Egypt’s National Program for ICT Inclusive Community Centers (ICT-ICC) for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) program is the first national program to utilize ICT to provide an enabling inclusive environment to support the inclusion of PwDs into mainstream projects to promote social justice. ICT-ICC represents a milestone in the approach of the Egyptian Government towards the projects directed to PwDs, as it shifts from projects directed, only, to PwDs, to inclusive projects that serves their needs side by side to non-PwDs.
Since PwDs were excluded, for decades, from capacity building programs, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) launched the ICT-ICC program to transform community centers across the country into accessible inclusive ones by equipping them with accessible ICT infrastructure, internet services, computer labs, and Assistive Technologies for different types of disabilities. In addition, MCIT provided capacity building grants to PwDs and non-PwDs in order to equip them for the job market, in cooperation with several reputable ICT and non- ICT companies; and NGOs in a Public Private Partnership (PPP) approach. Such approach was effective in overcoming the several challenges facing the program by leveraging the resources of the various partners. This program is currently operating at 59 centers at eight governorates, and delivered more than 20,000 capacity building grants. Due to its impact, the project became part of a Presidential Initiative to empower PwDs using ICT with a target of accessibilizing 200 centers at 20 governorates and providing 40,000 capacity building grants till the year 2020.

http://www.tamkeen.gov.eg/

• Egypt

• Youth
• People with disabilities

ICT-ICC is a 7-year program (2013-2020), currently operating at eight governorates, 59 centers (60 are being accessibilized), and provided 20,000 capacity building grants to PwDs and non-PwDs. Due to its remarkable impact as a model for the inclusion of PwDs into mainstream projects, the ICT-ICC became part of the Presidential Initiative for “The Use of ICT to Empower PwDs”, and it targets to operate in 20 governorates, 200 centers and provide 40,000 grants for PwDs and non-PwDs side by side by the year 2020.

This program is a strategic investment by the Egyptian government in the capacity building of PwDs and the development of socially just inclusive society where everyone is contributing to the economic and social development of the country. In order to ensure the sustainability of ICT-ICC, the project is being implemented in close collaboration with a large number of partners in a PPP approach.

The project is promoting for Equality and Solidarity as its main goal is to develop an enabling inclusive environment for the inclusion of PwDs into mainstream capacity building; access to knowledge and skills enhancement programs. Also, it promotes the value of shared responsibility through having a number of Public Private Partnerships that engages diverse stakeholders at different stages of the program, which enhance the program’s efficiency and ensure its sustainability.