Egypt’s successful efforts to carve a niche as a regional hub for technology and innovation, and attract
multinational ICT companies are explored by four key industry players in interviews they gave recently to Oxford
Business Group’s online broadcasting channel, Global Platform.
Alexandre Froment-Curtil, CEO, Vodafone Egypt; Frances Woodworth, Deputy Site Leader, Orange Business Services
Egypt; Reem Asaad, CEO, Raya Contact Centre; and Ahmed Osama, Innovation Manager, Dell Technologies Centre of
Excellence, discussed a wide range of topical issues, including the country’s competitive advantages and the
diversification under way within the local ICT sector.
The video is now available to view in full at https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/video/itida.
A national drive to support Egypt’s young population by equipping them with the qualifications and skills they need
to participate in the industry’s development met with approval from the executives interviewed.
“We’re seeing lots of great talent that comes out of universities, bringing plenty of innovative mindsets,” Osama
said. “It’s not just in artificial intelligence and the latest technologies, but it’s even in the traditional way of
doing business.”
Woodworth agreed, noting the growing contribution that Egypt’s increasing youthful workforce was making to the
industry. “When we look at the labour market, the resource pool, each year more than one half million [technical]
professionals are introduced into the job market,” she said. “What’s also very helpful is the engagement of the
government in supporting multinational companies.”
Froment-Curtil told viewers that the country’s young, tech-savvy population also provided businesses with a
promising consumer base. “Vodafone has been present in Egypt for the last 20 years,” he said. “So obviously it is a
place where we believe that our investment makes sense across the world. But also, fundamentally, it has a young
dynamic population full of energy and that’s brilliant for a digital world.”
“Today we have about 6700 employees dedicated to serving the rest of the world in two main activities. The first is
everything that has to do with contact centres. Serving markets like Germany, the UK and Italy. The second activity
is actually a technology activity. We host here Vodafone's worldwide centre of excellence on technology”. Vodafone
Egypt CEO added.
“Things such as RPA (robotics process automation) are being done out of Egypt for the rest of the world. Smart
cities are being designed, built and operated here in Egypt for the rest of Europe, so many activities where you can
see that it's really the technical hub happening in Egypt.”, Froment-Curtil told OBG.
Egypt’s strategic location, which enables it to act as a hub for EMEA region, along with the government support, and
the role ITIDA plays as an executive IT arm and one-stop-shop for investment attraction and support, were also noted
by the business leaders.
Asaad informed viewers that from the 110 clients being serviced locally, close to 80% are based offshore. “We can
scale all the languages you can imagine out of Egypt,” she said. “I can service my clients with 25 languages:
German; English; Dutch; Polish; and Zulu.”
Marc-André de Blois, OBG’s director of PR and Video Content, said it was clear that the executives interviewed had
high hopes for Egypt’s ICT industry.
“Egypt’s ease of doing business and prime global positioning have long been a draw for investors,” he said. “Our
video shows that the decision to focus on education and training, and increase government support for the sector, is
delivering the desired results.”
About ITIDA:
ITIDA is the executive IT arm of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, MCIT, and is located in
the heart of a modern business environment at the Smart Village.
With local and international outreach, ITIDA plays a fundamental role as a one-stop-shop for foreign direct
investors seeking to enhance their global offering using what Egypt has to offer and the competitive advantages of
the country.
About Global Platform
Global Platform is Oxford Business Group’s on-demand digital broadcasting channel. One of several research tools in
OBG’s portfolio, the online platform has carved a niche as a leading business intelligence provider in its own
right, with data verified independently by Deloitte. Global Platform provides cutting edge video interviews with
top-level decision-makers giving key analysis and the latest updates from across all sectors of the global business
community.
OBG’s digital content is available both on Global Platform and via major international business news outlets. OBG
also has distribution agreements with Bloomberg and Eikon’s terminals, giving it access to the subscribers of
Bloomberg Professional Services and Refinitiv’s (previously Thomson Reuter’s) Eikon terminal.
For more information, please contact:
Marc-André de Blois
Director of PR and Video Content, Oxford Business Group
E-mail: mdeblois@oxfordbusinessgroup.com
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