The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) has held an online forum, entitled “Digital Transformation … Hub for Sustaining High Performance Levels”, for technology and software companies.
The forum was organised through the Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC), to focus on best practices institutions should adopt in their digital transformation journey. It also focused on the real value that institutions can provide through their transformation into a digitally mature organisation.
The forum sessions introduced digital transformation tools, and the pivotal role digital transformation plays in sustaining the growth of business. It can also be used to maintain the highest rates of performance, through a number of experts in the field of software.
In his opening speech, Acting ITIDA CEO Amr Mahfouz said the world is witnessing unprecedented interest and demand for information technology (IT) services and products, as a result of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The global pandemic has changed many work patterns and pushed various sectors towards digital services and the adoption of electronic transactions.
This in turn has put greater responsibility on Egyptian software companies, whilst putting the onus on these companies to grab the tremendous opportunities that the pandemic has provided to the IT sector.
Mahfouz emphasised that many international reports have praised the response and capabilities of Egypt’s infrastructure, and the digital readiness of its IT outsourcing service providers.
This is particularly so when compared to their counterparts from countries that provide these services. He pointed to Egypt’s superiority over major technology producing countries, such as India, in responding to the current conditions.
The country has also proven its flexibility and rapid adaptation of service providers which the agency will seek to exploit in order to attract more investments in the outsourcing sector.
The latest survey by Gartner International said that 70% of global institutions have already started to accelerate business and digital services initiatives, while 67% of them expect a 7% increase in their technology budgets. The survey was conducted for the Boards of Directors Heads at a number of international institutions and companies.
Mahfouz noted that Egypt is witnessing a digital transformation boom, especially with regards to the state’s keenness to build a digital Egypt. He shed light on the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s efforts in this field, with ITIDA’s cooperation, through a number of strategic pathways.
These include helping local companies develop their capacity to manage digital transformation projects, and building work teams professional in implementing, delivering and managing projects.
He added that the authority is also working on building Egyptian citizens, by helping them develop digital skills. The authority is also working towards raising the capabilities of Egypt’s youth in various technological fields through several initiatives, such as the “Our Digital Future” initiative. In cooperation with the online courses company, Udacity, the initiative aims to build the skills sets of 100,000 Egyptian youth in web development, data analysis and digital marketing.
Mahfouz also referred to the role ITIDA plays in stimulating technological innovation and spreading the culture of innovation and entrepreneurship among young people. It does so with the aim of creating a generation of entrepreneurs capable of creating non-traditional solutions to social problems, through creativity in various fields of technology.
A project is currently being implemented to increase the number of creativity centres at university campuses across Egypt. Work started on five branches during October, with two more centres set to be operational by the end of this year.
For his part, SECC Chairman and ITIDA VP Hussam Othman said that the centre has succeeded in expanding its work area, and has begun providing technical consulting services to software companies. A group of its certified experts also assess the technical performance levels for companies outside the country, including in the GCC, North Africa and Asia.
He explained that the centre’s experts are undertaking evaluation services in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Kuwait, the UAE, China, Bangladesh, and Canada. This will ensure that those companies receiving evaluation can reach the second and third levels of CMMI integration for services and development.
Othman said that the centre, in cooperation with the Supreme Council of Universities, undertook a comprehensive evaluation of the digital and technical capabilities at Egypt’s public universities. It studied their readiness for digital transformation, according to the centre’s institutional structure model for smart universities.
The evaluation came as part of the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology’s strategy to push forward on the transformation processes towards a digital society, by integrating and employing information technology.
