ITIDA, GIZ sign MoU to develop Egypt’s IT sector

CAIRO – 17 August 2023: The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to develop Egypt’s IT sector, by creating job opportunities in both the outsourcing and technology innovation industries.

Through the MoU, both parties will work on joint initiatives and efforts promoting job creation in Egypt’s offshoring sector, and integrating industry 4.0 digital technologies in the local electronics manufacturing industry.

ITIDA and GIZ aim to create about 1200 job opportunities through a training program targeting graduates and university students and matching them with private sector companies in the IT sector to fulfill their hiring needs and skills requirements. The program provides training in the German language, business skills, and soft skills.

“Egypt enjoys a pool of highly skilled talent and multilingual tech professionals specialized in various fields of IT. Egypt is thus capable of meeting the needs of the European market that is currently facing a shortfall in tech talent and a high cost of operations. ITIDA is keen on developing the digital and technical skills of youth and matching them with local and international companies specialized in the field of information technology,” ITIDA’s CEO, Ahmed El-Zaher, said.

The two parties will work closely to strengthen the offshoring activities in both Egypt and Germany, in addition to the European Union at large, by attracting more German companies to establish global delivery centers in Egypt.

ITIDA and GIZ will work jointly on promoting digitalization in Egypt through training programs and support for at least 50 Egyptian companies to enhance job creation and employment. The focus of joint activities will be on two pilot clusters – the Industry 4.0 Innovation Centre in the Knowledge City and the Innovation Cluster at Borg El-Arab City. The activities include training, assessment programs, expert guidance, events, and partnerships with recognized international related entities for enabling manufacturers in the digital transformation journey.

The partnership will hold a number of hackathons and competitions for startups and entrepreneurs in order to provide creative solutions that tackle industrial challenges. Both entities will also set up incubation programs for innovative startups, provide business development networking, and support the participation of Egyptian companies in international exhibitions.