The Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat and the Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat have witnessed the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) on behalf of the German government, on implementing the first phase of the Supporting e-Government and Innovation in the Public Administration (InnoPA) project with a grant amounting to eight million Euros out of 17.5 million Euros.
The agreement was signed by the Deputy ICT Minister for Administrative Development, Digital Transformation and Automation Khaled El Attar, and the Head of GIZ Egypt Alexander Solyga, on behalf of the German government.
InnoPA is aimed at achieving digital transformation of the public administration with a more innovative approach and establishing a comprehensive e-government in Egypt. The project 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 the digital transformation process and effective management of maintaining official development assistance, creating the prerequisites for the digital transformation of the public administration, improving electronic human resource management, enhancing user-oriented digital services, and producing innovative forms and products for public administration.
In his remarks, the ICT Minister highlighted that the signing of the agreement on implementing the InnoPA project is a prominent step in constructive cooperation between Egypt and Germany in ICT. He also added that the project comes as part of the MCIT-GIZ partnership that started three years ago and resulted in Egypt joining the GovStack initiative as a participating country, at the invitation of GIZ.
The ICT Minister underscored that the project implementation comes in line with Digital Egypt strategy and the efforts made to promote digital transactions in all aspects of life and achieve the transition to a participatory paperless digital government that relies on a robust and secure infrastructure to ensure the provision of government services with the latest advanced technologies and render the high-quality integrated services efficiently and effectively to citizens through digital channels.
Talaat indicated that Egypt has come a long way in achieving digital transformation in light of implementing several projects aiming at developing information infrastructure nationwide and launching e-government services. He revealed that Egypt has become among the countries of Group A on the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index (GTMI) 2022.
Talaat explained that MCIT and GIZ will cooperate to establish a government innovation laboratory at Creativa Innovation Hub in Giza. Through the Hub, emerging companies will be invited to innovate in developing applications, facilitating citizens’ access to government services. Talaat also looked forward to implementing more cooperation projects with GIZ.
Al-Mashat declared that the InnoPA project aims to support the reform of the civil service system and foster innovation in government services. She revealed that today’s inked agreement comes as part of the outcomes of the multi-stakeholder platform for the ICT Sector, launched in the presence of all development partners in 2021 under the title “ICT sector for development.”
The Minister of International Cooperation indicated that the development funding portfolio records about 1.6 billion Euros in sectors of high priority, including innovation and e-government, within the framework the long-term cooperation with the German side. She stated that the e-government project comes in line with the state’s vision to increase investments in innovation and ICT under Egypt’s Vision 2030, to foster digital inclusion, achieve the transition into a knowledge-based economy, build capabilities, and encourage innovation.
Al-Mashat thanked Talaat for his efforts to implement Digital Egypt strategy. She pointed out that the Ministry of International Cooperation cooperated with MCIT to launch the United Nations Joint Team for Digital Transformation and Innovation (UN-JTDI) initiative, in cooperation with the United Nations (UN). She added that the initiative aims to enhance the participation of the representatives of state agencies, government institutions, and UN organizations operating in Egypt to plan unconventional and innovative technology-based government projects, within the framework of the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2023-2027, signed by the government of Egypt and the UN.
Al-Mashat noted that the portfolio of ongoing development cooperation with multilateral and bilateral development partners includes 34 projects focusing on innovation, digitization, and entrepreneurship, amounting to $1 billion and representing 4% of the development funding portfolio. The projects contribute to achieving 13 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). She added that the Ministry of International Cooperation has provided grants worth $85 million in 2022 to support achieving digital transformation and e-government.
El Attar underlined that MCIT-GIZ cooperation in the field of government innovation aims to build the capabilities of Egyptian companies and enhance cooperate with German companies. He explained that the areas of cooperation include the implementation of projects in all aspects of digital transformation.
El Attar also pointed out that cooperation will take place in the establishment of the government innovation lab next July. The lab is aimed at creating an enabling environment for cooperation and partnership to develop digital solutions for public services and to the challenges facing the administrative work in the government.
Solyga stated that this agreement emphasizes trust and cooperation with the Egyptian government in light of the common goals and interests that bring together the Egyptian and German governments in the field of innovation in government services. He highlighted that cooperation is taking place with the Egyptian government to build capacities, achieve digital transformation, and improve performance, emphasizing the significance of the meetings that the ICT Minister held during his visit to Germany this month, which paved the way for many cooperation projects, especially those related to the establishment of the government innovation lab.
