The Dubai World Trade Centre, the organiser of Gitex Cairo, has postponed the fourth edition of the exhibition, which was scheduled to take place from April 3 to 6.

The decision was taken due to the global slowdown in the ICT (information and communi-cation technology) sector.

Intensive consultations with representatives of international and multinational firms confirmed that, globally, the ICT sector is facing challenges. They recommended the DWTC to postpone this important event to preserve its track record of growth.

"A combination of factors has caused us to re-evaluate the matter. The general slowdown of the economy in the Middle East combined with the overall economic situation created by the events of September 11 was of prime concern," said Ibrahim Al Hashemi, assistant general manager (acting) of DWTC.

"Key ICT players in the Middle East and North Africa markets have confirmed that the global indicators apply to this region as well. Furthermore, we have noted that, in general, exhibitions held over the past few months, particularly those specialising in IT, have witnessed a decline in participation.

"In addition, there has been a visible decrease in the range of new products and technologies being introduced in the market," he added.

The DWTC is in negotiations with the Cairo International Conference Centre to identify alternative dates to enable the show to resume its growth trend in 2003.