Labels of digital payment (from top) VISA, WeChat Pay and Alipay are displayed outside a boutique at a shopping mall in Hong Kong, China July 31, 2018. REUTERS/Bobby Yip

Khartoum - Seifyazal Babekir

Six Arab and foreign firms operating in the technology sector have submitted requests for investment in Sudan.

Some estimate e-payment transactions in Sudan at around USD60 billion.

Saudi Al Sorayai Group, a company leading e-payments in the Kingdom, topped the list of firms making the request.

Their demand came as Sudan's Prime Minister and Finance Minister Motaz Mousa announced that the deadline for digital transformation in the country is Dec. 31.

All ministries and public institutions have been compelled by the government to endorse e-payment and to collect fees electronically starting the new year.

The National Authority for Digital Certification at the Ministry of Information, Communications and Information Technology announced the completion of technical preparations to launch the electronic signature service.

Technician Omer Omarabi, Manager of the Electronic Banking Services company (EBS), told Asharq Al-Awsat newspaper that there are wide e-payment investment opportunities in Sudan.

Omarabi lamented that only 12 to 14 percent of Sudanese have e-payment means, considering it a low rate.

National Information Center (NIC) Director Engineer Mohammed Abdul-Rahim Yaseen, who manages the e-government project in Sudan, told Asharq Al-Awsat that all government payments will soon become electronic as part of the e-government project.

Yaseen added that by the end of 2020, traditional transactions will be over and there will be a leap from e-government to smart government.