President Abdel Fattah El Sisi gave on Sunday the go-ahead to construct El Ma'arefa (knowledge) city in the new administrative capital.

The project will be established on an area of 300 feddans, Sisi said during the opening of the 20th round of Cairo ICT fair.

The opening session was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, as well as a raft of ministers, and representatives of several Arab and African states, Presidential Spokesman Alaa Youssef said.

After touring the exhibit's pavilions, Sisi handed over Takaful and Karama cards for a number of needy citizens and opened two technology zones in Borg El Arab and Assiut via video conference.

He also expressed happiness for participating in the Cairo ICT fair for the second time, and appreciated efforts exerted to implement a large number of huge projects in a very short period.

Sisi called for establishing at least two technology zones a year and launched a platform to train youth on how to face technological challenges.

Meanwhile, Communications and IT Minister Yasser el Qady said Egypt Post, the National Telecommunication Regulatory Authority and Telecom Egypt are participating in this year's event.

A large number of international companies specialized in communications, mobile phones and IT are also present at the exhibit, he added.

The 20th round of Cairo ICT, the leading technology event in Africa and the Middle East kicked off Sunday under theme “Digital Disruption Era”.

Source: MENA