Egypt's TIEC plans 'Neighbourhood' local portal scheme

Egypt's Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center (TIEC) has announced plans to launch the 'Neighbourhood' initiative in early February. A statement from the ICT ministry said the TIEC aspires to play an influential role in supporting Egyptian entrepreneurs in the wake of the 2011 revolution. The aim is to use social networking and mobile phone applications at neighbourhood level to provide services to residents. The Neighbourhood initiative aims to establish portals in each governorate or residential area. The scheme will assist SMEs and new graduates to develop accessible Arabic applications on the internet to link users according to their geographical location and provide relevant information, knowledge and services. It hopes to unite effective parties in each region, such as civil society organisations, academic institutions, institutes, businesses, volunteers, students and users.