IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

A paperless government – will it ever happen?

Several government agencies have taken effective steps toward transforming into paperless agencies. However, the effort has been plagued by delays and promises of full e-governance remain unfulfilled, Al-Riyadh daily reported.

For the past ten years, the Saudi media has extensively covered this transformation and many observers expected most government agencies to be providing e-services by 2015.

The Saudi eGovernment system can be wonderful. Many procedures which used to take weeks of standing and waiting in government offices, can now be carried out online. Unfortunately, the integration of the Saudi eGovernment system is not yet ideal as witnessed by the need to wait for a day or seven or forever for the system in one ministry to turn over or update, in order to move forward with a procedure at another government organization. And weirdly, when the correct data in one system for a person is shared and added to another system, sometimes the data in the second system is incorrect for the same person with the same national identity number. This shows that government organizations are still relying on their own databases, rather than building one cohesive database for use across all government agencies.

Emaar The Economic City (Emaar EC), the master-developer of King Abdullah Economic City (KAEC), entered into a strategic partnership with hopOn, a fast-growing smart city solutions provider for public and shared transportation, according to a statement.

Under the agreement, KAEC will leverage hopOn’s expertise in mobility solutions to create a seamless and efficient transportation network within the city, catering to the diverse needs of its residents and visitors.

Under aegis of Minister of Communications & Information Technology, Eng. Eng. Mohamed Jamil Bin Ahmed Mulla, an Enterprise Architecture Forum has been arranged by the e-Government Program (YESSR), recently in Saudi Arabia.

Targeting IT and e-Government executives in government agencies and the private sector, the event was designed within the context of e-Government transformation. Local, regional and international experience in the area of Enterprise Architecture were presented by EA professionals.

I am not talking about important people who file complaints against a government agency, which fails to entertain their inquiries. I am sure the employees of government agencies do not encounter such problems because they are well-connected and can pull some strings here and there to get things done. It is the poor average citizen who has to be patient before anyone attends to his application.

So far there are no indicators that the project will be thoroughly implemented in all government departments. Service kiosks have been installed yet remain unused in many departments, which is ample proof that such departments are ill prepared to make the transition from paper to a fully digitized system.

Leading IT companies like Intel, Google, Apple, Microsoft and others actively support the government and are pursuing initiatives aimed at strengthening the spread, access and utilization of technology in the education sector in the Kingdom. This also includes equipping teachers and students with the necessary skills to adapt to new learning techniques.

One was in King Khaled University Hospital at King Saud University’s main campus and the other at King Saud Medical Complex (formerly Al-Shumaisy Hospital) in southeast central part of the capital.

The ministry has already signed contracts with specialized international companies to establish the centers in various countries, said Prince Khaled Bin Saud Bin Khaled, Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs. He said that the first such center will be opened on experimental basis in the United Arab Emirates by the end of this month.

However, the need may arise from time to time for a face-to-face meeting with a government official. There are issues that cannot be explained electronically.

Exceptional cases are always there. There are hurdles, injustices and misunderstandings that will require personal contact with the officials.

The Covid-19 pandemic has not only posed a threat to our health but has also given a rise in cyber-attacks causing a detrimental effect to the global economy.

This was revealed by Gauteng MEC for Finance and e-Government, Nomantu Nkomo-Ralehoko during a Cyber Security webinar to raise awareness on the importance of cyber security on Wednesday.

The Gauteng government says is taking urgent steps to modernise the public service and boost its re-industrialisation efforts.

“This modernisation offers opportunities to improve efficiency and access to public services; develop the transparency and accountability of government, and empower citizens to better participate in the decision-making,” said Gauteng MEC for Finance Barbara Creecy.

The mega plant, to be located in Oxagon, the planned smart city within Neom, will be powered entirely by renewable energy

Grid Solutions, an integral part of the GE Vernova portfolio of energy businesses, said it has was awarded a contract by India's engineering and construction conglomerate Larsen & Toubro (L&T) to supply 380 kV T155 gas-insulated substations (GIS) for the world’s largest utility-scale hydrogen plant in Saudi futuristic city NEOM.

The Global Smart City Forum, to be held by the Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (SDAIA) on February 12 and 13 under the theme "A Better Life" at the Riyadh Arena, will provide innovative digital solutions to address the manifestation of visual distortions, road congestions, and effective urban planning, to achieve the highest level of development in cities.

The forum, which gathers 80 global and local data-expert speakers, AI, digital solutions and smart city engineers, and economic policymakers from 40 countries, seeks to contribute to enriching all aspects of life in smart cities, and create an environment that encourages investment and tourism.

Under the guidance of Prince Mohammed bin Naif, second deputy premier and interior minister, government departments have been advised to transfer services to an electronic platform in order to facilitate and ease procedures for citizens and residents to handle various transactions.

The government plans to expand these e-government services to complement its broader initiatives and projects aimed at achieving sustainable growth and development.

Yusr will restructure all of the ministry’s work and link it electronically with the other ministries, government sectors, companies and establishments working in Haj and Umrah affairs. The ministry has also trained staff to facilitate the new system.

Minister of Haj Bandar Hajjar said the standard of services being provided to Haj and Umrah pilgrims and visitors to the Prophet’s Mosque will be constantly upgraded.

South Korean construction management firm HanmiGlobal announced Tuesday it won an order to monitor the building of an additional 10,000 houses for Saudi Arabia's Neom construction workers by May 2024.

The latest contract was signed after the Korean project management firm won an order last November to monitor the building of 50,000 houses in the construction worker villages and an additional order in March to monitor the construction of 20,000 houses in the villages.

“The conference will project the vision of the Kingdom in the field of e-health and highlight the progress made in parallel with the global developments in the sector,” said Deputy Health Minister for Planning and Development Dr. Mohamed bin Hamzah Khoshaim. He said his ministry has invited both national and international specialists in the IT field to enlighten the audience about the highlights and advances made in the sector.

The strategic MoU is aimed at supporting Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 objectives related to smart city development and advances technology adoption to create energy efficient, intelligent buildings, said the statement from Honeywell

Global technology company Honeywell today (October 13) signed a MoU with King Abdullah Financial District (KAFD) for implementing its innovative solutions to optimize operations and help create a sustainable smart city experience at the prime business and lifestyle destination in Saudi Arabia.

The project is aimed at the setting up of a standard environment for the automation of human resources planning procedures and unification of job functions and procedures at the administrative and financial departments of the ministry, he said.