Egypt has been shortlisted as the Outsourcing Destination of the Year 2016 for the European Outsourcing Association (EOA) Awards, one of the most prestigious outsourcing industry awards. The EOA is the center of excellence for outsourcing in Europe. It is committed to advancing the outsourcing profession and the outsourcing industry by driving awareness, education, standards and thought leadership. Winners will be announced next October, following the EOA Leadership Summit in Bulgaria, which gathers the global sourcing leaders and influencers. Recent years witnessed a shift in the outsourcing landscape in Egypt from low-value to high-value services. BPO, IT and R&D outsourcing services have mushroomed over the last four years, with employees doubling to reach around 50,000 FTE. The contribution of Egypt's ICT industry to GDP grew by 13% in the last two years, reaching 4.1% of total GDP. In 2015, the Egyptian Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA), created 6,000 new jobs through expansion agreements with MNCs. This year, ITIDA features the innovative and collaborative environment in Egypt through its investment in the newly established company, Silicon Waha, for establishing science and technology parks across second-tier cities. This countrywide initiative encompasses a collaborative ecosystem of government, ICT companies, academia and entrepreneurs and creates 500,000 jobs. By the end of 2016, two parks will be operational under the name We Parks, one within Alexandria city, covering the coastal area, and the other within Assiut city, covering Upper Egypt. We Parks complement the portfolio of the successful Smart Village and Maadi Technology Park in the capital. Moreover, ITIDA's affiliate, the Technology Innovation and Entrepreneurship Center, has launched the Innovation Clusters Initiative to develop an Innovator-friendly environment in Egyptian cities based on a Public-Private Partnership. — SG
