Smart Cities – the interconnected urban destinations where technology underpins improved living and working standards for all – is today’s urban planning paradigm and the Arabian Gulf, where nations are looking to the concept to improve public and private sector efficiency, enable economic benefits and improve citizens’ lives, is in the vanguard of driving adoption forward.
There is an increased emphasis globally to rethink city planning and streamline key functions such as healthcare, transport systems and education. According to figures published by the United Nations, cities will house more than 2.5 billion people by 2050, making inclusive, safe, and sustainable cities a global priority. Throughout the region, national visions have smart cities incorporated into development plans. Oman, with its Vision 2040, is the latest to join the smart development drive already actively pursued in Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Kuwait.
Read more: Transforming the Urban Landscape: How the GCC is in the Vanguard of Smart City Drive
The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) is hosting the second workshop on eGovernment priorities in the GCC, which will be attended by entities concerned in digital government and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the Gulf countries. The workshop will take place from 9th to 10th July 2023.
This event is in line with ongoing coordination between the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Secretariat-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council and follows the recommendations of the first workshop. The aim is to continue GCC efforts that support the vision of the GCC eGovernment Executive Committee and the collaboration strategies.
Read more: iGA Hosts the 2nd Workshop on eGovernment Priorities in GCC Countries
New research published yesterday from Boston Consulting Group (BCG) shows that while 94 percent of companies have big aspirations to deliver substantial and rapid impact from digital transformation, and companies plan to increase investment in digital transformation in spite of global economic headwinds, the majority of these digital transformations fail to achieve their objectives.
Titled “Mind the Tech Gap,” the study is based on a survey of nearly 2,700 executives driving digital transformations in companies across 13 countries and a wide range of industries. Despite a tightening global economy, the survey also finds that 60 percent of companies plan to increase their spending on digital transformation in 2023 vs. 2022, with business model transformation and sustainability as the top two areas for future investments.
Read more: GCC govts, undergoing major digital transformation efforts to adopt emerging technologies
The latest GCC E-Performance Index 2022 reveals that all countries from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region have performed exceptionally well on five major global indicators, displaying significant progress in digital transformation. The report was issued by Orient Planet Research (OPR), an independent unit of Orient Planet Group (OPG), in collaboration with information and communications technology (ICT) expert and independent researcher Abdul Kader Al Kamli.
More integration and data-sharing is likely to occur as confidence grows in smart cities, and as governments’ digital transformation programs reach maturity says Fred Crehan, Area Vice President, Emerging Markets at Confluent
Ambition has become the defining trait of GCC countries. In a world fraught with environmental and resource challenges, governments here have turned to the concept of smart cities as a template for society-first infrastructure. The Line, part of Saudi Arabia’s US $500bn Neom project, is touted by its developers as the “future of urban living” and is being built to accommodate nine million people. A mere 200m wide, it will stretch across 170km of Saudi Arabian desert and soar to half a kilometre above it. A paragon of sustainability, it will run on 100% sustainable energy sources and be free of cars and, by implication, emissions. Instead, residents will walk to facilities, each of which will be no farther than five minutes from their homes.
Read more: GCC: Smart cities will require forward-focused data management