(Pakistan Point News - 25th Nov, 2018) CAIRO, 25th November 2018 (WAM) – Abdel Fattah El Sisi, President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, today launched the Egypt Award for Government Services Applications by University Students during the Cairo International Exhibition and Conference on Information and Telecommunication Technology (Cairo ICT 2018).
The annual award is part of Egypt’s strategic partnership with the UAE, aimed at modernizing government work. The Ministry of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform of Egypt and the UAE Ministry of Cabinet Affairs and The Future signed an agreement to formalize the collaboration during the sixth World Government Summit in February 2018 in Dubai.
As the first initiative of its kind in Egypt, the Award seeks to encourage more than three million students across 50 public and private universities in Egypt to develop innovative smartphone applications that ensure round-the-clock access to government services, and increase their efficiency and transparency through streamlining procedures.
The objective of the Award is to strengthen the relationship between university students and government authorities, and engage the nation’s youth in improving government customer experience and keeping government services up to date.
The winning team will receive a prize worth E₤1 milion, while the relevant government partner walks away with a presidential prize.
Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future, stressed that the partnership reflects the vision of the UAE under the leadership of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to build a joint Arab model of government work in cooperation with brotherly countries under the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and the supervision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.
Al Gergawi praised the sponsorship of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi, stressing that it will provide a strong impetus to advance the Award and its goals.
He said that the Award is one of the joint projects within the framework of the strategic partnership between the UAE and Egypt and part of the government exchange program, aimed at sharing experiences and success stories between the two countries.
Pointing out that Egypt’s real wealth lies in its human capital, Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Gergawi said that the Award aims to leverage the creativity of young people to provide innovative and smart government services.
Dr Hala Al-Saeed, Egyptian Minister of Planning, Follow-up and Administrative Reform, emphasized that the launch of the Egypt Award for Government Services Applications by University Students in partnership with the UAE is an important step in the efforts of the two countries to activate their strategic partnership.
Dr Al-Saeed noted that the governments of Egypt and the UAE have always sought to enhance cooperation in improving the quality of and access to government services, and building the capabilities of government institutions and their employees. She pointed out that the Award seeks to find practical solutions that can significantly advance government services in Egypt.
She noted that the Award aligns with the Egyptian government’s priority to invest in human resources and competencies.
She added that her country is keen to benefit from successful international experiences in modernizing government work in line with the Egypt Vision 2030. The national blueprint aims to establish Egypt among the top 30 economies in the world, top 30 countries in the fight against corruption, top 30 countries in the Global Competitiveness Index and the Human Development Index, and top 10 countries in economic reforms.
In closing, Dr Al-Saeed said that the ambitious plans, in which the Egypt-UAE partnership plays a key role, aim to create an efficient and effective administration system that leverages modern technologies to provide high-quality government services that can adapt to the latest developments on a local and international level.
Award Categories The award categories include: 1. Tourism – cultural, archaeological, leisure, beach, religious, medical 2. Foreign affairs – diplomatic work, attracting foreign investments 3. Education – educational services under the portfolios of the Ministry of education as well as the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research 4. Healthcare – prevention, diagnosis, treatment, health services, chronic diseases management, health awareness 5. Justice – litigation, judiciary system, legal aid, forensic services, real estate services and documentation 6. Supply – utilities and commodities 7. Security – public order and security, safeguarding moral values, protecting lives and property, crime prevention and control, police services, immigration, traffic 8. Small businesses – facilitating the implementation of entreprenurial ideas as one of the engines of development and growth in the world Participation Criteria The Egypt Award for Government Services Applications by University Students invites the participation of teams of three to eight students. The contestants should be of Egyptian nationality, enrolled in recognized universities in Egypt. Each university can participate with more than one team. Joint applications from several universities are also accepted, although the submission should be presented by only one of them.
The teams must develop fully operational smartphone applications related to government services in one of the 10 categories. The application must be available in Arabic, with other languages optional. The participants must also attach a video explaining the application and its benefits.
Assessment Mechanism The selection of the winning application is based on three criteria. The first, Efficiency and Effectiveness, weighted at 40 percent, measures time savings and efficiency of the procedures required to complete transactions, as well as the level of service integration and the number of beneficiaries. The second criterion, Ease of Use, also weighted at 40 percent, assesses the user experience, simplicity of design, seamless browsing, availability in different languages, and technical support. The third criterion, Innovation, weighted at 20 percent, evaluates the uniqueness, replicability and inclusiveness of the application, as well as the number of government entities that can benefit from it.
A series of interactive workshops for university students and government entities will take place shortly to introduce the award, its terms and categories, followed by the registration period between January and April 2019. The winners will be announced in June 2019.
Interested students and universities can visit the Award website at http://govapp-award.eg/.
