specially written for the Middle East Observer
Under the auspices of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El Sisi, 14 teams out of 303 Arab projects have qualified for the final stage of the Al Baz competition for Arab Development and Innovation.
Doctor Abdallah Al Nagar, the chief of the Arab Technology and Science Foundation, announced the names of those who qualified for the final stage of the competition, who comprised 28 Egyptian business leaders from 303 Arab projects submitted in primary stage of the competition in the fields of agriculture, energy, facilitating the life of the special needs people, health and hygiene and water.
Those who qualified for this stage hailed from governorates including Cairo, Banha, Aswan, Giza, Alexandria, Menoufiya and Sharqiya.
Thirty-six teams made it through the second stage to the third, comprising 79 Arab business leaders. The projects submitted by those teams are categorised into 19 economic projects and 17 ideas for projects in the agriculture, energy, special needs, and water sectors.
The teams that made it from the second to the third stage were trained in the headquarters of Nile University in the 6th of October district.
Dr Abdallah also pointed out that the projects that qualified are currently being submitted to Arab investors, the status of which to be declared in the closing ceremony.
Dr Ghada Amer, deputy of the Arab Science and Technology Foundation, expressed her happiness for the Egyptian contenders who won the final stage of the competition. She pointed out that Egyptians can overcome the impossible if provided with the opportunity, and with determination can reach any goal.
She added that, when launched, one of the goals of the competition was finding out rapid and practical solutions to the problems Egypt faces, which can be solved through the use of scientific research along with technical innovation. She also pointed out that the propositions put forward by Egyptian business leaders reflect their deep concern with solving the problems facing their country.
Dr Amer continued to say that the work of Arab and Egyptian researchers should meet the needs of Arab countries and their economies. She said that the Egyptian teams who qualified for the final stage have presented ideas addressing problems in the fields of agriculture, energy, water, facilitating the life of those with special needs.
The committee responsible for judging the projects comprised a number of high profile Arab and international scientists, researchers, and councillors, who appraised the projects according to the following criteria; innovation, competitiveness, uniqueness, overall benefit to society, the quality of the idea and the potential of applying it, economic and social feasibility, meeting current needs of society, the use of technology and technical innovation.
Dr Amer also expressed her pride and gratitude to President Sisi for his unfailing and generous sponsorship of the competition, his strong faith in the role Arab and Egyptian youth play in contributing to the sustainable development of Egypt and the Arab world as a whole, and in leading the gear towards positive change in favour of the Arab and Egyptian people, specially that Egypt is the home of all Arabs and the elder sister of all the Arab countries, who welcomes every one of them, and its strength is derived from their own.
