Page 73 - SAMENA Trends - October 2019

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

Digital Transformation to Increase Egypt’s Competitiveness

Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and the preservation of seller and buyer provided via call centers and delivery
and Information Technology, stressed that rights. Talaat also noted that legislation services if a person does not need to visit
Egypt stands side by side with Lebanon on have been promulgated and are intended government facilities. The minister pointed
the back of recent incidents in the country. to be completed in order to combat internet out that the three automated services are
He also appreciated Lebanon’s and digital offenses. The Minister revealed part of Egypt’s project to digitize
steadfastness in transforming into a that the government aims to automate government services, which has already
modern technological society. It came three services nationwide by the end of begun in a pilot application in Port Said
during his speech at a symposium held by January 2020, which includes providing all governorate and includes the provision of
the Egyptian Lebanese Businessmen traffic services excluding technical 170 government services at a cost of EGP
Friendship Association (ELBA) on Tuesday inspection of cars, launching 8bn and a period of 36 months. The
evening, entitled “Digital transformation: documentation and agency services, as circulation of the automation project to the
the way to economic growth”. The Minister well as supply services. The minister said rest of the country would require linking
explained how the ministry is putting in that the three services will be available to 33,000 government facilities in 27
great effort in order to keep Egypt at pace citizens through a digital platform or governorates with fiber-optic networks to
with the rest of the world. The government government portal, telecommunications prevent any interruptions or disruption to
hopes to achieve digital transformation of centers, and mobile applications besides service. He revealed that 170 mechanized
Egypt and plans to do so through two axes; the Egypt Post branches. He also confirmed services will be provided in Port Said
automation of the government, and that the post offices will carry out financial governorate by the end of this year, where
training Egyptian youth on technological services provided by the Micro, Small and the first launch of the project started in the
developments. This will also allow for the Medium Enterprises Development governorate by providing 18 services last
Egyptian economy to increase its Authority in order to better facilitate July, 25 services in September, and then 34
competitiveness in domestic and funding for young people looking to start digital services in October, He noted that
international markets. He explained that their businesses. Talaat added that the 800 service sites and a government
the first step to build a digital society will second phase of the project aims to building in Port Said have been connected
be moving the government to the New provide services more proactively and will to fiber-optic networks. The minister said
Administrative Capital and get rid of the include alerting the citizen in case of that with the completion of three fully
paper-based bureaucracy. He explained residency change in order to transfer some automated projects in addition to the
that a digital government requires a digital services such as electricity meters or automation of 170 services will be followed
transformation of services through the supply services. Consumers will also have by larger projects, such as the new
development and modernization of these services provided through kiosks in comprehensive health insurance system,
information infrastructure and modern gas stations. “The driver will be farmer card, and a restructuring of the
improvement in addition to a strong allowed to renew the license at the services national tax system. He explained that the
legislative framework that provides kiosks while refueling,” Talaat said. He comprehensive health insurance project,
e-commerce governance, data security, noted that the services will also be which began in Port Said, will be fully
automated, starting from verifying the
eligibility of the citizen and then automating
all healthcare services such as disbursing
medicines and financial settlements,
noting that the second phase of the project
will be in four governorates: Ismailia, Suez,
Luxor, and Aswan. Talaat explained that
the farmer card project aims to automate
the fertilizer and chemicals system,
rationalize water usage, and preserve the
state’s financial resources by ensuring the
delivery of subsidies to its rightful
beneficiaries. The farmer card will also
verify land acquisitions and cultivated
areas in order to develop an integrated
agricultural map that will help measure the
amount of water needed for agriculture
and the season’s crops, and to clarify
agricultural gaps between production and
consumption to achieve stability in goods

73 OCTOBER 2019