E-marketing powerful tool for entrepreneurs, SMEs to grow their business: Shankar

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Online promotion can give competitive edge to Egyptian products in US, professor says

E-marketing can bring about a “revolution and qualitative leap” in intertrade between Egypt and the United States, as well as between other countries, in the case of a good marketing base, said  Venkatesh “Venky” Shankar Coleman, chair professor of marketing and director of research at the Centre for Retailing Studies at Mays Business School of Texas A&M University.

During his meeting with a number of journalists at the US Embassy in Cairo on the sidelines of his visit to Egypt, he said that electronic marketing helps to provide information about the products available in Egypt and A competitive advantage in the American market. It also helps in selecting products that can compete.

“Electronic marketing can make a difference in the movement of trade in the sectors of cars and technology among countries in the next five years,” he added.

Shankar said that the advantages of electronic marketing will not stop at exports and imports between Egypt and the US, but could also introduce American consumers to some Egyptian products and services, next to enabling entrepreneurs to market their products electronically and exchange experiences with their counterparts in the US.

He added that electronic marketing will enable companies to continuously develop the quality of their products because the opportunity will be available for them to export to foreign markets.

He pointed out that Egypt has a great opportunity for the success of electronic marketing, as a large number of Egyptians use the internet and technology, as well as social networking platforms.

“There is a great interest from young people to use technology. About 37 million Egyptians use Facebook, 2 million use Instagram, and 1.1 million use Twitter,” he added.

He noted that Egypt’s infrastructure in the ICT sector is sophisticated and allows for increased investments in the e-commerce sector, especially following the use of 4G technology and the wider spread and circulation of mobile devices. Further investments in the sector will enhance the growth opportunities for e-marketing and e-commerce.

“The challenge here is that some communication technologies are not as powerful in rural areas. They have to focus on covering those regions,” he urged.

He called on companies to increase their investments in the development of the technology sector’s infrastructure, which helps to expand the establishment of electronic stores and facilitates the transport of electronic goods.

He said that e-marketing is a “powerful tool” for entrepreneurs because it can spread products at a low cost for companies while offering something new, such as Vezeeta, a doctor appointment scheduling platform.

He also ruled out that the crisis of information leakage from Facebook could impact e-marketing and e-commerce. “Social networking websites have been indispensable. They were, heavily, relied on during the recent US elections,” he stressed.

“There are controls being put in place to protect the confidentiality of data for users,” he added.

Moreover, he said that it is difficult for entrepreneurs and small- and medium-sized entrepreneurs not to rely on Facebook because they have made a number of gains and profits through it.

He pointed out that all countries should accelerate the use of technology in the areas of marketing and trade. E-marketing should also be listed within marketing curricula in most schools. He explained that large companies rely on electronic marketing, including Coca-Cola and other major companies, which consider electronic marketing a powerful tool to promote their products.


Source :  Daily News Egypt

Al-Sisi praises efforts of armed forces, stresses necessity of maintaining national security

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National project for developing Sinai costs about EGP 275bn, Mahlab says

President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi stressed Saturday the necessity of maintaining Egyptian national security, defending the country, and not allowing threats to the country’s security and stability, presidency spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a statement.

During his participation in the 28th cultural symposium of the Egyptian Armed Forces on the occasion of the annual celebration of Sinai Liberation Day, Al-Sisi praised the great efforts that were conducted to rebuild the Egyptian Armed Forces after the 1967 war.

He also praised the role of former president Anwar Al-Sadat and his courage in making decisions of war and peace, particularly amid the obstacles that the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel had faced. The president also said that the main challenge for Egypt now is to maintain the cohesion of the state and its people’s unity, according to the statement.   

At the beginning of the symposium, Al-Sisi and the attendees watched a documentary dubbed “Sinai…legend of place and epic of a nation.” The documentary reviewed efforts of the armed forces during the war period, as well as the current efforts for developing Sinai. It also reviewed the outcomes of the extensive armed operation dubbed Sinai 2018 and efforts for countering militancy.

During his speech before the symposium, Ibrahim Mahlab, assistant to the president for strategic and national projects, reviewed the economic potentials of Sinai. He also pointed out that the state aims at establishing new cities and agricultural, touristic, and industrial communities in the peninsula. Mahlab added that the national project for developing Sinai costs about EGP 275bn.

The symposium was attended by Prime Minister Sherif Ismail, Arab League Secretary General Ahmed Aboul Gheit, Minister of Defence Sedki Sobhi, Egyptian Armed Forces Chief of Staff Mohamed Farid, and a number of other military leaders and public figures.


