Press Releases

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The Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), in partnership with the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Egypt, has launched a national initiative to advance the inclusion of persons with disabilities across Egypt's information and communications technology (ICT) sector and foster workplace environments that embrace diversity.

Through a participatory approach bringing together 14 local and multinational companies, subject-matter experts, professionals, and persons with disabilities, the initiative facilitates knowledge exchange, identifies workplace barriers, and co-develops practical solutions. This collaborative effort will culminate in the publication of the ICT Inclusion Playbook, a framework tailored to reflect the realities and operational needs of Egypt's technology sector while supporting ITIDA's strategic goal to broaden and diversify the national talent pool.

The initiative was officially inaugurated during an event held at ITIDA's premises in Smart Village, attended by:

• Eng. Ahmed El-Zaher, CEO of ITIDA.
• Mr. Andreas Ruepp, Director of the Business and Green Transformation Programme at GIZ Egypt.  
• Dr. Khaled Habib, CEO of Fit for Life (lead consulting firm for the initiative).
• Senior representatives from the participating ICT enterprises, alongside experts and advocate professionals with disabilities.

The initiative features 14 prominent local and multinational technology companies operating in Egypt: Brightskies, CrocoIT, DVIT, DXC, Fingerprint, Foundever, IBM, Microsoft, NTG, Orange Business, Raya IT, Sutherland, VOIS, and Xceed.

Ahmed Elzaher, CEO of ITIDA, emphasized that equal opportunity and corporate social responsibility represent core pillars of the Agency's strategy to empower persons with disabilities, enabling them to leverage their capabilities within the digital labor market.

"Advancing disability inclusion goes beyond its social dimension—it presents a major economic opportunity to broaden the talent and technical skill sets available to the ICT sector," stated El-Zaher. "Providing inclusive, supportive workplaces allows companies to tap into unmanaged talent pools, directly fueling business resilience, innovation, and competitiveness."

Elzaher highlighted ITIDA's ongoing collaboration with DXC Technology on the DXC Dandelion Programme, an innovative initiative focused on identifying neurodivergent talent and integrating them into high-value tech roles. He noted that building upon such specialized benchmarks paved the way for this broader partnership with GIZ.

"Our partnership with GIZ unites industry leaders and ecosystem stakeholders to translate successful pilots into actionable industry practices," El-Zaher added. "The resulting ICT Inclusion Playbook will offer companies a concrete operational framework to enhance recruiting, onboarding, and retaining talent with disabilities, helping the sector meet its target employment quotas."

He extended his appreciation to all partners, calling for accelerated execution to publish and distribute the Playbook across the sector at the earliest opportunity.

Mr. Andreas Ruepp, Director of the Business and Green Transformation Programme at GIZ Egypt, highlighted the bottom-up methodology of the initiative.

"At GIZ, we believe sustainable solutions are not imposed from the top down; they must be co-developed with private sector stakeholders based on their day-to-day operational realities," said Ruepp. "We are not creating a theoretical document, but working side-by-side with the ICT industry to embed inclusive employment into sustainable business operations."

Ruepp detailed the complementary roles of the alliance:

1- GIZ: Contributes technical inclusion expertise, international frameworks, and private-sector development mechanisms.
2- ITIDA: Unites the ICT ecosystem and provides institutional oversight.
3- Participating Companies: Bring real-world operational testing, ownership, and execution capabilities.

He also cited GIZ's foundational partnership with Raya IT as a proven blueprint that demonstrated sustainable pathways for inclusive hiring in tech.

"We are transitioning from a successful pilot with Raya IT to building a sector-wide solution," Ruepp noted. "Our ultimate goal is to evolve from basic principle commitments into institutionalized corporate practices that guarantee equal growth opportunities for persons with disabilities."

 Methodology & Implementation Roadmap

Fit for Life, a consulting firm specializing in sustainable development and organizational capability building, serves as the lead technical consultant. The firm will facilitate 15 interactive workshops and working sessions with company representatives, experts, and employees with disabilities.

The co-creation process will structure the ICT Inclusion Playbook across four core operational pillars:

1- Inclusive Recruitment: Accessible sourcing, interviewing, and hiring pipelines. 2- Workplace Accessibility: Physical infrastructure, digital tools, assistive technologies, and cultural practices.
3- Capability & Career Development: Continuous training, leadership paths, and skill empowerment.
4- Impact Measurement & Roadmap: Key performance indicators (KPIs), assessment metrics, and a phased implementation model.

Upon completion, the Playbook will be hosted as an open-access digital resource on ITIDA's official website and distributed across technology enterprises, business associations, and institutional partners.

 Strategic Framework

This initiative is executed under the joint cooperation between ITIDA and GIZ Egypt within the framework of the develoPPP program, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The partnership strengthens cooperation between development partners and private enterprise to foster sustainable workforce integration across Egypt's digital economy.