NOMINATION OF HP EGYPT FOR SECRETARY'S CORPORATE

UNCLAS CAIRO 001828

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR EB/CBA (NANCY SMITH-NISSLEY)

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: BEXP ECON EINV ELAB ETRD EAID EG
SUBJECT: NOMINATION OF HP EGYPT FOR SECRETARY'S CORPORATE
EXCELLENCE AWARD

REF: STATE 71180


1. HP Egypt is actively addressing the pre-eminent economic
problems in Egypt, both through its business practices and
direct support to build the skills of the Egyptian workforce,
thereby contributing to Egypt's sustainable economic
development. HP Egypt not only provides funds to directly
assist Egyptians in developing their skills for the market
place, but also invests and employs business practices to
help Egypt's transition to a stable market economy with a
skilled work force. For its business model that helps create
high-skilled employment, its commitment to sustainable
improvement in education, and its efforts to assist in
developing the Egyptian economy, Embassy Cairo is pleased to
nominate Hewlett Packard (HP) Egypt for the Secretary's Award
for Corporate Excellence (ACE) 2007.

Job Creation Via HP Egypt's Indirect Business Model
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2. HP Egypt has chosen a business model of doing 95 percent
of its business with local partners, rather than making
direct sales. In the process it has created over 10,000 job
opportunities in Egypt. Sales occur through a network of 26
local resellers/retailers and six distributors, the largest
local distribution network for information and communications
technology (ICT) products. Egypt also relies on Egyptian
companies and individuals for projects throughout the Middle
East. HP Egypt's partners, by necessity, must train their
staff on HP products, meaning that the jobs created through
HP Egypt's operations are generally skilled positions in ICT.

SME Development
--------------


3. Under HP's Micro-Enterprise Acceleration Program (MAP),HP
Egypt has provided $150,000 in equipment, services, support
to local training and business development service providers,
and funds to give small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs)
access to technology, technology training, and business
coaching. HP Egypt focuses on giving SMEs the ICT tools they
need to improve their business, training on using those
tools, and business coaching to improve productivity and
competitiveness.

Sustainability in Education
--------------


4. HP Egypt leads the sustainability working group under
Egyptian Education Initiative (EEI),an Egyptian governmental
effort to support education reform and maximize
public-private partnerships in education. HP Egypt is
providing $85,000 in equipment and research funding to each
of two Egyptian universities so far, and one more about to be
announced - selected through a competition process. It is
also partnering with the American University in Cairo to
provide change-management training, and consults with the
government on sustainability and scalability of ongoing
education reform.

Infrastructure for Vocational Training
--------------


5. Under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)
program, HP Egypt is helping Egyptian schools develop their
vocational training capabilities. HP Egypt funds, implements
the infrastructure, and trains teachers in three different
schools on integrated community-based programs in the
schools, worth in total over $220,000. HP Egypt also
maintains the computer equipment necessary to sustain the
projects.

Increasing Trained ICT Professionals in Egypt
--------------


6. HP Egypt is increasing the number of trained ICT
professionals in the Egyptian government by building a
networking training classroom at the National
Telecommunications Institute and by actively promoting
improvement of networking skills. HP Egypt will build the
center, provide all the hardware, software, and training
materials, and train the instructors, as well as provide
support and maintenance for HP equipment.

Equipment and Monetary Donations
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7. HP Egypt is donating equipment to schools under the
Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT)
and UN Development Program Smart Schools project. For the

preparatory schools in Siwa (a remote oasis near the Libyan
border),HP has provided equipment and services to provide
ICT access for 242 students, along with nine teachers and one
administrative staff. HP Egypt also donated 20 laptops for
First Lady Suzanne Mubarak's "100 Schools" initiative, and
another 10 for an education initiative by Prime Minister
Nazif's wife.


8. In order to promote e-government use, HP Egypt has given
the Ministry of Administrative Development 36 prizes (such as
camcorders and printers) to give away for those who most use
Egypt's e-government services.


9. HP Egypt has also donated LE 1 million (USD 175,000) for a
data center at a local Cairo hospital.

HP Egypt Director's Personal Social Responsibility
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10. We would also note that the head of HP Egypt, Ahmed
Samy, sets a strong personal example to his own employees of
responsible corporate citizenship. He plays an active
leadership role at the American Chamber of Commerce and is
the incoming Chair of the ICT Committee. He is also a board
member of the Cairo Royal Rotary Club, of the NGO Friends of
the Opera, and a member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign
Affairs.


11. Given HP Egypt's business model and direct efforts to
create jobs and develop the local economy, and its commitment
to assisting in education reform, we believe that HP Egypt is
an exemplary candidate for the 2007 ACE.
JONES