Source :  Daily News Egypt

Counterterrorism cooperation in Mediterranean is essential: Ismail

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Egypt’s Prime Minister Sherif Ismail said that the “terrorism phenomenon” represents a threat to global security and there is a need to work to achieve mutual cooperation in the field of information exchange between the Mediterranean countries. He added that collaboration to bolster efforts in the fight against the financing of militant groups, as well …


He added that collaboration to bolster efforts in the fight against the financing of militant groups, as well as abolishing any military or political cover for extremist groups, is needed.

This came in his address at the opening session of the fifth summit of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Union for the Mediterranean, on Saturday, which was delivered on his behalf by the Minister of Parliamentary and Legal Affairs Omar Marwan.

The summit is focused on counter-terrorism efforts in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

Ismail emphasised the importance of the counter-militancy issue, adding that choosing it as the main topic on the summit’s agenda reflects a real awareness of the grave danger of “the international terrorism phenomenon,” which he said is threatening humanity itself.

The prime minister said that the Egyptian Armed Forces, together with the police, are engaged in a fierce war to uproot militants in Sinai and elsewhere.

The summit was attended by Italian socialist David-Maria Sassoli, who is currently the vice president of the European Parliament

Furthermore, Ismail explained that the parliament has a prominent role to develop legislation to face militancy in the framework of international law and that the Egyptian “war on terror” represents a model of balancing national security needs with respect for human rights, freedom, and development.

He stressed the need of religious reforms to confront extremism and emphasise the values ​​of moderation, as well the need to develop the educational and cultural system in order to strengthen the values of love and peace, and to renounce violence.


Source :  Daily News Egypt

Les Camerounais et le livre: une relation non fusionnelle

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Les faits

Avec la célébration de la journée mondiale du livre avant-hier, il apparaît, après constat, que le rapport des Camerounais à la lecture est distancé.

Quel est votre livre de chevet en ce moment ? Posée au milieu de quelques jeunes, cette question paraît ringarde. Livre de chevet et jeune, cela semble ne pas rimer. Pour beaucoup, il est un luxe de s’offrir des livres, hors du champ scolaire et académique.

Pourtant, l’aventure vers les livres existe encore et est de plus en plus ciblée. Pour des travaux de recherche ou des raisons professionnelles. Diplômé de télécommunications, Ghislain Tseffo s’ouvre aux ouvrages généraux depuis peu.

« Depuis dix ans environ, je lis exclusivement des livres liés à la téléphonie mobile. Mais, je m’ouvre à autre chose. Je me suis donné le défi de lire au minimum 10 pages par jour », dit-il, dans l’espoir d’enrichir sa culture littéraire.

Motivée par ses recherches académiques, Frieda Lydia Tchouen est quant à elle passionnée, mais ne dispose pas toujours de moyens financiers. Les foires aux livres sont une aubaine pour elle. « A la dernière bourse du livre humanitaire de Yaoundé, je me suis offert trois ouvrages à 2500F, liés à la communication et aux médias », explique-t-elle.

Des bibliothèques et autres instituts culturels sont pourtant mis à la disposition des personnes intéressées par la lecture. Toutefois, leur fréquentation atteint rarement les objectifs initiaux.

Au Cercle de lecture et d’animation culturelle (Clac) de Mimboman à Yaoundé, pareil espace est offert. « Nous avons en moyenne 200 et 300 abonnés par an, avec un taux de fréquentation de 20 à 30 personnes par jour. Il s’agit souvent d’étudiants qui viennent pour des travaux académiques et tournent le dos quand ils ne trouvent pas ce qu’ils cherchent », explique Christian Williams Kakoua, animateur culturel au Clac. Or, la tendance est différente chez les tout-petits.

« Nos abonnés âgés de 7 à 13 ans s’intéressent à tout et lisent un peu de tout. J’observe que les jeunes qui ont été en contact avec le livre en permanence dès le bas âge sont les plus gros consommateurs de livres plus tard », ajoute-t-il. Un amour du livre au déclin dont André Marie fait les frais au fil des années. Spécialisé en roman, ce commerçant au marché Acacia a une clientèle peu nombreuse, mais fidèle.

« En général, ce sont des dames. Elles sont souvent intéressées par la collection Harlequin pour leurs histoires. Mais, la côte baisse », explique-t-il. En effet, la télévision (notamment les télénovelas) et Internet offrent en raccourci les histoires à l’eau de rose que certaines puisaient dans ces livres.

Avec les innovations technologiques, les habitudes de consommation du livre changent. Cependant, les amoureux du livre multiplient des initiatives pour entretenir la flamme.