Microsoft announces "Women in Technology" initiative at the Global Summit of Women

The WIT programme will provide women across the Middle East the opportunity to enhance their marketable skills and gain economic independence. WIT will also benefit from the cooperation of the Institute of International Education West Coast Center, which will manage and implement the project in collaboration with local partners.

The programme will help build community centres that will provide women with both IT skills and general business skills and create a network of women and organisations across the region. It will be implemented initially in six countries: Iraq, Kuwait, Oman, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen. It is anticipated that the programme will be extended to other countries in the region.

One of the main goals of the Middle East Partnership Initiative is to support education and empowerment for women throughout the Arab-speaking world. Through this initiative a variety of resources are matches to the local needs to provide women with the IT skills that will prepare them for today's workplace.

Microsoft is an annual participant at the Global Summit of Women, which for 15 years has provided the means for the international exchange of best practices by many of the leading women thought leaders towards advancing women's economic status worldwide. This year, Microsoft sent a multinational delegation to take part in the summit.

"Microsoft is pleased to once again be a sponsor of the Global Summit of Women and participate in this invaluable platform that seeks to progress the leadership capacity of women across the globe," said Gerri Elliott, corporate vice president, Worldwide Public Sector of Microsoft. "Each year the exchange of ideas and best practices among participants manifests itself in tangible projects that address specific women's needs. Our joint initiative to support women in technology truly reflects the spirit and intent of the summit by working to empower women in the Arab region."

Microsoft will also be present at the pre-summit Ministerial Roundtable, which convenes women ministers of varied portfolios to discuss policies that have positively affected women's economic status in their own countries. In addition, the company also will feature the MSN Cyber Café at the WEXPO centre for the duration of the event, highlighting programmes in support of women's causes, employability, digital inclusion and child online safety, as well serving as a meeting place for all participants to interact.

Microsoft has maintained a presence in Egypt since 1995 supporting a variety of initiatives focusing on ICT education and small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) development. Through its Partners in Learning programme, Microsoft plays a meaningful role in various Ministry of Education (MoE) projects such as Online Learning Services and the Productive Schools projects, in addition to offering consultancy services, training and certifying MoE IT staff. The Microsoft Unlimited Potential programme's core focus in Egypt is the SME project aimed at empowering entrepreneurs and small businesses through the use of ICT to enhance their productivity, increase market share, and open up new markets both locally and internationally. The project is centred on a series of training programmes directed towards meeting the needs of entrepreneurs by offering basic and advanced ICT knowledge and its application in business and marketing.