Port Sudan: Member of the Transitional Sovereignty Council (TSC), Assistant Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Engineer Ibrahim Jabir, received the recommendations of the workshop “Electronic Payment: A Step Towards Digital Transformation and Financial Inclusion” organized by the “Shumous Media” Center in partnership with the Sudan News Agency (SUNA) and sponsored by the Ministry of Culture and Information, which concluded on Thursday evening at the Rabwa Hotel Hall in Port Sudan.
According to Sudan News Agency, the workshop recommendations called for unifying the electronic payment platform and having banks along with the Central Bank adopt the platform for interconnection to achieve financial inclusion. The recommendations also included reviewing network coverage and working towards covering all states by coordinating among telecommunications companies to provide the Internet, thereby serving the unified digital platform.
The workshop emphasized the need for the Central Bank of Sudan to adopt the unified digital platform with the necessary legislation and regulations to regulate work between Sudanese banks via central systems. This aims to ensure the continuity of service through Sudanese banks.
The recommendations further included providing the company adopting the unified digital platform with the Automated Systems Design (ASD) to leverage its technical capacity in managing and operating the platform. It also suggested obligating all service and government bodies to convert cash into electronic payments to reduce cash circulation among different segments.
Additionally, the workshop highlighted the role of the Sudanese Banks Union in urging banks to use electronic channels and spread its culture through media outlets. It suggested that Sudanese banks adopt the unified platform through a financing portfolio for electronic services, contributing among banks to ensure service continuity and cover the ceiling of financial transfers.
The recommendations underscored the importance of government support in transitioning from a traditional economy to a knowledge-based one, increasing digital financial dealings, and activating councils and subcommittees with stakeholders. It called for supporting and building the capacities of human cadres and developing flexible work models that clarify roles in financial inclusion.
The workshop also stressed the importance of enhancing protection for communications infrastructure, suggesting partnerships with various parties and involving stakeholders at state and local levels. It emphasized ensuring sufficient energy for communications networks and developing strategic plans to handle interruptions.
It concluded with a call for the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority to develop flexible regulatory plans to manage the sector effectively, achieving state goals while overcoming difficulties to ensure optimal performance.