ITIDA CEO highlights Egyptian tech talent as key to global investment

Ahmed El-Zahir, CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), highlighted Egypt's strategy to build an integrated technological ecosystem to drive economic growth and job creation. Speaking at Techne Summit Cairo 2026, El-Zahir emphasized that ITIDA aims to connect talent, startups, and investors with both local and global opportunities while preparing for shifts brought by artificial intelligence.

During the DevOpsDays Cairo 2026 conference, El-Zahir also addressed the rise of ‘Agentic AI,’ noting that its ability to plan and execute tasks autonomously requires new methodologies in governance and security. He identified Egyptian software engineers as a primary competitive advantage for the country, stating that the high caliber of local talent is a decisive factor for international companies choosing to expand their operations in Egypt.

To support this, ITIDA, through the Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC), is focusing on specialized training, international certifications, and technical consulting to ensure Egyptian developers remain competitive in the global market.