Egypt’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the German Agency for International Cooperation in Egypt (GIZ) have signed an agreement to implement the first phase of a project to support e-government and innovation in management. The agreement offered a grant of €8m out of a total of €17.5m.
Amr Talaat, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, and Rania Al-Mashat, Minister of International Cooperation, witnessed on Wednesday the signing of the agreement.
According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Communications, the project aims to support innovation in digital transformation and enhance e-government, and includes cooperation in establishing a laboratory to develop applications in the field of government services.
Under the agreement; the two sides will cooperate in supporting the regulatory framework, coordinating digital transformation and effective management of official development aid, as well as coordinating the digital transformation of public administration, improving electronic human resource management, as well as promoting user-oriented digital services, and producing innovative forms and products for public administration.
The Minister of Communications affirmed that the signing of an agreement regarding the implementation of the project to support e-government and innovation in public administration represents one of the prominent steps in constructive cooperation between Egypt and Germany in the field of communications and information technology, and as a continuation of the partnership between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology and the GIZ, which started three years ago and resulted in Egypt joining the GovStack International Initiative as a participating country at the invitation of the GIZ.
He pointed out that the implementation of this project comes in line with Egypt’s digital strategy and the efforts exerted to promote digital transactions in all aspects of life, and to achieve the transformation into a participatory, paperless digital government that relies on a strong and secure infrastructure to ensure the provision of government services with the latest advanced technologies, and to ensure the provision of these integrated services in high quality, efficiently and effectively to the citizen through digital channels.
Talaat explained that the Ministries of Communications and Information Technology and International Cooperation and the GIZ will cooperate in establishing a government innovation lab at the Digital Egypt Creativity Centre – Giza, through which emerging companies will be invited to innovate in the field of developing applications in the field of government services to provide them to citizens in an accessible manner. He expressed his aspiration to implement more joint cooperation projects with the GIZ.
The Minister of International Cooperation said that the “e-government and innovation” project aims to support the reform of the civil service system and stimulate innovation in government services, pointing out that the agreement signed today comes among the results of the joint coordination cooperation platform that was held for the communications and information technology sector and in the presence of all partners. development during the year 2021, under the title “The Information and Communication Technology Sector for Development”.
The Minister of International Cooperation added that, in light of the long-term cooperation with the German side, the development funding portfolio records about €1.6bn in priority sectors, including innovation and e-government, and that the e-government project is in line with the state’s vision to expand investments in innovation, communications and information technology under the umbrella of Egypt’s Vision 2030, to enhance digital inclusion and shift to a knowledge-based economy, build capabilities and encourage innovation.
