Minister of Communications and Information Technology Amr Talaat witnessed the launch of “Delta Trust” e-signature services in cooperation between Telecom Egypt and El-Delta Electronic Systems - a company licensed to provide e-signature services. The service is part of the efforts employed to render digital services to corporates, institutions, and individuals to support the digital transformation strategy in Egypt.
Under the cooperation with El-Delta Electronic Systems, Telecom Egypt, the first all-in-one ICT service operator in Egypt, provides e-signature services to corporates and individuals through affiliated stores, points of sale (POS) and telephone exchanges, helping expand e-signature services, enhance administrative work, and promote digital services provided to citizens.
The cooperation is in line with the national efforts toward implementing the digital transformation strategy. The new services are providing citizens with the necessary tools to deal with digital services, such as services related to the Egyptian Tax Authority, the Egyptian Customs Authority, the General Authority for Investment and Free Zones (GAFI), and the National Organization for Social Insurance (NOSI), as well as other governmental and non-governmental services that are being automated successively.
The ICT Minister stated that the strategy of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is based on three main pillars. These pillars include providing more governance and better services to citizens, and developing a secure digital infrastructure that provides citizens with high-efficient, continuous, and stable digital services. This is in addition to creating a talent pool capable of achieving and building Digital Egypt.
Talaat pointed out that this event entails these three pillars. It stands for a new stage in Digital Egypt, given that activating the e-signature system requires establishing a set of significant technology-based applications, representing a breakthrough in the services provided to citizens. He also highlighted the efforts made to upgrade the digital infrastructure to ensure its ability to provide e-signature and relevant services consciously. The ICT Minister emphasized that the launch of projects would be associated with building a talent pool specialized in and capable of managing and developing these projects.
Talaat added that this event reflects the concerted efforts among all the elements of the ICT sector's system to provide e-signature services. He pointed out that the e-signature system in Egypt has not been previously activated due to the lack of the applications that require e-signature. Its activation has been started through the first pillar, related to the applications developed among governmental bodies, Talaat clarified, as the law enforcement system was launched. As the government moves to the New Administrative Capital, employees of the administrative apparatus of the State will perform their work using the e-signature.
Talaat pointed out that the second pillar is related to the corporates, through the application of the e-invoice in cooperation with the Ministry of Finance. He added that investment and corporate services will be launched using this technology. The third pillar is to provide citizens with technology-based services in cooperation with all the state's bodies. MCIT has cooperated with the Ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs to provide consular services using e-signature, which will be launched by the end of this year.
CEO of the Information Technology Industry Development Agency (ITIDA) Amr Mahfouz clarified that the launch of this service is part of ITIDA endeavors to deploy the e-signature uses on a large scale, in cooperation with the private sector. This contributes to the governance of e-transactions and activities. Mahfouz pointed to the steady growth in e-signature transactions, reaching about three million by the end of 2020, more than 153 million by the end of 2021, and exceeding 197 million in the first half of the current year. He emphasized that this growth is the result of launching several projects and services, in cooperation with different bodies, based on the e-signature technology.
The Managing Director and CEO of Telecom Egypt Adel Hamed said that Telecom Egypt is keen to contribute effectively to all the projects supporting the digital transformation strategy in Egypt, most notably providing e-signature services to individuals and corporates to enhance the efficiency of administrative work and the digital services system provided to customers. He added that the company is pleased with this new step towards consolidating its leading position, supporting business sectors, and providing innovative applications and new services that help these sectors perform their business digitally. He also added that the company has ambitious plans to implement in cooperation with El-Delta Electronic Systems to expand the base of e-signature users in Egypt.
For his part, the Vice Chairman and Managing Director at El Delta Electronic Systems Hazem Mohamed Saafan said that he is proud of all the successes the company achieved with the national partner represented in Telecom Egypt. He added that the services provided by “Delta Trust” are significant and considered the cornerstone of digital transformation. These services enhance the interaction of citizens and corporates with Digital Egypt. This has been evident in various projects implemented currently, such as the e-invoice with the Egyptian Tax Authority and “Nafeza” with the Egyptian Customs Authority. He expressed his hope that the e-signature system would be deployed in the future to include all the state's sectors, such as banks, courts, and the Real Estate Registration Department in line with Egypt's Vision 2030.
