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This month, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) is launching a digital signature service for electronic services that will validate the electronic payment transactions and help spread the service among citizens.
The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) conducted an experiment last week, under which the National Public Service Key was launched, in accordance with international standards for such procedures, in the presence of representatives of various ministries and a number of specialists and experts in the field.
Ibrahim Al Mirghani, Minister of State at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, told Asharq Al-Awsat that the National Authority for Electronic Authentication is the body responsible for the national electronic key for electronic transactions and electronic signature, and by signing it becomes the force of legal discharge of transactions and e-commerce in the country.
He pointed out that the experience of issuing the certificate of electronic authentication was successful, and will be the launch of the services of ratification and digital signature.
The minister pointed out that the volume of e-commerce is still limited, which is not commensurate with the infrastructure available to the telecommunications sector in Sudan, pointing out that this reality is about to change completely with the launch of electronic payment systems and the regulation of the postal market.
As for security levels, the minister said that the systems have been developed to the extent that electronic crime develops. The National Assembly passed the law on combating cyber crime and the electronic authentication authority is being developed.
He pointed to the great role played by e-mail in moving e-commerce, pointing out that his ministry is working on three axes to promote the sector, namely: legal and institutional structure, organizational and technological systems.
Al-Merghani pointed out that postal addressing is the most important challenge facing e-commerce in Sudan, stressing that his ministry has started implementing a large addressing project, but it has been stopped for a long time and is currently being replaced by its traditional method which requires time and cost. An e-addressing project called "My Place", not based on house, square and street numbers, but on satellite positioning systems, a global trend.
Al-Mirghani revealed that Sudan has an infrastructure in the telecommunications sector that is distinguished compared to its regional environment, but the user does not exceed 20%. It also announced the establishment of companies in Sudan for e-commerce, led by young entrepreneurs, and digital markets began to attract large local and regional companies after the success of successive youth.
As part of its efforts to expand electronic payment services and encourage citizens to use POS and ATM cards in their day-to-day transactions, the Central Bank of Sudan (CBB) last April raised the money transfer fees to 100,000 pounds instead of 10,000 pounds. The purchase ceiling through points of sale increased to 250,000 pounds, instead of 50 thousand.
The central bank imposed a minimum level of banks to acquire and put points of sale, which in turn contracted with a number of private sector companies to import POS machines.
It is expected that the number of points of sale currently operating in Sudan from 70 thousand points of sale to about 100 thousand points of sale during the next two months, and will be launched a number of payment applications over the phone in the coming period.
The Supreme Committee for ePayment, a subsidiary of the Sudanese Council of Ministers, has set the end of the year 2018 dates for the start of payment of government services through electronic payment system, and reduce reliance on the traditional method (Cache).
The decision comes within the framework of expanding the scope of users of the same electronic banking services, securing citizens funds, facilitating their financial transactions through technical systems, and facilitating financial transfers directly through the available electronic payment systems. |
