Page 77 - SAMENA Trends - June-July 2020

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Egypt’s CIT, Higher Education Ministry to Equip Space Information System

Center

The Ministry of Communication and in 2019 was the culmination of significant said the protocol is an important step in
Information and Technology and the efforts and the fruition of a dream that has the cooperation between the ministries
Egyptian Space Agency have signed a been in place for 40 years. He indicated of Communications and Information
cooperation protocol to equip a computer that Egypt has now become part of the Technology, and Higher Education and
center and integrated information global space system. The Minister pointed Scientific Research. He emphasized the
system for the Egyptian Space Agency. out that the establishment of Egypt’s first synergy of all state sectors to create
The protocol’s signing was witnessed, satellite center is a qualitative leap in this a knowledge-based society based on
via videoconferencing, by Minister of field, and stressed that Egypt has become scientific research. The Minister noted that
Higher Education and Scientific Research the permanent headquarters of the African the cooperation protocol aims to support
Khaled Abdel Ghaffar and Minister Space Agency. This has increased the the Egyptian Space Agency’s information
of Communication and Information pressures and tasks placed on Egypt, systems infrastructure. This comes as part
Technology Amr Talaat. The protocol, and emphasizes the country’s aspiration of the state’s interest in both developing
which will last over three years, will see for developing integrated centres and Egypt’s space industry and achieving
the preparation of infrastructure and a information systems. For his part, Talaat regional leadership in this field.
data center to connect the center up with
all buildings under the space agency. It
will also provide computing equipment,
software, information network and
security devices, servers and storage units
for the agency. An agency online portal
will also be made available and put into
operation, to provide electronic services
and external link lines to the agency.
There will be cooperation agreements
for training between the agency and
institutions affiliated to the Ministry
of Communications and Information
Technology. Abdel Ghaffar said the
Egyptian Space Agency’s establishment

Jordan Sees Increase in Mobile Wallet Usage Due to Government Worker's

Fund

Jordan has seen an increase in mobile There are multiple reasons behind the a prepaid mobile market with circa 80% of
wallets usage, as the government urged boost in the uptake and transaction values the customers on prepaid plans, the top-
workers to open mobile wallets and telcos of mobile wallets, one of them being the up transaction being vital to keep people
surged their applications for remote government’s decision to support the daily connected. Overall, telecom operators
payments. According to Verdict UK, Mobile workers whose jobs were affected in this have an important part in Jordan’s mobile
Financial Services (MFS) in Jordan have pandemic by a weekly fund. Therefore, wallet development. For example, telco
witnessed growth with the number of the Government urged those workers to Orange is present in this space with the
mobile wallets reaching 760,000 wallets in open mobile wallets to receive their funds. Orange Money wallet, Zain with the Zain
April 2020. This represents around 10% of This initial phase of the workers’ fund Cash wallet, and Umniah provides the
the total mobile subscription base, with a started in April 2020 and is expected to Mahfazti wallet. Additionally, financial
total transaction value of USD 88.1 million last until the end of June 2020. Another institutions also play a key role in the
up from USD 26.7 million in December cause for the boost of mobile wallets is the ecosystem with solutions including Dinark,
2019. It also represents a 230% increase provision of mobile wallets applications National Wallet, Gadhaa, and other banks,
in transaction value in April 2020 versus made by telcos, in order to enable their Verdict UK stated.
December 2019, and a 25% increase in the customers to make transactions such as
number of wallets over the same period. top-ups and payments remotely. Jordan is

77 JUNE-JULY 2020