CAIRO – 6 July 2022: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi inaugurated on Wednesday a number of projects of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), including ‘Digital Egypt’ platform, which seeks to provide digital government services to citizens.
During the inauguration ceremony, Sisi inaugurated via video conference cable landing stations in Red Sea governorate’s Ras Ghareb and Zafarana and Alexandria’s Sidi Kerir.
The president also inaugurated the International Data Center in Cairo, applied technology schools of Telecom Egypt, and seven Digital Egypt CREATIVA learning and innovation hubs in Upper Egypt's Aswan, Qena, Sohag and Minya, and northern Egypt's Isamilia, Mansoura, and Menoufia.
Sisi also inaugurated Egypt Post Museum in Cairo after renovation.
Modernizing communications infrastructure
The Ministry of Communications and IT has modernized Egypt's infrastructure by linking more than 33,000 government buildings with the fiber optic network at a total investment of EGP 6 billion, a documentary showed during the ceremony.
The ministry has cooperated with other ministries to automate all government services at an investment of more than EGP 6 billion, the documentary added.
Speaking during the ceremony, Minister of Communications Amr Talaat said that the date center is fully secured against cyberattacks.
The trial of "Digital Egypt" platform, which provides citizens with easier access to government services, has been launched since several months, noted the minister.
Citizens are, through the platform, be able to access more than 130 government services, including: food rations; vehicle; notary service and social insurance, he further said.
The minister stressed the importance of the e-signature service for citizens, saying it will facilitate the matter for Egyptians living abroad to obtain services from the Egyptian consulate in the countries where they reside without having to travel a long distance to these consulates.
The minister said that this service will be launched in cooperation with the interior and foreign ministries during the current year.
He further noted that his ministry is working with the health and finance ministries to automate the health insurance system that started in Port Said governorate.
This system is currently being implemented in the rest of Egypt's governorates, the minister said, noting that his ministry, in cooperation with the Higher Education Ministry, will automate 73 university hospitals.
Talaat affirmed that his ministry's strategy focuses on three main goals, including cooperation with the various State bodies in providing governmental services to the citizens, providing highly efficient and stable telecommunication services, along with enabling youth to compete effectively in the labor market.
Talaat said the projects mainly aim to provide seamless services to the citizens.
These services are implemented under the umbrella of digital transformation, which means digitalizing all the governmental procedures, the minister said.
The projects started five years ago, with the establishment of Egypt's information infrastructure, he said, hailing the tireless efforts exerted by the various State institutions in coordination with the Administrative Control Authority to establish Egypt's information structure.
The project to connect all of the approximately 33,500 government buildings nationwide to the fiber-optic is currently being implemented, he further added.
To date, about 20,000 government buildings have been connected to this network, he further said.
IT, communications figures
Egypt's digital exports rose from $3.6 billion in FY 2018/19 to $4.9 billion in FY 2021/22, the minister said.
Also, the beneficiaries from the ministry’s digital capacity building and training programs in the country has increased from 4,000 trainees in FY 2018/19 with an investment of EGP 50 million to 200,000 trainees at an investment of EGP 1.1 billion.
In 2020, Egyptian youth in the emerging markets in the technology sector attracted investments worth $190 million, Talaat said. He added that the number rose to $490 million in 2021 and the ministry aims to attract $850 million this year, of which $350 has been earned.
Changing culture of education
Attending the ceremony, Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel Ghaffar said Egypt has opened about 18 faculties over the recent years for modern academic disciplines in the government universities.
This is in addition to new non-profit universities that are concerned with these disciplines, he added.
During the ceremony, President Sisi said universities and faculties for modern academic disciplines are currently available, urging citizens to be convinced that the future and real job opportunities are available by studying in these universities.
“Our culture of education needs to be developed and adjusted,” the president said.
Students should not only obtain academic certificates, but also study new specializations needed in labor market, added Sisi.
The president further said several faculties and universities providing new technological specializations including Artificial intelligence (AI) have already been opened and new educational institutions will be opened as well.
He said the newly-established faculties provide genuine education and future, adding efforts should focus more on marketing these new specializations needed by the society.
Sisi urged media outlets to pay a greater attention to programs which highlight young talents in IT domain.
He underscored the need for finding and developing ideas to increase revenues, income and wealth for both citizens and the homeland away from traditional methods which are now insufficient.
Sisi spoke about the Zewail City of Science and Technology, saying that its first and second phases have costed EGP 4.5 and 6.5 billion respectively and that the second phase is 95 percent complete.
Speaking about national projects nationwide amid economic pressures, the president said the road to build a state is full of “patience, work, and making sacrifices.”
Sisi added that Egypt does not have natural wealth except sand, marble and limestone and that work and developing ideas are required in order to change people's lives and maximize their income.
MENA contributed to the reporting.
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