Page 45 - SAMENA Trends - November-December 2021

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

government services, the mechanization and Africa in the provision of cross- half of 2021, while working in parallel on
of documentation services. As for border outsourcing services and ranked the governance of telecommunications
technological and cognitive headquarters, first regionally and continentally and services. The investments of the Egyptian
they It include five projects that have been fifteenth globally in providing outsourcing Postal development plan during the
and are being implemented at a total cost services, according to Kearney’s index current year amounted to about 4 billion
of LE 3.5 billion, including five projects that of “global service sites” for 2021. Egypt's pounds, and the total number of post
have been implemented at a total cost of LE ranking advanced in the network readiness offices reached about 4,147 post offices,
1.5 billion, most notably the technological index, rising from 92nd place globally and the number is targeted to reach 4,200
areas in New Assiut / Borg El Arab / New to 84th, and Egypt came among the 10 by the end of the year 2021. The number
Beni Swi / Sadat, and the establishment largest developing countries for digital of developed offices reached about 2,855
of seven new creativity complexes "Egypt inclusion. Egypt's ranking also advanced post offices, while it is aimed that the total
Digital Creativity Centers". Egypt witnessed in the "Government Readiness for Artificial developed offices by the end of 2021 will
a growth in the entrepreneurship sector Intelligence" index to become 56th globally reach about 3,130 post offices; New postal
and emerging companies in light of the compared to 111th in 2019. According outlets were also created through the
efforts made to support technological to the Ministry of Communications and establishment of 147 post offices out of a
innovation, the most prominent of which Information Technology, huge investments target of 200 offices by the end of 2021.
is the implementation of a project to were made to raise the efficiency of the The total number of postal kiosks reached
spread Egypt’s digital innovation centers internet, which resulted in an increase in about 35 postal kiosks out of a target of
in the governorates. The first phase of the average fixed internet speed from 6.5 50 postal kiosks by the end of 2021, in
the project included the completion of the Mbit/s in January 2019 to 45.8 Mbit/s addition to the number of mobile offices
establishment of seven centers, while the in October 2021, making Egypt fourth in reaching about 83 cars equipped and
second phase aims to establish nine other Africa compared to 40th in January 2019. equipped with postal employees and an
centers, at a total cost of LE 1.5 billion As part of the work to improve the quality automatic teller machine out of a target of
for the two phases. Egypt ranked first in of telecommunications services, 80 MHz 89 mobile offices by the end of 2021, and
the Middle East and North Africa in the was launched in the frequency space the total number of ATMs 750 machines
number of investment deals for emerging of 2600 MHz, with revenues of $1.170 out of a target of 1750 machines by the
companies. Egypt has maintained its billion, and the number of installed towers end of 2021.
regional leadership in the Middle East was doubled from 600 to 1200 in the first

Muscat Declared 'Arab Digital Capital' for 2022

The Council of Arab Ministers for
Communications and Information
announced that Muscat will be the Arab
Digital Capital for 2022. The decision was
announced at the conclusion of the 25th
session of the Arab minister's council
hosted Sunday via videoconferencing
by the Arab League’s technical
secretariat general of Arab Ministers of
Communications and Information, Oman
news agency reported. Said Hamoud Al
Maawali, Omani Minister of Transport,
Communications and Information
Technology, said that the decision reflects
the confidence of Arab countries in the
digital and legal capabilities of Oman, the
latest of which the Council of Ministers’
endorsement of the National Digital
Economy Program. The Arab digital capital
is selected on an annual basis to host
successful initiatives and models.

45 NOV-DEC 2021