Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi is witnessing on Wednesday the inauguration of an integrated complex for secured and smart documents in Cairo, which will be issuing all government documents and certificates at a high level of security via a unified central system.

President El-Sisi toured the complex and its different production lines tasked with issuing the papers, which include educational certificates, passports, documents of civil status transactions, all notary documents, government contracts, smart cards and others.

The project is in line with the country's plan to boost digital transformation, especially in terms of government related documents, it noted.

Egypt is currently paying special attention to digital transformation as it targets the digitisation of all government services countrywide.

President El-Sisi said that the overall cost of the complex is nearly $1 billion and should help in confronting corruption and violations related to forgery.

He noted that the project will help achieve a great leap, mainly when it integrates with the idea of the smart government to be located in the New Administrative Capital.

The complex will also prevent forgery of certificates because all certificates will be 99.9 percent secured after being issued by the complex, El-Sisi stressed.

"The elements of this project may exist in other countries, but such integration may only be in very few countries," he added.

El-Sisi called for improving legislation that criminalise the violations committed in this respect.

Minister of Finance Mohamed Maait underscored the importance of developing a unified system that ensures the governance of issuing state documents, adding that such a system shall entail re-engineering administrative procedures related to issuing documents by the ministry and its affiliated bodies.

He added that the system will also build an integrated database in cooperation with the secured and smart documents complex.

Maait reviewed aspects of cooperation with the new complex that would benefit the finance ministry and its affiliated bodies, noting that President El-Sisi has directed the government to create a unified system that ensures the governance of issuing state documents.

The most important for the Ministry of Finance is attempting to slash losses in state treasury revenues by reducing forgery and smuggling, as well as via preserving the State’s rights and those of the citizens, he said.

He added that the new system will also contribute to facilitating product traceability concerning taxes and customs, which he said helps lessen importing costs.

The finance minister said that President El-Sisi has directed the government to ensure that all state contracts are automated, secured and coded in a database that can be reviewed anytime to protect the state’s rights.

Maait added that 15 unified forms have been formulated for all Egyptian state transactions of selling, buying, contracting, mortgage, and renting. Those forms have been approved by the cabinet and the State Council, he noted.

This step will help us resolve multiple disputes and litigation reports, Maait said, noting in this regard the state will preserve the rights of the parties concerned and prevent any forgery.