IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

Agreement signed to develop platform that will provide more than 60 e-services related to planning, surveying

Oman’s Minister of Housing Sheikh Saif bin Mohammed al-Shabibi signed an agreement with analytics platform Bahwan Cyber Tech to develop e-services for the sultanate’s Housing Ministry within its digital and e-government initiatives programme.

Bank Muscat has launched Oman’s first mobile wallet. The innovative bm Wallet marks yet another secure and convenient payment channel, reiterating the bank’s strong lead in rolling out electronic payment facility as part of the country’s e-Government initiative.

The bm Wallet is primarily a state-of-the-art ‘cash on mobile’ solution which can be used for cash transfers to other mobile wallet users based on mobile numbers and aliases, according to a press release.

In due course, the new platform will serve as the gateway to progressive development of technically sophisticated banking services like mobile payments. The benefits of OmanNet can be accessed by any customer anywhere in Oman and participating GCC countries at any time. With the migration to OmanNet, Bank Sohar customers will enjoy the benefit of a wider network of Automated Teller Machines to access their money. The migration will also give customers added conveniences at the ATMs like balance inquiry, mini-statement, funds transfer and many more facilities.

The Transport and Communications Ministry, in collaboration with Telecommunication Regulation Authority (TRA), the Information Technology Authority, and other relevant bodies are working together to enhance the telecom sector in the Sultanate through the new broadband company, which will supply fibre optic cables for network providers.

Former US president Bill Clinton has urged Oman to make prudent use of Information Technology (IT) for a brighter future of the children.

Delivering a key note address at the Sultan Qaboos Award for Excellence in e-Government on Monday, Clinton said: "Use IT to make government more responsible and in the process to empower the citizens of your growing nation to make more of their own life and to give their children a brighter future."

In a move that will help expedite the process of solving crime cases, investigation departments of the Royal Oman Police (ROP) in all wilayats will soon be linked through a system of biometrics.

The new project, called 'Yaqeen', aims to reunite all the biometrics in one framework, an ROP official told the Times of Oman. The new system will help in resolving crimes faster as well as in tracking and nabbing culprits, said the official.

The ‘SMS Job Announcement Service’ is in line with the e-governance project that aims to digitalise knowledge and information for easy access and use, an Oman Mobile official said.

A meeting was held at the Institute of Public Administration about the government services manual and the code of conduct for the services rendered to customers of all public organisation. The meeting aimed at highlighting a number of issues related to developing public performance, government services manual, the code of conduct for serving customers and the necessary procedures and mechanisms for implementation.

The deal for setting up the 'Government Data Centre' (GDC), one of the components of the country's ambitious 'Digital Oman' drive, was signed here between the Information Technology Authority (ITA) and Mideast Data Systems (MDS). GDC, involving a cost of more than RO5.6 million, will provide a multi-tenant Tier 4 level data centre for government IT departments to host their backup systems, with the objective to achieve improved business continuity for their various IT systems.

Oman's Ministry of Interior has extended until September 28 the deadline for eligible voters to get their identity cards suitably configured to enable them to cast their ballots electronically in the upcoming Majlis al Shura elections.

Since the start of the year, mobile vans of the Ministry have been making the rounds of government establishments, provincial offices and population centres across the sultanate in a bid to encourage voters to suitably upgrade their ID cards for the country's first electronic ballot.

The State Council on Monday hosted CEO and officials from Information Technology Authority (ITA) in the presence of its chairman, H E Dr Yahya bin Mahfoudh al Mantheri, the two vice chairpersons, several members and Dr Khalid bin Salem al Saidi, secretary general of the State Council.

Dr Saidi welcomed Dr Salim bin Sultan al Ruzaiqi, CEO of ITA to make a visual presentation on the work of ITA, its services and how those services are utilised to serve public interest, stated a press release.

Richard Kerby, senior inter-regional advisor on e-Government and Knowledge Management, UN is in Muscat to attend a symposium, Excellence in e-Government that began at Shangri La’s Barr al Jissah Resort & Spa on Monday.

The MoU, signed at the sidelines of Oman's leading IT and telecom show, Comex 2014, is aimed at delivering innovative digital services for the Oman Ministry of Manpower, benefiting the local labour market.

Healthcare providers and researchers affiliated with the Ministry of Health have been encouraged to register on the ministry’s electronic library website, which would offer them access to thousands of e-journals and e-books free of cost.

The e-library started registration on February 8, 2015 and was officially launched on May 5, 2015, Safaa Al Hashmi, medical librarian at the ministry, told the Times of Oman.

The Information Technology Authority (ITA) awarded the contract for the ‘Government IT Training and Certification (GITTC)’ project to Certiport under which the US firm will train more than 93,000 government employees over a period of about three years at a cost of RO8 million. Certiport will provide learning and certification on the global digital literacy standards of its ‘Internet and Computing Core Certification’ (IC3) curriculum. “This national training project aims at building IT capacities and provide locals with the required IT skills that enable them to face modern challenges,” Mohammed Nasser al Khusaibi, Chairman of ITA and Secretary-general of the Ministry of National Economy, said after signing the agreement with David Saedi, CEO of Certiport. He added that the training scheme would be one of the “main pillars” for the country’s campaign to set up a “knowledge-based Omani society and achieve the strategic national aims of the e-Oman and e-government initiatives.”

The Ministry of Regional Municipalities and Water Resources said under the scheme, being implemented in cooperation with a local bank, citizens and residents could pay bills and fees for all services rendered by the ministry through a credit card (Visa, MasterCard and Diners Club).

An important component of e-commerce and associated e-government implementations is the presence of suitable electronic laws that regulate the environment to bring about trust and security within the digital society.