Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) announced on July 27th, 2009 the selection of 100 Egyptian IT companies to join the Capacity Building Program known as "Grow IT".The Program aims to raise the global competitive edge of Egyptian IT companies.
The second phase is expected to kick off within days. It will be applied first on 22 companies. The rest of the companies will join the program as groups till the first quarter of 2010.
ITIDA CEO Dr. Hazem Abdelazim affirmed that the selection process was based on the announced terms and conditions and criteria of the program.It was transparent, while realizing, at the same time, the program goals, he added.
A number of experts, specialists and representatives of non-governmental organizations took part in choosing the companies.
According to Dr. Abdelazim, the three-year program reflects ITIDA's total understanding of the industry requirements and how the program is useful in building the capacity of Egyptian companies and increasing their competitive advantages. Dr. Abdelazim pointed out that the program is not a training course.
Rather, it is an incentive of highly specialized consultations that the companies will receive based on their needs. Such needs will be identified during the assessment process.
ITIDA Deputy CEO Ms. Zeinab Zaki said the agency will start the second phase of the program, which assesses each selected company in its field of specialization based on the best practices and international standards and sets areas for development in the firm.
Assessment, she noted, depends on three main factors. The first is the business strategy inside the company.
The limit of carrying out the strategy and formulating it, including the management of the company departments, resource management and internal affairs, will be measured.The second aspect has to do with evaluating the company's capability to manage its finances.
The final factor revolves around evaluating the company's ability to create, innovate and utilize new ideas.
An agreement, Ms. Zaki said, had been signed between ITIDA, the alliance in charge of carrying out the program and the selected companies, prohibiting the use of the companies' data for any purposes other than the program.
The choice of companies followed 11 criteria; each includes a number of grades. Companies will be listed based on the grades they acquire.
The selection criteria are: the employees' share of the total revenue of the company and that of exports, the company's revenue development rate over the past three years, the percentage of the Egyptian ownership in the company, last year's profit, the patents the company acquired, any granted certificates and the authentication by multinational companies of these certificates, the total revenue of exports, the company's overall income and finally the years of experience acquired since the establishment of the company.
ITIDA covers 90% of the cost of direct services offered to the program beneficiaries. Each company will pay 10% of the cost to guarantee serious participation. ITIDA will pay back half of the 10% to the companies achieving the main success indicators of the program.
The program has been carried out in cooperation with Atos Origin, an international IT service firm. Atos Origin will lead an international consortium composed of Hewitt Associates, Arthur D. Little, the Indian QAI and Community and Institutional Development (CID) to provide companies with consulting services.
About ITIDA
Established in 2004, the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) aims at developing and promoting the Egyptian IT industry. Relying on unequivocal governmental support, ITIDA utilizes the vast array of advantages bestowed upon Egypt and synchronizes public and private efforts in order to keep the country at the forefront of the global ICT market.
