Microsoft agrees to support government's ICT initiatives

The government and Microsoft yesterday signed a strategic alliance agreement to support the government's information and communication technology initiatives in the country.

The agreement, valid for five years, was signed at Auberge de Castille, in Valletta by IT Minister Austin Gatt and Jean Philippe Courtois, chief executive officer of Microsoft Europe, Middle East and Africa.

Under the agreement, Microsoft will provide assistance to the government as it works to develop public services, e-government, security and education and to eradicate the digital divide, between people who have access to technology and those who do not.

The company will also work to improve access for people with disabilities.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said that Malta wanted to be as dynamic as possible in an age where globalisation had opened up the world. The agreement signed, he said, fit in perfectly with the government's vision for the country's future as it assisted in meeting targets which had already been set.

These targets included the achievement of economic growth and the promotion of Malta as an investment centre.

Dr Gatt said the agreement meant that the advantageous prices for the licences of software used by the government were fixed up to 2009 guaranteeing substantial drops in public expenditure. Moreover, the advantageous conditions have also been extended to public entities within the IT ministry.

This would mean a substantial drop in the administrative expense of companies such as the Water Services Corporation, Enemalta and Gozo Channel.

The agreement also made companies such as Air Malta and Maltacom more competitive, Dr Gatt said.

"The ICT sector in Malta is set to play a vital role in building an export-oriented, knowledge-based economy. The government welcomes every effort that can drive ICT development forward and Microsoft has been at the forefront of these efforts."

Mr Courtois said: "Still in its first weeks as a member of the European Union, Malta stands as an example to the other EU accession states in its embrace of the Lisbon Agenda's technology road map.

"Microsoft is pleased to support the Maltese government as it pursues the social and economic benefits of an ICT-enabled society."

Microsoft will collaborate with the government to develop initiatives at both a local and pan-European level, supporting key initiatives such as the launch of a national eLearning platform, an innovative teachers' portal and key strategic eGovernment projects.

Local Microsoft staff and technology partners will provide technical knowledge and services for these initiatives.

Microsoft and the government also signed a memorandum of understanding outlining a number of long-term education-related programmes in Malta. These are based on Microsoft's Partners in Learning initiative, designed to improve teaching and learning through the integration of ICT in the curriculum.

As part of its global Unlimited Potential programme, Microsoft will also help establish youth empowerment programmes and community technology learning centres within a number of localities around the country.

Unlimited Potential is a global programme providing community IT skills training and support to existing learning centres, such as libraries, schools and community centres, where people already gather to gain skills, share information and use technology.

In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, Unlimited Potential supports 54 projects with over 100 partners in 35 countries across the region.

Over the next five years, Microsoft will commit up to $1 billion to Unlimited Potential Partners worldwide.