IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The UAE e-Government Steering Committee is to meet tomorrow to finalise the e-Government strategy and transition plan with a view to accelerating full implementation of the overall project. The meeting will be hosted by the UAE Ministry of Finance and Industry, Dr Mohamed Khalfan bin Kharbash, and will be attended senior government officials working on the project. Dr Mohamed Khalfan bin Kharbash said that the meeting would result in the approval of priority projects to be implemented in the first phase. "Following a process of assessing the current environment, our information technology infrastructure and technical standards, we are now ready to prioritise projects for implementation based on our core activities," he said. "In order to achieve the key objectives of cost reduction and service enhancement, it is vital that we pursue priority projects in a structured manner that is coordinated with the overall e-Government implementation programme. This transition plan addresses all organisational aspects including business processes, organisation structure, procedures and technology."

He said: "It is important that the implementation of the e-Government initiative follows a structured approach with distinct phases and clear deliverables. To ensure a successful transition, it is also imperative that government staff be actively involved in the implementation process to ensure sufficient knowledge transfer from business consultants. We are very proud to confirm that reaching this stage of approval was based on a highly consultative process involving a wide range of government entities and ministries."

The e-Government programme implementation is structured in 'wave' stages whereby each wave has its own milestones and benchmarks and projects can span more than one wave or waves can overlap.

The initiative was introduced as a tool to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the UAE Federal Government and is a key component in sustaining the country's competitiveness. It supports the creation of greater transparency to introduce more liberal economic laws, cut down on bureaucratic procedures and provide better management to attract overseas investors.

E-Government is just one of four initiatives being driven by the Ministry of Finance and Industry with a view to creating greater efficiency and effectiveness in government operations. Total Quality Management, Performance-based Budgeting and Executive training conducted in conjunction with Harvard University, are also being implemented as part of the government's high performance programme.

Quelle: Khaleej Times, 20.01.2004