ITIDA hosts experts’ roundtable on best practices for elevating software companies through SECC

ITIDA CEO: Committed to advancing software engineering sector and keeping local companies abreast of global trends for enhanced export capabilities

Cairo, Egypt : Egypt’s Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC) of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) convened a roundtable discussion at CREATIVA Innovation Hub in Sultan Hussein Kamel Palace; in Cairo; one of Egypt’s most historic gems. The session aimed to explore and deliberate on the best global practices for advancing the capabilities and competitiveness of Egyptian IT and software companies, with a primary focus on leveraging Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) to improve business performance and create a sustainable competitive edge. 

The roundtable, led by ITIDA’s CEO, Engineer Ahmed ELZaher, involved prominent CMMI-appraised IT and software companies. Participants included Engineer Khalid Ibrahim, CIT’s Chairman of the Board; Dr. Haitham Hamza, Acting Chairman of SECC; executives from local software companies, and CIOs from various organizations benefiting from SECC.

The discussion encompassed the advantages of adopting CMMI and its implications for improving the business efficiency of IT companies. ELZaher emphasized ITIDA’s commitment to promote open and inclusive dialogue among the IT community and software companies, aiming to support their growth, increase competitiveness, and enhance capabilities for international market penetration.

The CEO highlighted the increased demand for professional skills in software engineering, which acts as a key attraction for the Egyptian market, contributing to increasing exports regionally and globally, where he stressed the role of ITIDA in reinforcing Egypt’s position in the IT services offshoring industry.

ITIDA is strategically developing innovative capacity-building programs and providing international accreditations, positioning local IT and software companies at the forefront of global excellence. SECC plays a pivotal role as the driving force behind ITIDA’s efforts to boost the competitiveness of the local IT industry and software enterprises while expanding their global footprint. ITIDA CEO praised the positive role played by SECC experts in offering consultation on a unique blend of quality standards and frameworks, and coaching their implementation in addition to assessment and appraisal services.

Egypt has established its reputation as hub for software development and IT services where it’s already home to several multinational companies and global delivery centers. These companies leverage Egypt’s abundant talent pool and digital expertise to access a diverse array of services, ranging from web and mobile application development to support and maintenance, software testing, embedded systems, and electronic design services. The Egyptian government is actively committed to enhancing the digital capabilities of its youth for the offshoring industry. A comprehensive array of capacity-building programs has been designed to cater to individuals of all age groups and diverse scientific backgrounds, encompassing both tech-related and non-tech majors.

Noteworthy achievements underscore the government’s dedication to capacity development, as evidenced by a fiftyfold increase in the training budget over a nine-year period. The number of trainees has surged by 150-fold, mounting from 2,600 trainees with an investment of EGP 32.5 million in 2015 to an impressive 400,000 trainees with an investment of EGP 1.7 billion in 2024. These milestones demonstrate the government’s proactive efforts in nurturing and fostering capacity growth.

Additionally, the meeting reviewed the role of ITIDA in increasing the accredited and certified local companies, highlighting the recent collaboration between SECC and CIT where the latter will provide support of 50% of the cost for 20 companies of its members to obtain the CMMI certifications (CMMI-DEV/SVC) in the areas of development or services. It’s worth noting that SECC has provided consultation, assessment, appraisal, and training services for CMMI for both Development and Services since 2007 with 200 appraised companies locally in Egypt and internationally in Bangladesh, China, KSA, Kuwait, Syria, and UAE.  The Capability Maturity Model Integration (CMMI) is a globally recognized method and process and behavioral model that helps organizations streamline process improvement and encourage productive, efficient behaviors that decrease risks in software, product, and service development.

SECC is a leading organization in cutting-edge technology services and consultancy, reinforcing technical competence and improving the internal capacities of ICT companies. In June 2001, SECC was inaugurated as part of the efforts supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) to boost the Information Technology Industry in Egypt. In 2005, SECC merged into the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA).