Ahmed Dawoud

News

Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat said that Egypt is ready for digital transformation and that the Ministry has a plan to provide all government services in a digital form to citizens.

Comment

• The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is hard at work to support the digital transformation in Egypt and provide government services in a digital form to citizens. This is important given the impact of government performance on the activities of all other actors in the society. It also has a direct impact on the business environment and both domestic and foreign investment rates, and hence growth and job creation.

• For the Egyptian society, the concept of digital transformation is linked to the use of technology. The main thing is to facilitate the provision of government services as an essential step toward a successful digital transformation. Technology is not an end in itself but rather a means to achieve specific goals. Digital transformation is also a broader concept than automation.

• Adding to what is said in the news about building human capacity, the digital transformation strategy should also be a part of a larger plan for economic and social development in Egypt. It is difficult to transform into a digital economy in a society with a 25 percent illiteracy rate

• However, there are a number of challenges that may hinder the implementation of the strategy, which are not mentioned in the news report and therefore need to be clarified, including the large informal economy, and how will it be dealt with financially and in terms of taxation? Can Egypt’s technological infrastructure fully accommodate the digital transformation? Are legislations prepared and finalized in a timely manner in accordance with a specific timetable so as not to become obsolete in the light of the rapid development of digital activities? have specific indicators been developed to benchmark and follow up on the performance of the concerned parties? Have adequate funding been allocated to all activities of the strategy? Has there been an accurate assessment of the negative implications of the digital transformation on the security of information, employment and other aspects? And finally has there been a clear and precise identification of affected groups and how to compensate them?