Information & Communications Technology
US, Egypt share common challenges in IT
On June 10, the AmCham ICT Committee held an informal meeting with Richard Russell, associate director of the US Office of Science & Technology Policy in the Executive Office of the President. Accompanying Russell was his delegation to the World Radio Communication Conference, which had taken place earlier in Geneva. The purpose of the meeting was to have a general discussion about the Egyptian environment for business and technology.
The delegation highlighted the major changes occurring in the US information technology sector such as the broad shift from analog broadcasts to digital ones. They also discussed how licensing in the US has shifted toward more service-oriented regulations. Some of the key challenges discussed concerned the consequences of the wider availability of information due to advancements in technology, including information security and the privacy rights of individuals. These are challenges that both the US and Egypt have and will continue to face, he said.
Russell expressed that both the national and foreign mandate of the Office of Science & Technology is to promote an open system, allowing for the creation of new technologies and a competitive marketplace. He went on to encourage more consumer choice and information transfer for the sake of continuous change and improvements in the IT sector.
In closing, Russell and his team asked to maintain a dialogue with Egypt’s IT stakeholders and noted the historical and geographic influence that Egypt holds.
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Program for enterprise capacity building View Presentation
The Information & Communications Technology Committee hosted Amin Khaireldin, a board member of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), on May 6. Khaireldin spoke about ITIDA’s new Enterprise Capacity Building Program (ECBP).
He explained that the ECBP was originally launched by the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology (MCIT) and the Industry Modernization Center (IMC) several years ago as part of Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif’s efforts to develop Egypt’s information technology industry.
The ECBP’s objective is to help IT companies comply with international standards. The program lasts three years and targets more than one hundred companies. Khaireldin said the program has various elements, including a technology development fund, a business development center, certification programs and an incubation program.
Khaireldin explained that the ECBP hires a master consulting firm, which defines the selection criteria and the implementation methodology of the program.
The selected companies are then divided into “amateur” and “established” categories. The first step the ECBP takes is to identify these companies’ weaknesses. Next, an action plan is designed, and another smaller consulting firm is hired to help implement the plan. The beneficiaries’ companies are required to pay 15 percent of these consultancy fees. At the end of the third year, a final evaluation and recommendation report is delivered.
Under the ECBP’s incubation program, a business plan competition is held in which individuals present their ideas for new IT businesses. The top three winners are then offered office space and training in Smart Village. After 18 months, if project managers like what they see, the group is assisted in starting up its own business. The program also provides loans to small and medium-size enterprises, and financial support to non-governmental organizations.
Khaireldin concluded by saying that the agency intends to create a program sustainable over the years.
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