IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) launched on Thursday the "Tanfeeth" program that aims to provide direct link between the technological systems of government and banks operating in the Kingdom. The program is set to provide integration between them.

SAMA clarified that it seeks through "Tanfeeth" program to promote the level of cooperation with government agencies to overcome difficulties and obstacles that may face the joint work between SAMA and other entities.

Minister of Telecommunications and IT Abdullah bin Amer Al-Sawaha has directed all mobile service providers to ensure the availability of local roaming services and network sharing in remote areas.

Al-Sawaha issued the directive based on citizens’ requests after his inspection visit to communities in the Hejer region and various governorates across the Kingdom.

Although the concept of smart cities has become almost a buzzword around the world, South Africa included, global research giant Gartner stressed in a recent report that improving the lives of citizens is what it should be about.

“Smart cities can only be successful if local government engages with citizens, opening up a dialogue to meet their needs,” according to the report.

“Developing IoT programmes without consulting the community is the wrong strategy.

Zain KSA has launched “Zain Cloud” service dedicated to businesses, SMEs, entrepreneurs, and government sectors in partnership with AliBaba Cloud, one the world’s largest cloud computing companies.

Chief Business and Wholesale Officer at Zain KSA Eng. Saad Bin Abdul Rahman Al-Sadhan explained that Zain KSA Cloud is distinguished as a public locally based cloud in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is easy and completely secure, and is compatible with the Kingdom’s data protection requirements.

After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has proven to have a few upsides! Since COVID-19 entered our lives, everything has changed. We can see these changes on various levels. The pandemic has, perhaps, been a curse in Saudi Arabia, as in many other regions, but it has also presented many opportunities. It is a curse in the sense that it limits our physical options. On the other hand, it has prompted advancements in our virtual capabilities. Who would expect that ‘E’ would be the letter of 2020?

Saudi Arabia has strategic plans and goals to resolve this crisis as it comes to an end. A vital example that has blossomed many times faster than anticipated is the E-government Program, which was launched in 2003. It is built on electronic services as opposed to paper documents with the intention of making life easier, services faster and platforms more developed.

Arab News met with Charles Scatchard, who stressed the Kingdom might use international experience in IT to face the challenge of chronic condition care, to improve patient health and reduce the overall cost of care.

Director General of Prisons Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Harithy and Deputy Director General of Prisons Maj. Gen. Ali Al-Qahtani attended the function at the directorate in Riyadh where the network was launched.

Acceleration of digital adoption across infrastructure development in Saudi Arabia has been multifold, implemented at the supply chain level, in building smart cities, and leading to strengthened investments towards "digital infra," panellists deliberated on the first panel of Day 1 of Construction Week's recently-concluded virtual KSA Infrastructure Summit.

The first panel of the conference - Analysing the Current State of Saudi Arabia's Infrastructure Sector - comprised Depa Interior's Director, Abdoullah Albizreh, the KSA Country Manager at ACCIONA Cultural Engineering, Daniel Orti, Mohamed Saad, Senior Development Director at Diriyah Gate Development Authority, and finally Autodesk's Senior Director for Infrastructure and Business Strategy, Theo Agelopoulos.

Citizens must have compulsory ‘Wassil’ service

Four new electronic services are to be introduced by the Passports Department (Jawazat), including changing the residence permit for expatriates by launching a new card under the name “resident identity card” with new features.

It has also been made compulsory for those who benefit from the Jawazat services to have a mail box “Wassil” so as the department can provide the services to their homes. The service will begin at the start of the Hijri year (October).

The prince was opening the Saudi e-Health Conference 2012 at the King Faisal Conference Hall. The three-day conference is sponsored by the King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences in cooperation with the Saudi Association for Health Informatics (SAHI) with the support of several other commercial partners.

Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah also addressed the gathering at the inauguration, which was followed by an exhibition that was opened by Prince Muqrin.

His Excellency Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Council of Ministers and Climate Envoy Professor Adel bin Ahmed Al Jubeir said that the NEOM smart city will provide the Kingdom and the world with a new model for sustainable and green urban design. The World Economic Forum announced today that the Line project will take the concept of smart cities and urban planning to another dimension, and the NEOM project is a step towards creating an environmentally friendly and sustainable city with a high quality of life and low traffic.

On the other hand, HE Minister of Investment, Engineer Khalid Al-Falih, participated in the Dialogue Session “Reengineering Value Chains” through which he explained the goals that the national initiative for global supply chains, the Newly Launched Kingdom, should achieve and how to benefit from the resources, infrastructure and geography of the Kingdom to increase the flexibility of local and global supply chains

The Al Madinah Region Development Authority offers a way forward for an ancient city, as human-centricity takes center stage.

Al Madinah – a city steeped in rich religious, cultural and historical significance, is embarking on a transformative journey, one that blends its illustrious past with the latest innovations in technology. This has been achieved by ensuring the essence of the city remains intact. This involves many different facets, but central is the humanization of the city.

The organization responsible for this transformative work is the Al Madinah Region Development Authority. The authority has devised a smart city plan that focuses on key areas such as wellbeing, tourism, environment and mobility, aiming to create a city that caters to both the spiritual and practical needs of its population. The plan is testament to how technology can be used to enhance the human experience, ensuring the city’s growth is in sync with the needs and aspirations of its people.

“We are trying our best to improve the performance level of our services with ease of access... that satisfies both customers and the ministry,” said Ziyad Al-Saegh, undersecretary for customer services and worker relations at the ministry.

Eng. Ali bin Saleh Al-Soma, Director General of the e-Government Program, said (Amer) center is one of the most important channels of communication and interaction with the e-Government customers including citizens, expatriates and business sector.

Last Ramadan, we recruited a private driver from Sir Lanka. After going through medical checkups, he got his visa stamped at the Saudi Embassy in Colombo.

To my surprise, the man was denied entry into the Kingdom on his arrival in Riyadh. The reason: He did not complete the number of years he was required to spend outside the country after his contract with a previous Saudi employer was terminated.

During the visit, Mohammed bin Ali Kuman, AIMC secretary-general, and the accompanying delegation met with Tariq bin Abdullah Al-Sheddi, NIC’s director general, sources said Tuesday.

Assistant Foreign Minister Prince Khaled bin Saud said the first such centers would be established in the UAE, S. Korea and Germany on an experimental basis. "The UAE center will be opened by the end of this month," he added.

Badr Ward, CEO of Ertiqa, a leading provider of mobile and digital content in the Middle East, said that the “digital library” supports publishers and developers of digital content by providing a user-friendly and secure platform to host the most comprehensive range of Arabic digital content.

Moreover, by virtue of being readily available and easily accessible to Arab readers worldwide, the e-library serves as an excellent tool to maximize the market potential of digital Arabic content publishers he said after announcing the launch of a groundbreaking digital platform called “Ertiqa Digital Library”, which provides access to all types of digital Arabic content.

Ildeniz who has worked tirelessly to expand the use of ICT among women and underserved communities in the Middle East and Africa, including spearheading the World Ahead program, which is designed to address the digital divide and promote rural technology development, spoke to Diana Al-Jassem of Arab News in Riyadh to spotlight on Intel's latest development projects in Saudi ICT market.

Yesser, the country’s e-Government program is prioritizing end user experience, and to expedite implementation they are supporting the 4th Annual Kingdom e-Government Summit, organised by French deal facilitation group naseba.