Indian investors can tap Egypt's textile, ICT sectors: Envoy

IANS  |  Kolkata February 16, 2016 Last Updated at 19:58 IST

Indian investors can explore a number of high potential sectors in Egypt like textiles, Information and Communication Technology, and wind and solar energy, the Egyptian envoy to India said here on Tuesday.

Among other sectors which the Indian companies can tap are finance, logistics, tourism, agriculture, medical tourism, retail, construction and education, according to Egyptian Ambassador to India Hatem Tageldin.

Participating in an interaction at the MCC Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said the two countries are looking at the possibilities of starting a direct flight from Cairo to New Delhi.

He said the tourist flow from India to Egypt rose by by 28.3 percent, though there was scope for more growth.

Refering to the Special Economic Zone developed by his country at the Suez Canal Corridor, Tageldin said the mega project would make Egypt a logistic hub for the whole region, giving investors access to the Middle East, the European and the African markets.

The ambassador invited Indian companies to develop an Indian industrial city beside the Suez Canal corridor.

Another Egyptian official said Cairo has proposed six agreements to facilitate trade with India.

Once these pacts are concluded, trade between the two countries would reach $7-8 billion over the next three-four years.

Titagarh Wagons will invest $500 million in a wagons manufacturing unit in Egypt soon, the official said.

Egypt’s IT spending expected to increase by USD 1.4 billion in 2010 to USD 2.6 billion by 2014 | Emirates Week

Egypt’s IT spending expected to increase by USD 1.4 billion in 2010 to USD 2.6 billion by 2014 | Emirates Week

December 14, 2010
STME, a leading information infrastructure solution integrator in the Middle East, today (Tuesday, December 14, 2010) held a special customer event in Cairo, Egypt to mainly highlight the changes that have taken place since the company’s acquisition in late 2009. During the event, STME also showcased its
‘One Smart Solution’ concept.

STME’s ‘One Smart Solution’ model enables customers to benefit from the top technologies of various manufacturers and the expertise of the company’s installed base of 10 countries, all integrated into a single tailored solution.

During the event, STME also underscored the growing importance of storage and IT infrastructure and management solutions, especially since companies today are increasingly broadening their volume of digital information. STME also pointed out how Egyptian organisations can benefit from the company’s comprehensive portfolio of advanced enterprise IT solutions and services, at a time when Egypt’s IT spending is expected to increase from USD 1.4 billion in 2010 to USD 2.6 billion by 2014.

Salah Abu Shaar, STME CEO, said, “Egypt represents a high potential market for STME given the country’s strong economic growth and its increasing emphasis on information technology and IT services. Hence, it was imperative for us to meet with our customers here and provide them an update about the recent developments taking place at STME.”

Founded in 1982, STME is the first IT company in the Middle East to receive ISO 9001:2000 certification for its world-class portfolio of Consultancy and Managed Services. STME has 14 regional offices located in 10 countries. Its offerings include Backup, Archiving and IT Compliance, Computing Platforms, Disaster Recovery and Business Continuity, Enterprise Content Management, Industry Solutions, Information Infrastructure, Solid State Disks, Storage Resources Management, Surveillance, and Virtualization.

Atos Origin returns to ME market - Services - News & Features - ITP.net

Atos Origin returns to ME market - Services - News & Features - ITP.net

The French company has announced that it will set up operations in Egypt and Saudi Arabia, to target the GCC.

Atos Origin Middle East was one of the largest service providers in the region, employing around 500 people, operating primarily in oil and gas, telecoms, and security, with a client list including Saudi Aramco, Qatar E-Government, STC, Batelco and Emirates Airlines.

The business was sold in a management buy out in February 2006, with the parent company citing that the local operation did not "provide support for Atos Origin's international clients on a material scale." The local business was then bought up by HP in October 2007.

For the new operations, Atos will have offices in Egypt, with around 100 employees, and has formed a partnership with a local investment company, based in Riyadh, to serve the GCC region. The Saudi business is set to be established by the second quarter of 2011.

The new operations will be headed up by Samir El Awadi, who moves from a Sales VP role at Atos to become CEO for Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.

"Atos Origin has an ambitious growth plan and setting up operations in Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries is a clear example. Samir's international sales experience and his extensive political and cultural knowledge of the region and its markets will be a considerable asset to accelerate growth in this strategic and growing market", said Charles Dehelly, Senior Executive Vice President at Atos Origin.

"My goal is to increase our business in this region achieving profitable growth," said El Awadi. "I look forward to working with our global and local experts to deliver the high quality services and solutions that will help organisations further accelerate business growth and stay one step ahead of the competition."

Analyst company Ovum said that Atos Origin may have to work hard to catch up with rivals in the region that have gained a head start, and to build trust with potential clients.

"Despite recent advances, the outsourcing market in the Middle East is still relatively immature, and as such vendors should not expect to see immediate returns on their investment. Atos Origin in particular might be hampered by the importance that end users in the region place on personal relationships, which take time to build up. The company will need to demonstrate not only that it is committed to succeeding in the region but also that it is willing to work hard at building up trust with potential clients," Ovum said in a statement.

"An important step for Atos Origin could be partnering with one or more local vendors, which would not only help to reassure a skeptical market but could also open doors with clients that might otherwise be unreachable," Ovum added.