The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) under which the two organizations will focus on enhancing collaboration in job promotion and creation in Egypt's offshoring sector and integrating industry 4.0 digital technologies in the local electronics manufacturing industry. ITIDA CEO Engineer Ahmed El Zaher and Country Director of GIZ Egypt Alexander Solyga, signed the MoU. The MoU lays the groundwork for joint initiatives and efforts by ITIDA and GIZ to develop Egypt's IT sector, and positively impact the sector through creating job opportunities in both the outsourcing industry and technology innovation. Additionally, both parties aim at supporting Industry 4.0 development and transition to Egypt, increasing Egyptian companies' competitiveness, and developing the electronics industry being one of the key props for growth in the Egyptian economy. A number of local and foreign companies operating in Egypt attended the signing ceremony. Besides, a round table was held for local and foreign companies specializing in the IT outsourcing and global business services to discuss the available growth opportunities, potential partnerships, and means to enhance their operations to help them expand their global delivery centers in Egypt. ITIDA's CEO Ahmed El Zaher said that the signing of the memorandum of understanding marks an important step in the constructive cooperation between Egypt and Germany in the IT sector. He added that the MoU comes in line with ITIDA's strategic goals and endeavors to drive growth and strengthen Egypt's global position as a reliable offshoring hub for IT and business services, with great potential in the high-end, value-added services and electronics industry. ElZaher added: "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." El Zaher confirmed. Under the MoU, ITIDA, and GIZ will work together on developing a training program to create about 1200 job opportunities targeting graduates and university students and matching them with companies from private sector partners in the IT sector to fulfill their hiring needs and skills requirements. The program includes training in the German language, business skills, and soft skills. Dr. Alexander Solyga, Country Director of GIZ Egypt stated, "We are proud to announce the signing of this MoU between GIZ and ITIDA, which reflects our commitment to fostering employability and promoting digitalization in Egypt's rapidly growing IT sector. Through this collaboration, we aim to create new job opportunities, and contribute to the development of a knowledge-based economy. This will help us to empower youth, women, entrepreneurs, and SMEs, further diversifying and strengthening the Egyptian economy. We look forward to a successful partnership with ITIDA." 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 incorporate training, assessment programs, expert guidance, events, and partnerships with recognized international related entities for enabling manufacturers in the digital transformation journey. Additionally, ITIDA and GIZ 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.
