CAIRO: Minister of Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish said Tuesday that government services will soon be accessible through mobile phones, and that 2013 will witness complete public access to electronic services. "All services available on the government portal www.egypt.gov.eg, will be available through mobile phones and landlines, Darwish told Daily News Egypt, adding that this was a step they were planning on taking "since day one when we were designing the gateway. He explained that operators now are surveying the market to assess the importance of each service "to verify which services are of priority and touch upon people's daily lives, he said. In an article published on Masrawy.com, Darwish quelled concerns about privatization and said the government merely seeks organization. The availability of governmental services through mobile phones will limit the chance of corrupt practices because of the lack of contact between the person offering the service and the person seeking it, Darwish told masrawy.com. In light of concerns looming over H1N1 as the academic year approaches, Darwish suggested using online tools for studying. "[Televised educational programs] on NileSat is one way to go, but it can be an alternative method rather than the main one, he told state-owned Al-Ahram daily. The government offers up to 95 services online. The government's service portal caters to citizens, businesses, and foreigners separately.
