IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

In an expanse of desert 30 miles east of Cairo, Egypt, a new city is rising. Already boasting the tallest tower in Africa and the biggest cathedral in the Middle East, the city is one of a series of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi’s grand megaprojects intended to develop the country’s economy.

Construction of the “New Administrative Capital” began in 2016, and is being completed in phases. According to Khaled Abbas, chairman of the Administrative Capital for Urban Development (ACUD), the company overseeing the project, phase one is almost complete and phase two is expected to begin in the last quarter of this year.

By June 30, 2019, Egypt should have seven additional online platforms for government services. This was announced by the IT ministry which indicated that these platforms will provide access to various services like insurance, taxes, social housing, special needs, real estate registration, education, grants and marriage or divorce certificates.

According to local media al-monitor, the government also plans to provide a smart card that citizens will use to pay for these government services that require payments.

Egypt is rolling out seven online government platforms to automate various state services and digitally transform the country. The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced the plan May 26 and said the services will be available by June 30.

The platforms include ones for data, automated services, payments, strategic management (part of the "new Cairo" administrative capital project), geographic data, state property management and content.

Egypt's e-government receipts jumped in 2020, from EGP 1bn to EGP 4bn per month following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

The significant jump reflected an annual growth of 250%, highlighting strength of the country's electronic payment (e-payment) and collection system, according to Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait.

It’s a relic that certain ambitious entrepreneurs want to change. Supported by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (CIT), they are pushing through small, though influential, reforms to how government is done in Egypt.

For nearly as long as there have been cities, there have been efforts to create ideal cities. The Italian Renaissance saw the birth of places like Pienza and Palmanova, exquisitely planned centers that were monuments to humanistic thinking. In the 20th century, Brazil's Brasilia and India's Chandigarh fused political goals with avant-garde architecture. The dream seems ever constant: to fashion that fresh start, to build a living prototype that will inspire the world.

Jesse Berst, founder of the Smart Cities Council, once sagely predicted, "If cities are our best hope for a better future, smart technologies are the path to that better future." The reason for this is simple. According to a Deloitte whitepaper about 5G in smart cities, urbanization is gaining speed around the world. Countries are turning to smart city technologies to overcome challenges in population and maximize existing resources. Smart cities represent a bridge towards a practical future of urban development.

A new administrative building will run the country and house 6.5 million residents.

Egypt has plans to build a new smart capital that will be the country's new administrative hub and house more than 6.5 million residents, according to ZD Net. The city will deal with Egypt's constant population boom.

Egypt adds about two million people a year to its population, according to Reuters. By 2050, the country's population is expected to reach 150 million, up from just over 100 million today. Cairo is already overcrowded, so a new city will be required to house all these new people.

"A crucial element of Egypt's e-government project is the automation and centralization of the country's federal accounting procedures, which will ensure greater efficiency and transparency in our financials," said Dr. Ashraf Abdel Wahab, Senior Advisor to the Minister of State for Administrative Development.

The delegation also held meetings with other participating delegates focusing on co-operation in information and communications technology (ICT), reported the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

Bahrain's pavilion included representatives from the eGovernment Authority (eGA) and a number of public and private sector institutions.

Usama Elsayed, COO and Managing Director for MEA region, BPC, charts how digital transformation in Egypt is boosting economic progress and financial inclusion

With a population of more than 100 million, Egypt is confronting significant demographic challenges in its labour market. The country strives to advance its economic development by implementing the National Sustainable Development Strategy (Egypt Vision 2030), aligning with the UN Sustainable Development Strategy (2030 Agenda), and adhering to the 2063 Agenda.

In line with the Egyptian government’s endeavors towards digital transformation and expansion of new smart cities, Ambassador Hong announces the 2021 K-City Global Partnership Program powered by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport of the Republic of Korea.

The program is a platform for Government to Government G2G cooperation aimed at providing technical assistance in smart city projects and knowledge sharing. The Korean Ministry will select projects to be implemented through the program in the following areas Smart city planning, Solution planning, and Solution demonstration.

The government plans to provide 20 e-government services in 2019. The electronic services are set to be introduced through five outlets, including Egypt's Post and the government's digital gate.

The unified card dubbed "Miza", which is set to be issued by the Central Bank of Egypt, is also one of the ways the government is walking through to turn to an electronic system, where all governmental services willbe provided online in the future.

Therefore, it seeks to promote the development of information and communication technology infrastructure and improve digital services in government agencies to improve the performance of ministries and other government agencies and to enhance the quality and efficiency of services by improving the working environment. To provide support to the decision-making process and to find solutions to issues of concern to the society.

Government to provide new electronic services in March, says minister of planning

Minister of Planning, Follow-up, and Administrative Reform Hala El-Said said that achieving high economic growth will not happen without the inclusion of other segments of society in the financial system, which is a key objective of Egypt Vision 2030. Her words came during a speech on financial inclusion and digital payment technology at Cairo ICT 2017.

Ericsson’s Networked Society City Index report draws a correlation between ICT maturity and the ability to use ICT to benefit business. Ranked 17, Cairo was one of two Middle East cities included in the list, while New York, Stockholm and London took the top three positions.

Daily News Egypt) Egypt's Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait has announced that e-government receipts witnessed an increase of 223% at the end of July compared to the same month of 2019.

The significant rise reflects the continuous development efforts of the country's electronic payment (e-payment) and collection system. It also shows that Egypt has overcome any obstacles in implementing e-payment systems a way that contributes to improving its ranking in international indicators, especially those concerned with measuring the competitiveness.

In March 2013 Atef Helmy, the minister of communications and information technology, announced that the first phase of Egypt's broadband strategy, initially unveiled a year and a half ago, would be completed as expected within the coming two years. The strategy, known as eMisr, focuses not only on infrastructure, with an emphasis on developing high-capacity connections at public venues such as schools and health care facilities, but also increased data storage and access for government agencies.

Egypt does not have E-government yet, Director Shinnawy says

The government is committed to create an innovative and knowledge-based society to support human welfare under the 2030 Development plan, director of government solutions at Microsoft Egypt Azza El Shinnawy said during the E-government session at the Innovation in Government Conference.

The session tackled government efforts to convert all the services offered into an electronic system.