Tejari Enters Pakistan
Tejari, the UAE-based business-to-business online marketplace, has signed an agreement to create a strategic partnership with the Hashoo Group, a Pakistani conglomerate engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, information technology, mining, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, travel and tourism and real estate. Tejari is a subsidiary of “Dubai World,” one of the largest holding companies in the world focusing on development, hospitality, investment, commodities, marine services and ports and free zones. As per the agreement, Hashoo Group will be the operator of Tejari Pakistan and will offer online procurement services to both government departments and the private business community in Pakistan.
Tejari Pakistan will enable all registered companies to find, compare and procure products and services needed for day-to-day running of their businesses. It will also allow companies to network and connect with the larger number of buyers and suppliers in Pakistan and the Middle East. Recent years have seen the UAE and Pakistan strengthen bilateral trade agreements with a significant focus on investments in the telecommunications, technology and construction sectors. The UAE is the largest national investor in Pakistan. From 2004 to 2006, the UAE invested more than $5 billion in various projects in the country.
“The launch of Tejari Pakistan comes at a time where both the nations have paved a way for mutual cooperation and understanding in the business and political arena. With all the largescale investments in the public and private sector, Pakistan is growing at an accelerated rate and expanding across all business sectors. In order to meet these needs and demands of a growing nation, it is essential that the business communities have access to online procurement of goods and services,” said Murtaza Hashwani, chief executive, Hashoo Group, Pakistan.
26.3m Net Users in the Arab World
The number of Internet users in the Arab world increased by more than nine million in one year to reach 26.3 million by the end 2005, according to figures released by Madar Research. The growth rate of Internet use rose substantially over 2004 levels, to average at around 55 percent, with the countries where Internet penetration was lowest witnessing triple digit growth. This led to a pan-Arab penetration rate of 8.50 percent in 2005, compared to 5.36 percent in 2004. Though growth in the number of Internet users in the Arab world was much higher than the world average, estimated at around 18 percent, Arab Internet user penetration was still well below the world average of around 14 percent by the end of 2005.
Supported by IT companies and private organizations, government initiatives to increase the PC installed base in educational institutions and homes, largely contributed to the growth in Internet use in many Arab countries. Madar Research expects growth in the Arab Internet population to continue increasing over the next few years before it stabilizes at moderate levels. The United Arab Emirates remained the Arab leader in terms of Internet user penetration rate in 2005, followed by Bahrain and Qatar.
“There remains a huge gap between Arab countries in terms of Internet penetration,” said Abdul Kader Kamli, president and research director of the Dubai Media City-based Madar Research. “While Internet use has become so widespread in Gulf Cooperation Council member states, where users are dropping dial-up access in favor of broadband connections, Internet use in some Arab countries is still reminiscent of the early years of the advent of public Internet in the Arab world.”
Kamli warned of a serious inter-Arab digital divide, which he said is widening year after year. He urged the governments of non-GCC Arab countries, especially Sudan, Yemen and Algeria to make major efforts to increase Internet use among their populations.
“I don’t want to sound ominous, but it doesn’t sound good when we consider that there is only one Internet user among every 15 people in the 12 non-GCC countries included in our studies,” said Kamli.
The Madar Research Internet user survey covered 18 countries in the Arab world — excluding Somalia, Mauritania, Djibouti and Comoros.
Acer Signs Deals With Ministries of EducationAcer Computer Middle East has signed deals with a value of over $15 million with three Arab Ministries of Education (MOE), which will see a total of more than 16,000 desktop units delivered before the end of October 2006.
The largest deal, a $12 million tender from the Jordanian MOE, led to the provision of 12,000 “Veriton” desktops with Acer also providing a pre-tender consultancy role to the ministry. Acer also concluded significant deals with the MOEs in Oman and Bahrain, each to a value of more than $1.5 million.
“We are exceptionally pleased to have consolidated our leadership in the Middle East’s education sector and to have the confidence of many Arab governments to facilitate for them solutions that support the future and long-term growth of their education systems,” said Sanjay Kachroo, business development manager (desktops), MENA Region, Acer Computer (ME) Ltd. “As requirements in the education sector increasingly come to rely on modern IT equipment and infrastructure, it is not simply a case of which vendor can provide a certain number of PC units. It is more about which company can truly understand, feel and participate in the growth of a country’s education system.”
In related news, Acer also announced that it has cemented another long-standing relationship with the UAE’s Sharjah University. An order of 1,200 PCs to the value of around $1 million was concluded last week.
