Arab connect Summit Discusses "Deploying ICTs to Accelerate Economic Growth"

Doha, March 06 (QNA) -An inaugural discussion panel themed "Deploying ICTs to Accelerate Economic Growth" was held Tuesday morning during the opening debate of the Arab connect summit 2012. The discussion panel, moderated by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary general, Dr. Hamadoun Toure, included QTEL Chairman HE Sheikh Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Saud Al Thani, Chairman of UAE telecommunications company Etisalat, Mohammed Omran, Saudi Telecom Company CEO, Dr. Saad Al Qahtani, and the Chairman and CEO of e-Development International, Reza Jafari. Addressing the session, Dr. Toure said the summit holds a big responsibility securing a safe future for the youth in field of ICT. He pointed that if these youth segments, who led revolutions to create for themselves newer prospects, didn't find job opportunities in the upcoming period, chances are they will do similar revolutionary actions to achieve their goal. Dr. Toure came out with remarkable recommendations after a meeting yesterday held with a group of youth. A significant recommendation of establishing a regional care institution responsible for technological development and connected to the youth sector in this spot of the world was one of them in addition to the youth awareness of job opportunities available on this field. ITU Secretary General recommended the necessity of executing youth s requirements and that; leaders should give these requirements the priority to be executed in order to achieve human and technological advancements. HE QTEL Chairman said thinking about the future should cope with the ICT revolutions pointing that all means of new communication will contribute if activated- at achieving holistic economic development in the whole region. HE added that the youth in our region nowadays are fully aware of all means of social communications including Facebook and Twitter, a place where they exchange information, updates, as well as their "frustrations" towards the communication shut downs in their related regions. QTEL is working on boosting the national vision of 2030 and achieving all its attributes. HE noted that QTEL has recently finished working on a connecting network project assigned for Qatari students studying abroad to help them solve the issues they face during their term of studying. Referring to the Mobile World Congress 2012 (MWB) that was held recently in Barcelona, HE focused on the importance of organization in the field of communication" we are now focusing on the data". He noted the vitality of "advice giving" in the process of achieving competition which surely leads to a role bigger than the perspective of those who use different means of communication . (QNA)