ITIDA Launches ‘Export IT’ to Help Egyptian Companies Boost IT/ITES Exports

The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has launched the 10th round of “Export IT” program. The program aims at encouraging and supporting local IT companies to develop resources, enhance competitiveness and reduce export overheads.

ITIDA invited the companies to apply for the program through its website, before March 12. It provides qualified companies with an export support amounting to 50% of the added value of export earnings achieved in 2018, after supporting the companies participating in the program for the first time and companies operating in governorates other than Cairo, Giza and Alexandria.

According to the program's selection criteria set by ITIDA, applicable companies must be based in Egypt, with an Egyptian ownership exceeding 50%. Beneficiary companies must also specialize in exporting ICT services, including software development, ICT, integrated software and IT empowerment services, such as call centers and IT consultation and related training syllabus.

Statistics of the previous round show that software, mobile application development and technical support were the most exported services, making 40% of the total Egyptian exports. In the second place came outsourcing and call center services, at 31%, followed by digital marketing services, at 7%. This was according to the data of export revenues of local companies participating in the previous round.

Export IT was first launched in 2010. ITIDA, through the program, managed to support more than 185 local companies with around EGP 350 million. The program contributed to increasing the size of IT exports, with the total revenue reaching EGP 6.2 billion.

The Egyptian ICT sector has been witnessing unprecedented growth and is currently one of the largest contributors to the country’s GDP growth and a major exporting sector hitting more than $ 3.67 billion export revenues annually.