‘Women Need to Become Computer Literate’
The ICDL GCC Foundation, the governing body and the certification authority of the International Computer Driving License (ICDL) program in the Gulf region, has called on Arab women to advance their computer skills, in the wake of the growing use of computers in education systems and at workplaces.
Women have traditionally assumed the responsibility of raising the family, and as children find an increasing need to use the Internet and computers, mothers should keep up with technology to be able to guide and teach their children to efficiently use their computers to maximize the benefit from this essential tool. Years of research clearly show that children who have educated and IT savvy parents are more likely to succeed in school and later in university, as their parents are more actively involved in their education process.
“Further participation of women in the digital society is necessary for achieving socioeconomic development in our region,” said Jamil Ezzo, DG, ICDL GCC Foundation. “Women are an integral part of our society as they have been the pillars of the family at the micro level of society. It is unfortunate that there is still a large percentage of women who have not realized their potential and developed their skills to become part of the digital society. The increased IT literacy among women will contribute significantly to improving productivity in the workplace, influence the proper use of Internet by children and increase the household income, which will all positively impact the entire society.”
Women in advanced countries are actively using personal computers to make a difference in the way they perform daily tasks in their personal and professional lives. Arab women should approach technology and familiarize themselves with the benefits they can get through adopting them. Computers have become an essential part of every household and many advantages can be obtained through using them effectively. Many governments across the GCC have taken up initiatives to encourage their citizens to use computers by providing them various facilities such as easy monthly installments and reduced prices.
“Of the total ICDL certifications earned in the GCC region last year, 26 percent were women, which marks a four percent increase compared to 2004,” Ezzo said. “As the global standard for IT literacy, we call on women in the region to give greater importance to empowering themselves with IT skills. ICDL GCC Foundation is committed to further IT literacy among all members of society. We will continue our efforts and will continue to work closely with the various authorities in the region to raise awareness about the importance of advancing computer skills among women.”
Fujitsu Siemens Launches UAE Assembly Plant
Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has partnered with PWC Logistics to open a state-of-the-art assembly plant in Dubai. The assembly facility, which will open this month, is expected to assemble around 100,000 PCs a year. The partnership with PWC Logistics enables FSC to deliver PCs to the region within an average time of five to eight days — nearly 50 percent faster than the present industry standard. The components will be sent from Germany and other parts of the world to Dubai, where the PCs will be assembled locally.
“This landmark deal for Fujitsu Siemens Computers means that we can significantly shorten our product order life cycle, thanks in part to PWC Logistics’ integrated end-to-end logistics solution and to our complete assembly facility here in the UAE,” said Bernd Bischoff, president and CEO, FSC.
Located in PWC Logistics’ Jebel Ali Free Zone (JAFZ) facility, the new 1,500 square meter assembly plant is directly modeled on FSC’s ultra-modern German production facility in Augsburg. This is a sizable investment for FSC in the Middle East and highlights the company’s continuing commitment to its region-wide customers. The assembly plant, which houses all the same machinery, operating procedures, methodology and quality control as its German counterpart, will be managed by senior FSC staff trained at Augsburg.
“This is a major step for Fujitsu Siemens Computers as it demonstrates the importance we place upon the Middle East market, which is growing at an average rate of 51 percent for our company,” said Bischoff. “This assembly plant helps to support our facilities in Germany, and will ensure that the extremely high levels of quality will be mirrored in this plant.”
FSC’s innovative “Made4You” solution, which offers tailor-made products for individual customer requirements, will be a key component of the new assembly plant, meaning that customers can receive specified products within days of order placement.
“This build-to-order solution is one of the company’s strongest selling points and by including this feature at our assembly plant, we will be in a position to offer our regional customers considerable flexibility in terms of their device configurations within very reasonable delivery times,” said Habib Bouchrara, VP, Middle East, Africa and Turkey, FSC.
PWC Logistics, a leading global provider of integrated supply chain solutions, was selected to partner FSC because of its comprehensive logistics capabilities and its extensive worldwide network.
“As a company, we fully met the requirements outlined by Fujitsu Siemens Computers. This deal leverages our complete range of services such as freight, transportation, warehousing, assembly, order fulfillment and distribution,” said Tarek Sultan, PWC Logistics Chairman and MD.
PWC Logistics will be responsible for the shipping throughput for FSC, which includes the delivery of all components from Germany and the transportation of finished products throughout the Middle East.
Political Issues Dominate Maktoob Blogs
Politics, culture and literature have topped the list of favorite topics among the rapidly growing blogging community in the Arab world. These were the findings of a monthlong study conducted by Maktoob.com.
The study, covering over 4,500 blogs created by users on Maktoob.com, showed a clear stand toward politics, with 40 percent of bloggers voicing their concerns on recent issues such as the Denmark cartoon controversy and the Iran nuclear stand-off. Cultural topics, at 25 percent, came in second, with literature, entertainment and Internet issues following closely.
Announcing the findings, Samih Toukan, CEO of Maktoob.com, said: “The results of the study are not surprising, considering the fact that people in the Arab world are extremely passionate about the issues that affect them directly.”
Maktoob.com bloggers are a widespread community, Toukan added, pointing out that dedicated contributors came from different cultural and economic backgrounds. The majority of Maktoob.com bloggers are concentrated in the Middle East, but regular blog writers also hail from the US, Canada, UK, Germany and Australia.
Toukan explained that one of the encouraging trends of the blog phenomenon was the fact that it has enabled many journalists to reach out to a wider audience outside of their own home countries. Maktoob.com’s own blog section is winning rapid support from the Arab world’s media with many Arab journalists publishing their own journals online.
A prime example is Yasser Abu Hilalah, the Jordan-based president of Al-Jazeera TV, whose political journal on Maktoob.com has evoked a strong response from the Internet community. Posting an average three to four blogs per week, Abu Hilalah’s site features his observations about politics and life in the Arab world.
