The 8th edition of DevOpsDays Cairo kicked off this week, gathering 55 international and local experts to discuss the latest trends in software development and IT operations. Held under the patronage of H.E. Dr. Amr Talaat, Egypt’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology, this year’s conference is themed “Paving the Way for the AI Age with DevOps” and is organized by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) and its Software Engineering Competence Center (SECC).
A Platform Reflecting Egypt’s Tech Vision
In a keynote address, ITIDA CEO Ahmed El-Zaher described the conference as a strategic platform that reflects Egypt’s vision to not just adopt, but actively shape global best practices in the IT sector. He highlighted the event’s remarkable growth since its inception in 2018 as the first of its kind in the Arab world. Participation has surged from just 9 speakers in 2023 to 55 this year, with attendance growing from 220 to over 600 in the same period, reinforcing its status as a premier technology gathering in the MENA region.
Highlighting Egypt’s Surging Tech Exports and Talent
The conference also served as a platform to showcase the phenomenal growth of Egypt’s IT sector. El-Zaher revealed that Egypt’s offshoring exports have increased by 80% to reach $4.3 billion in 2024, while direct export-related jobs have risen by 70% to over 160,000. Furthermore, the number of global outsourcing companies operating in Egypt has nearly tripled in just three years, from 64 to over 180. This boom is fueled by a robust talent pipeline, with over 760,000 graduates annually, 30% of whom are in STEM fields.
Advancing Skills for the AI Era
A key enabler of this growth is the SECC, which acts as the knowledge and technical arm of Egypt’s software industry. The center has been instrumental in equipping local engineers with competitive skills through advanced training in areas like generative AI testing and DevOps. Last year, SECC secured international accreditation from the PeopleCert–DevOps Institute, empowering its experts to deliver globally recognized certifications directly from Egypt and further elevating the country’s talent pool on the world stage.
Agenda and International Lineup
The 2025 agenda features four main tracks that combine DevOps with artificial intelligence, covering critical topics such as AI-driven testing, software security, and accelerating development with generative AI. The event is headlined by prominent international figures, including Andrew Clay Shafer, the original co-founder of the global DevOpsDays movement; Rania Mohamed of Google Cloud; and Professor Hasan Yasar from Carnegie Mellon University, alongside executives from leading local and global technology firms.
About DevOpsDays Cairo
DevOpsDays Cairo is the regional flagship of a global series of technical conferences held in over 60 cities worldwide. Launched in 2018, the Cairo event was the first in the Arab region and has since become a central meeting point for the software development and IT operations community in the Middle East and North Africa, cementing Egypt’s position as a leading technology and outsourcing hub.
Source: MEA TechWatch
