The Minister of Finance: a leap in public services by moving towards electronic system to manage government daily work.

Electronic Certification Services of government documents are available in 25 public agencies, first of all is the cabinet.

LE. 2.4 billion national economy savings  resulting from reducing customs clearance time of  Egyptian imports, only one day.

The Minister of Communications: New programs and services provided by the government through personal electronic signature and electronic mail.

Automation of treatment system at the expense of the state and connect health directorates electronically with cabinet in order to be fully controlled.

Dr. El-Morsy El-Sayed Hegazy , the Minister of Finance and Engineer Atef  Helmy, the Minister of Communications and Information Technology signed MOU between the two ministries to activate the government electronic services and build technological community between civil service employees, contributing in the reduction of  public service costs by using unified infrastructure in all the government ministries , authorities ,and public agencies, taking into consideration the standard specifications to  maintain the safety and security of information exchange systems, and its confidentiality.

The Minister of Finance declared that the agreement concluded with the Ministry of Communications focuses on enhancement and activation of electronic signature applications and development of mutual electronic mail system between ministries and public agencies, to benefit from government electronic certification and to verify the validity, conformity of the circulated documents, and the personality of signatories and ratification electronically. The said system established under supervision of the Ministry of Finance through the government Electronic Certification Authority.

He said that MOU is within the framework of the efforts exerted by Dr. Hesham Qandil government, to raise and improve daily performance of different government  ministries , agencies, and authorities and ensure full control on  daily works and to make sure of its commitment to rules , legal systems and financial allocations earmarked  for them by general budget law without exceeding such allocations , and this is through moving towards government information circulation and documents from paper system to a high confidential secured and encrypted electronic system to protect Egypt’s economic security.

He said that this is the second step after completion of the electronic connection between the Government Certification Authority (GOV – CA ) affiliates to the Ministry of Finance and Root Certification Authority (Root – CA ) , represented in Information Technology Industry Development Agency affiliates to the Ministry of Communications, as the agency issued the operating order no. (2012/1) to GOV.CA, launching the provision of electronic services in different government Agencies.

The Minister of Finance also explained that these steps will support the government work system to achieve a qualitative leap in providing  public services, such as: automated procedures of treatment services at the expense of the state or during dealing with the revenue generating authorities,  e.g. tax and customs authority or during  salaries and pension E-payment, also the ambitious government program dedicated to the electronic payment of the suppliers' dues to complete the automation system of implementing the state’s general budget.

El-Morsy El-Sayed Hegazy said that the MoF will start supporting and activating all the highly confidential governmental applications concerning the electronic certification and using the governmental codes for the first time in the history of the Egyptian government, raising the efficiency of government’s daily work, and the most important is to keep the data and information confidentiality, which is considered very important for Egypt’s national security.

He also added that the future electronic applications system will be established by pure Egyptian creativity thinking, either programs or used applications in cooperation with the Ministry of Communications, government information technology sectors and private sector to ensure the highest level of confidentiality and security of the circulated information. He noted that the system depends on the world internet, as well as special governmental intranets to achieve the immediately management of political, economic, diplomatic and security crises and also providing a high confidential information and data transmission electronic system.

He pointed that an international study concluded that the Egyptian economy achieved revenues estimated at LE. 2.4 billion, from  saving one day of customs clearance time, due to the automation of the customs' charges payment methods, indicating to the money volume that could be saved directly or indirectly through moving towards  a controlled electronic system in government work, in addition to raising transactions efficiency, service provision level and costs & time reduction.

He also said that the Ministry of Finance will cooperate with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology to enhance the Egyptian government applications through integration programs to enter electronic signature and the coding systems in these applications into effect in order to develop them to maintain and benefit from all the governmental investments that have been pumped during the previous governments. This was already implemented in many government applications, such as applications of the Ministry of Health. He also indicated that the Ministry of Finance is currently activating usage of the government electronic certification in the treatment project at the expense of the state, as the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology connected the health directorates in all governorates to the public department of the Ministry of Health in Cairo and also to the cabinet for issuing the electronic treatment decisions at the expense of the state and follow up their immediate implementation. 

The Minister of Finance declared that cooperation agreements and protocols are signed, to provide governmental E-Certification services issued from Government E-Certification Authority (Gov-CA), with 25 governmental entities including: Secretary-General of the cabinet, The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Information , the Ministry of Water Resources and Irrigation, the Ministry of State for Local Development, the Ministry of state for Environmental Affairs, the Ministry of Housing and New Urban Communities, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Awqaf,  the Ministry of State for Military Production, the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Commercial Representation), the Supreme Council of Universities, Cairo Governorate, South Sinai Governorate, Damietta, Beni Suef, Port Said, Matrouh, Menoufia, Gharbia and Sohag Governorates, Academy of the Arabic language, Egyptian Tax authority and the Ministry of Trade and Industry (Cultural Affairs and Missions).

He said that the General Authority for Investment & its customers undertakes currently cooperation with the Ministry of Administrative Development to activate government E-Certification in the document sharing system of governmental authorities linking project to exchange services and documents, known as government services corridor (G2G).

The Minister of Communications and Information Technology, engineer Atef Helmy asserts that the memorandum of understanding (MOU) will enable The Ministry of Communication in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance to develop the basic technology structure which is established by the Ministry of Finance in order to build the government e-mail centre and linking it to the government E-Certification centre, at the cost of LE. 20 million, whereas both centers will operate through a secured and encrypted network, electronically connecting all the MoF’s units with several ministries, bodies, public authorities and commercial banks as well as the CBE.

He noted that the Ministry of Communications plans to use such structure, in its recently announced initiative, to increase productivity and efficiency through which the ministry aims to provide and develop information technology new services and applications via personal e-mail in order to build knowledge-based community for more than 6.2 million civil service employees, increasing the service productivity and efficiency.

Engineer Atef Helmy said that the Ministry of Communications will support the system in order to complete its linkage with all government authorities, entities and ministries, in addition to providing technical advice and assistance in establishment of substitute center to operate in an electronic certification system and exchange government post, in addition to the current major center, to guarantee maintenance of safety and confidentiality of government documents, records and information in circulation, and to ensure that the service is regularly and uninterrupted performed.

He added that the Ministry of Communications will provide technical advice regarding settlement of disputes, which may arise between the electronic system parties, who use the government electronic certification and government codes, the role plyed by the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) affiliated to the Ministry of Communications.

Dr.Maged El Gendy, advisor to the Minister of Finance for technology and director of government E-Certification Authority, explained that some of the most important obligations of government E-certification authority are issuing electronic authentication certificates, training of employees how to use these certificates in government, enhancing specific applications related to these certificates and providing the needed technology for digital electronic signature and government encryption systems in order to boost government applications and providing support and assistance to all participants from government authorities in government electronic certification authority system, ensuring their adherence to the agreed criteria, specially the criteria of information safety and confidentiality.