Amr Mahfouz — CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) — said on Tuesday that a number of international companies in the outsourcing industry are considering opening outsourcing centres in Egypt.
He noted that this is dependent on the availability of trained human cadres, as well as a study of existing companies to increase their investments and expand outsourcing services from Egypt.
Mahfouz added in exclusive statements to Daily News Egypt that the liberalisation of the EGP against the USD increases Egypt’s competitive advantage against other outsourcing countries, which complements its already strategic location — which allows it to work with other timezones — the availability of trained human cadres and advanced infrastructure, as well as the stability of the situation in the Middle East compared to Eastern Europe, which is currently considered a war zone.
He also explained that Egypt has competitive opportunities at the level of the outsourcing industry that supports it to enhance its global position in this industry.
Last February, Egypt launched the Outsourcing Industry Strategy to double exports of information technology services and accelerate the growth of the knowledge economy.
The strategy focuses on developing the digital skills and language capabilities of youths, developing the ecosystem, and enhancing Egypt’s international position in the target markets.
The new strategy also aims to triple the volume of exports of IT products and cross-border services and create more than 215,000 jobs.
Moreover, it includes a package of investment incentives for international and local companies and additional benefits to attract investors in emerging technologies and knowledge services.
It also encompasses a set of incentives and programmes designed specifically from the investor’s perspective with the aim of primarily improving the competitiveness of the total cost of the outsourcing industry in Egypt compared to competing countries instead of attracting foreign direct investment and encouraging the expansion of existing investments.
Finally, it includes qualitative programmes and initiatives to hone the skills of young people and workers in the outsourcing industry to ensure building capacities and competencies at a professional level in line with the requirements of the international labour market and in accordance with the standards of multinational companies across various sectors of industry based on the needs of each geographical region and the most requested languages.
