Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology has continued to invest in the country’s telecommunications infrastructure and announced new members to the ITIDA (Information Technology Industry Development Agency), as it renews efforts to sustain growth in the ICT sector.

According to the latest Emerging Europe’s IT Landscape Report, Egypt has proven resilient during the COVID-19 pandemic by “effectively mitigating the impact on businesses and advancing digitalisation.”

In 2019, the government invested US$2-billion in infrastructure upgrades, which has helped the country meet a surge demand for digital communications driven by the pandemic.

This week Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, confirmed that during the second quarter of the 2020/21 fiscal year, Egypt’s ICT sector achieved 17% growth.

In a statement issued on Thursday, the Minister revealed public investments in telecommunication projects increased the sector’s contribution to Egypt’s growth to 3.5%.

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat announced the new members, which includes: Magued Mahmoud, Dell Technologies Vice President and General Manager of Egypt Centre of Excellence; Reem Asaad,Cisco Vice President - Middle East and Africa Hisham Haddara, CEO of Si-Ware Systems; and Engy Wahdan, Human Resources Director, Arab African International Bank (AAIB).

Also on the board are Ahmed Issa, CEO, Retail Banking at the Commercial International Bank (CIB) as well as Ameer Sherif, BasharSoft CEO and Co-founder.

“ITIDA Board of Directors includes representatives from the State Council, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Interior, the Presidency of the Republic, the General Intelligence Service, and the Ministry of Finance, according to Law 15 of 2004, by virtue of which ITIDA was established,” the Ministry stated.

Launched in 2004, the ITIDA is now positioned as an executive IT arm and considered pivotal to the development of the country’s local IT industry.

“Our custom-tailored programs; policy advice and implementation; trade promotion in regional and global markets; and being a strategic advisor to domestic SMEs and multinational corporations contribute to cross-country economic growth,” reads part of a statement released by the ITIDA.