Minister of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Tarek Kamel said today that information and communications technology (ICT) can create an evolution as well as bridge the socio-economic gap in Egypt.
In his speech during an IFC/GSMA Mobile Money Summit 2008 session, Dr. Kamel stressed on the importance of holding the summit in Egypt. The event is organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and held in Cairo from May 14-15.
Ms. Farida Khambata, Vice President for Asia, Latin America, Middle East and North Africa, IFC, and Head of the World Bank Office in Egypt Mr. Mohsen Khalil attended the session.
Minister Kamel said Ministry of Communications and Information Technology is currently carrying out a national plan for supporting and enabling the Egyptian Information Society.
The plan revolves around upgrading and building an infrastructure for communications, ICT applications in various sectors and wide-range programs for human resource development.
Minister Kamel added that the national plan is built around a unique public-private partnership model together with the support of President Mubarak and his Government. Earlier this week, he said, President Mubarak and Premier Nazif inaugurated ITU Telecom Africa 2008.
Minister Kamel pointed out that the Information Society plan targets an increase in Egyptian ICT exports and, in turn, economic development. MCIT, according to Dr. Kamel, is presently working on a plan for securing the cyberspace cooperatively with international organizations like the Information Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Egypt, Minister Kamel added, undertakes an incentive of laws supporting ICT progress including the intellectual property law and that of e-signature so as to create an optimum environment for the development of e-businesses.
Laws of data security, cyber security and information crimes have already been set, according to Dr. Kamel. Such laws, he added, aim at propping up the ICT industry, further securing the ICT infrastructure and pushing forward the business process outsourcing industry.
Minister Kamel said that with three GSM operators currently offering services nationwide, Egypt has over 33 million mobile subscribers with a monthly increase of almost one million ones, which is the highest rate in the world. He added that the banking sector has benefited from the development in ICT and began offering e-payment services on a wide-range.
Dr. Kamel explained to the event attendees that Egypt witnesses an increasing interest in e-signature services, which supports the business sector in view of the world trends of e-business. He further stressed on the role mobile phones play in finding suitable solutions for upgrading the sector in Egypt and the whole world.
On her part, Ms. Khambata affirmed the significance of discussing mobile money transference, which contributes to pushing forward growth in developing countries and bridging the socio-economic divides.She added that the World Bank agencies support the ICT infrastructure, human resource development, ICT applications and partnerships in the mobile money field.
Heads of financial companies, mobile companies and international development organizations as well as policy-makers in the fields of finance, telecom and regulatory authorities took part in the two-day conference.
Mobile Money Summit 2008 is designed for senior executives from financial services institutions, mobile network operators, development organizations, solutions vendors and regulatory and policy makers.
The event is expected to stimulate greater understanding and collaboration between all stakeholders - globally, regionally and locally and better equip participants to develop and deploy their own Mobile Money portfolio effectively, efficiently and at scale.
