Egypt

Mohamed Hanno

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Focus Area(s)
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3
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Rushda Majeed
Name
Mohamed Hanno
Interviewee's Position
Board Member
Interviewee's Organization
Alexandria Business Association
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Egyptian
Town/City
Alexandria
Country
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract
Mohamed Hanno describes the relationship between the Alexandria Business Association and former Governor of Alexandria, General Mohamed Abdul Salam Mahgoub in working to develop the city of Alexandria. He details how Mahgoub worked with limited investment to stimulate the real estate market, reform the waste management system, and beautify the city. Hanno explains how this was possible due to relationships with private business and civil society organizations. He also details other reforms, such as one-stop shops and other improvements in government efficiency. Hanno also briefly discusses the role of the state media in educating citizens on Mahgoub’s initiatives. Finally Hanno touches on the next steps needed for Alexandria’s development, particularly heavy investment in infrastructure.
 
Profile
At the time of this interview, Mohamed Hanno was a board member of the Alexandria Business Association in Alexandria, Egypt and a board member of the Alexandria Chamber of Commerce’s Computer Division. He is the managing director and founder of Arab Computers. Hanno was a member of the Egyptian delegation to the United States Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in April 2010. He also headed the executive committee of the Alexandria Centre for International Arbitration and was a member of the Presidential Council’s subcommittee on intellectual property rights.
 
Full Audio File Size
72 MB
Full Audio Title
Mohamed Hanno Interview

Ahmed Darwish

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Focus Area(s)
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1
Country of Reform
Interviewers
Deepa Iyer
Name
Ahmed Darwish
Interviewee's Position
Minister of State for Administrative Development
Interviewee's Organization
Egypt
Language
English
Nationality of Interviewee
Egyptian
Country
Date of Interview
Reform Profile
No
Abstract

Ahmed Darwish discusses what he sees as the key challenges facing the Egyptian civil service.  He focuses on his role in instituting an e-governance program and in using technology to increase the efficiency of the civil service.  He also explains the strides Egypt made during the past decade in updating the government’s technological infrastructure.  Darwish further discusses reforms regarding the government process for contracting with the private sector and the training processes for civil service employees.  He also touches on efforts to reduce the size of the civil service, and stresses the importance of getting top managers of the civil service on board with reforms.     

Profile

At the time of this interview, Ahmed Darwish was Egypt's minister of state for administrative development, a position he had held since 2004.  He previously served as e-government program director in the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.  Darwish was a lecturer at the University of California, Davis, and a professor in computer engineering at Cairo University.  He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cairo University, followed by a master’s degree in computer science.  He received his doctorate in electrical and computer engineering from the University of California, Davis.  He received the Egyptian National Engineering Award in 1999.

Full Audio File Size
42 MB
Full Audio Title
Ahmed Darwish Interview