Towards building a knowledge-based society in Egypt

Emerging information and communication technology (ICT) is setting the pace for a changing, competitive and dynamic global marketplace, representing an invaluable vehicle for socioeconomic development and introducing new forms and structures of organizations that are no longer affected by geographical or time barriers. Egypt, as a developing nation, with an emerging economy, has realized the potentials of ICT since the 1960s and has increasingly invested in building its infostructure and infrastructure during 1980s but it was in the 1990s that ICT was put on the national agenda as an enabler for development and a gateway to the knowledge society. The government in collaboration with different stakeholders has implemented a number of projects to diffuse ICT for development with implications that varied across different sectors and communities. The chapter intends to describe the evolution of the ICT sector to draw on the experiences of the role of ICT in development in the context of an emerging economy. Finally, the chapter addresses the challenges and opportunities made available by using ICT for development and the related socioeconomic implications on the society.