SHRI PRAMOD MAHAJAN LEADS DELEGATION TO EGYPT AND SOUTH AFRICA
VISIT TO IDENTIFY KEY DELIVERABLES
IN IT&TELECOM SECTORS
FOCUS ON EXPLORING MARKET AND
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
EXTENSIVE DISCUSSIONS WITH KEY
PRINCIPALS IN GOVERNMENT
In
a major move to give a new impetus to bilateral relations by positioning
India’s IT&Telecom prowess in the African and Middle East
region, Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Communications
and Information Technology, Shri Pramod Mahajan will be visiting
Egypt and South Africa from January 11th-19th,
2003. Accompanied by Chief Whips of political parties in Parliament,
the visit aims to not only strengthen traditional ties with both
countries, it is also an effort to strategise business partnerships
and opportunities for Indian companies in both countries. A key
aspect of the visit is the meeting with key principals in Government
and industry in both countries in an effort to give a new vision
to bilateral relations by incorporating India’s newly acquired
global status as an ‘IT&Telecom Major’. The total value of
Electronics and Computer Software exports to South Africa have
increased from Rs.75.39 crores in 1999-2000 to Rs.173.52 crores
in 2001-2002. Though the exports of Electronics and Computer Software
to Egypt has increased steadily from Rs.16.41 crores in 1999-2000
to Rs.18.06 crores in 2001-2002, the visit is expected to streamline
key deliverables for increased Indian participation in crucial
segments of the IT&Telecom markets in both countries.
During the visit
to Egypt which commences on 11th January, Shri Mahajan
and the delegation would be having detailed discussions with the
Speaker of the People’s Assembly, the Chairman of the Shura Council,
the Minister for the People’s Assembly and Shura Council Affairs
and leading representatives comprising the People’s Assembly.
During the visit, Shri Mahajan will have detailed discussions
with the Egyptian Minister for Communications and IT, Mr. Ahmed
Nazif. The delegation will also be visiting the Maulana Azad Centre
for India Culture where an extensive interaction with Indian students
will take place. The Centre was set up in 1992 to give wide exposure
to Indian culture in Egypt. Also on the anvil is a series of discussions
with leading representatives of the IT&Telecom industry in
Egypt. During the discussions, Shri Mahajan is likely to highlight
the Government initiatives on rural telephony, providing value
added connectivity and affordable services and the steps taken
to empower rural India with tools of connectivity and e-governance
initiatives.
In South Africa,
when the visit commences on 14th January, the Minister
and the delegation is expected to meet the President, Deputy President,
Deputy Speaker of Parliament and at the same time, have extensive
interaction with Members of Parliament. A key feature of the South
African leg is the visit to Phoneix settlement at Durban, Gandhiji’s
first Ashram. The delegation would also be visiting Pitermaritzburg,
where homage would be paid at Gandhiji’s statue followed by a
visit to the historic railway station. The delegation would also
be participating at the Swami Vivekanand’s birthday celebrations
at the Ramakrishna Mission in Durban. The Minister is also expected
to meet the South African IT&Communications Minister to strategise
IT&Telecom relations between the two countries. The South
African market is the 20th largest market for IT products
and services worldwide and there are roughly 3,000 IT companies
in South Africa. The market represents 3% of the country’s GDP
which in itself speaks of the opportunities available to Indian
companies. Indian companies which have a significant presence
in South Africa include: TCS, Infosys Technologies Ltd., IFLEX
Solutions Ltd., TCIL, Modicom Solutions Pvt. Ltd., Siemens Information
Systems Ltd., and BPL Display Devices Ltd.
Shri Mahajan’s visit
to the region assumes significance in the context of it providing
an ideal platform to harness opportunities in the domestic IT&Telecom
markets. The India Advantage aspect in setting up small and medium
enterprises would be impressed upon. It is understood that the
development of SMEs is going to play a major role in the economic
development of the region. Areas identified for enhanced Indian
participation are: Outsourcing opportunities, networking products,
IT solutions, highly specialised software for communications,
value added services for communication platforms, e-commerce and
internet, training in telecommunications, participation in joint
projects, the joint development of new telecom technologies, software
for Shipping and Power industry, geographical information systems,
software for financial services and retailing sectors, IT enabled
learning and systems integration. During discussions, Shri Mahajan
is also likely to focus on the enhanced role of Public Sector
Telecom Majors in providing expertise and solutions to foreign
markets and clientele. TCIL and ITI have been actively associated
in areas of network expansion, turnkey projects and in providing
new telecom products and solutions.
The visit comes at
an opportune moment when a series of bilateral discussions have
taken place with both the countries focussing on the relevance
of providing economic inputs to bilateral ties. The Indo-Egyptian
Working Group held its 2nd Meeting at Bangalore in
January 2002 focussing on new initiatives in the IT sector. It
was mutually agreed to initiate capacity building for HRD development,
synergise and share experiences on CIC scheme of the Government
of India with the Community Learning Centre Scheme being implemented
by the SMART schools network project of Egypt and the customisation
of e-governance package and software by NIC. With regard to South
Africa, a series of bilateral initiatives have been undertaken
at the Government and business level. The Electronics and Computer
Software Export Promotion Council has undertaken an indepth study
of the opportunities available for Indian companies in South Africa.
