Egypt is increasingly attracting attention from Gulf and international companies as a potential regional base for outsourcing, digital services and technology investment, supported by its large skilled workforce, competitive operating costs and expanding digital infrastructure. According to Mohamed Awaad, Egypt Corporate Agent at Ziada DC in the United Arab Emirates, investor perceptions are shifting beyond Egypt’s role as a large consumer market, with companies increasingly assessing the country for software development, marketing, call centre operations, back office services and other digitally enabled activities. Awaad also pointed to growing Gulf investment in major urban and economic developments as an indication of longer term interest in the Egyptian market. The combination of workforce availability, foreign language capabilities and operating costs is making Egypt a potential location for companies seeking to centralise technology and service operations while serving customers across the Middle East.
Outsourcing and back office services are among the areas identified as having significant potential, with Egypt offering a sizeable professional workforce alongside comparatively lower operating, infrastructure and utility costs than several other regional markets. Companies can use these advantages to establish software development, customer support, marketing and administrative functions in Egypt while continuing to serve customers in other countries. According to Awaad, regional call centre operations are already being conducted from Egypt for businesses serving markets including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The expansion of remote and distributed working models has also increased the ability of international companies to employ developers and specialised teams based in Egypt without relocating employees to higher cost markets. This can provide businesses with access to technical talent while allowing them to maintain payroll and other operating expenses in Egyptian pounds. For Egypt, the model can also contribute to technology sector employment and service exports without requiring every international company to establish large physical operations.
Government programmes supporting outsourcing and offshoring are also contributing to Egypt’s position as a destination for international operations. The country has increasingly promoted digital services exports as a source of foreign investment and employment, particularly for younger professionals. Awaad also highlighted government programmes focused on artificial intelligence and broader digital skills development as important to the development of Egypt’s future technology workforce. At the same time, the country is attracting attention for potential investment in data centres. Its geographic position, telecommunications infrastructure and continued investment in digital networks could support additional domestic and regional data centre capacity. Awaad also sees potential for smart industrial and technology zones along major transport corridors, where data centres, technology companies and supporting services could operate within integrated developments. Such clusters could connect physical infrastructure with cloud services, enterprise technology and digital businesses.
Major urban developments and transport corridors, including projects around East Cairo, are also being assessed by investors based on expected population growth, commercial activity and infrastructure development. For technology and service sector companies, new urban centres can provide opportunities to establish operations around modern connectivity, utilities and business infrastructure. Awaad said geopolitical developments during the first half of 2026 have encouraged some international companies to reconsider the location of their investments and operational capacity, with Egypt potentially benefiting from its geographic position, labour pool and relative stability. Government reforms, investment incentives and regulatory measures aimed at attracting foreign direct investment could also influence future technology and service sector projects. Continued investment in telecommunications infrastructure will remain important, as outsourcing centres, software teams, cloud services and data centres require reliable, high capacity connectivity. The development of new urban communities and technology zones will therefore also depend on sufficient fibre networks, data centre capacity and supporting digital infrastructure.
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