- ITIDA reviews its strategy of developing Egypt’s ICT sector over the coming period

The Minister of Communication and Information Technology Yasser ElKady has inaugurated  the Local Industry Development Forum, organized by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), through which the Agency reviewed the main features of its comprehensive strategic plan to develop the ICT sector in the coming period. The plan focuses on raising the efficiency of local ICT company institutional capacities and improving their performance to meet international standards.

In his speech, ElKady underlined the importance of the meeting as a platform that gathers ICT companies, pointing to the key role played by these companies in developing domestic economy and providing job opportunities for young people. He called on the companies to participate in finding technological innovative solutions for the various government sectors through joint cooperation projects among the Ministry of Communication and Information technology (MCIT) and various ministries and government entities.

ElKady seconded ITIDA efforts for developing the IT sector by supporting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and promoting innovation and creativity, hoping that the discussions raised in the Forum could bring about a number of recommendations that can support the sector strategy for the development of local industry.

ITIDA CEO Hussein El-Gueretly started the events of the forum with presenting ITIDA strategic foundations and pivots that support the integrated system of the programs and services aimed at developing the IT industry and strengthening the capacity of the national economy as a whole. Strategic foundations and pivots include developing the domestic and foreign demand, improving institutional capacities of Egyptian companies, attracting foreign investments, supporting innovation and entrepreneurship, developing human skills, securing electronic transactions and improving infrastructure.

Moreover, a seminar entitled “the local industry challenges” was held, during the events of the forum, which brought together senior leaders of civil society organizations (CSOs) and ICT companies where they discussed obstacles and various challenges facing the ICT companies, especially micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and means of finding speedy solutions through innovative business models meeting global standards.

During the events, ITIDA showcased its programs which aim to raise the efficiency of local ICT companies, the latest of which has been announced in the program packs of developing institutional capacity of ICT companies at a cost of L.E 20 million.

The Forum also witnessed honoring a number of outstanding trainees who benefited from the leadership skills development programs designed for training calibers of high-level management. The program was organized by ITIDA in collaboration with Franklin Covey, a leading American company  in the field of training.

Representatives of “Grow IT” Program institutional development service providers reviewed the principles and stages on which to assess the work of companies benefiting from the program with its various sizes, whether micro, small or medium enterprises from the strategic, financial, marketing, operational and human development aspects. They also reviewed the success which resulted in the participation of 50 MSMEs in the third program phase as a result of the efforts exerted by ITIDA in cooperation with 75 consulting companies to oversee the implementation of more than 190 best practices in this program.

At the conclusion of the forum, the alliances of “Manage IT” staff development services providers highlighted the specialized training courses offered by the program for local ICT company staff at their different administrative levels in the areas of marketing, sales, project management, management of human resources development and strategic planning.

They referred to the pillars that underpin the third phase of the program and the target of qualifying more than 1,500 specialists within two years. This is in addition to presenting the most prominent success stories of the program achieved over more than six years in the field of serving IT companies, particularly MSMs.