major initiative that will be introduced based on this agreement, to launch the region’s first cybersecurity market, providing comprehensive solutions to help organisations choose digital transformation systems and high-capacity network architecture enhanced with cybersecurity solutions and protection. The market targets various economic sectors, especially those that need quick support in digital transformation and information security, such as the maritime, education and health sectors, as well as factories and economic establishments that do not have specialised teams for information security and digital transformation. He stated that the association with the Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport, an affiliate of the Arab League, will give them a competitive advantage to achieve this mission and build a regional market for information security and digital transformation.

The Arab Academy for Science Technology & Maritime Transport has many regional branches, the latest is in the Emirate of Sharjah in the UAE. The Academy Company for Information Communication Technology (ACICT) develops various smart and innovative solutions to enhance the educational experience at the Academy. One of the latest solutions is the bright board project, an innovative product that harnesses the capabilities of Augmented Reality and multimedia to deliver an advanced interactive experience for online lectures.