Good Practices and Innovations in Public Governance 2003-2011

Good Practices and InnovATIONS in Public Governance
Western Asia
Egypt
2003 Category 2 Winner
The Ministry of State for Administrative
Development (MSAD), Egypt
Description
Providing faster service to citizens by Automating Service Request Procedures.
The Problem
Citizens had to queue for hours during work days at government offices to pay taxes
and fines or to obtain documents, such as driving licenses or birth certificates. Information
on how and where to find rules and regulations has often been hard to find,
and it has often involved making inquiries at several different ministries or government
agencies. The government continuously faced a challenge in delivering services
in an efficient manner.
The Solution
In 1976, the Ministry of State for Administrative Development (MSAD) was established.
Its objective was to enhance and increase the efficiency of government by
adopting new techniques and mechanisms to better serve citizens.
The Egyptian government continually faces the challenge of delivering services efficiently:
citizens often experience the frustration of waiting in lines for hours at
government offices to pay taxes and fines or to obtain documents such as drivers’ licenses
or birth certificates. Information on how and where to find rules and regulations
has often been hard to obtain.
The government took the first steps to modernize government services in 1998, with
the aim of simplifying delivery of services to customers by introducing new technologies
such as voice mail service, automated fax services, and internet. Depending
on one’s location within or outside the greater Cairo, three different service numbers
can be used to request services or make inquiries. This system works also for requesting
various applications and forms, which can be sent directly to an appropriate office
by an automated fax service.
Citizens can also use the Ministry’s website to reach a variety of government services.
This efficient way to obtain information and services has since been greatly
extended by the E-government portal.
Improving services depended on three basic approaches:
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