IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

AI City will be a global AI hub, powered by smart city infrastructure that connects AI research institutions and talent with leading homegrown and global startups, corporations and investors.

H.H. Sheikh Rashid Bin Ahmed Al Maktoum has announced a partnership with Merantix to conceptualise AI City, a proposed free zone in Dubai where impactful AI solutions will be pioneered, implemented and scaled.

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has added 22 new services all relating to the toll gates system, Salik, in a recent update to Dubai Drive app. The step is part of RTA’s efforts to improve its services and make them more accessible to customers by saving their time and effort. It also supports the Dubai Government digitisation and improving customers experience strategies.

“The new batch of services added to Dubai Drive app encompasses 9 main services and 13 subsidiary ones. The package includes a dashboard recapping the latest activities of the account such as the existing balance, top-up of Salik account, offence management, and the removal/addition of vehicles without visiting service centres or contacting Salik Call Centre,” said Eng. Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, RTA.

Over 50 students took part in this event from Khalifa University, Ajman University of Science and Technology, the University of Sharjah, UAEU and the Higher Colleges of Technology; and have learned how to equip themselves to secure a role in the fast evolving world of mobile government.

H.E. Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori, Director General of ADSIC, said that "It is an important tool, acting as a "central clearinghouse" for all ADGEs, thus enabling them to improve their service provision quality, transforming it electronically and integrating it into the AD Government Portal. The framework was carefully chosen after examining globally-applicable best practices".

Attending the 41st session of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA) “GITEX Technology Week” offers its customers the chance to win valuable prizes, updating their data from September 1 to October 20, or activating the automated tariff feature, or the official website (www.dewa.gov.ae), its smart application, or smart transaction by charging electric vehicles at the power “Green Charger” stations with more than 300 stations in Dubai.

Saeed Mohammed Al Dyer, Managing Director and CEO of the Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, stressed the seriousness of the power to motivate customers to use fast smart services and innovative digital solutions with the latest technologies and destructive technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Google, in partnership with Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry, has launched the ‘Get Dubai Businesses Online’ project today – a programme dedicated to enhancing the online presence of local businesses.

The project, which has been in pilot phase during the last few months – and succeeded expectations by gaining 2,226 businesses verification status on Google – is now live, and plans to drive digital transformation among companies across the emirate.

Officials in international technology companies confirmed that the UAE Programming Day, which is part of the National Program for Programmers launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, in July 2021, is the culmination of the digital transformation process in the UAE. The UAE, and confirms its commitment and unremitting efforts to build a modern digital economy and support technical innovation.

International companies participating in the National Program for Programmers emphasized their continued investment in their educational and training programs to support national visions of digital innovation, support young skills in programming sciences, and continue to support digital transformation in public and private sector companies.

• 51% growth compared to 2016
• Over 40 million services during 2017
• AED 11,809,743,485.64 revenue collected in 2017, representing an increase of 51% compared to 2016

The federal government revenue collected through e-Dirham reached AED 11,809,743,485.64 in 2017, compared to AED 7,841,212,059.41 in 2016 – representing a 51% increase.

The number of service transactions completed through the e-Dirham system amounted to 51,509,666 transactions in 2017, while the total number of receipts reached 22,625,472 in 2017. The total number of e-Dirham cards issued amounted to 3,135,518 during Q4 2017 compared to 2,413,794 cards in Q4 2016, representing a 30% increase.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (Dewa) has launched its newest customer eServices through its website, and through smart phones and devices, which made it the first government body in the UAE to develop applications for all leading smart phones and devices.

Dubai eGovernment and the Emirates Identity Authority on Monday launched the “My E-identity” initiative which will enable the public to avail of the services of 20 government bodies through the mobile phone or the Internet by using their Emirates ID card from October.

This was announced at a press conference in Dubai on Monday. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment, and Ali Al Khouri, Director General of the Emirates Identity Authority, and Wissam Lootah, Assistant Director General of Dubai eGovernment, were present.

This 24/7 open line, managed and supervised by Dubai eGovernment as one of the shared services provided to government entities, replies to the callers’ inquiries about the online services provided by 17 participating government departments.

Ahmed Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai eGovernment Department, said: “AskDubai embodies eGovernment’s core vision based on easing the lives of citizens, residents, visitors and businesses as it plays a significant role in enhancing the quality and efficiency of the government services provided to various sections of society in the emirate, in both Arabic and English.”

The Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC), the government body charged with the emirate's ICT agenda, noted several achievements, capacity building initiatives, partnerships and special events over the past months that are expected to have positive impacts on technology-enabled growth in 2013 and beyond.

Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC), the government entity in charge of Abu Dhabi’s ICT agenda and operational framework, hosted an interactive workshop for 24 of its government partners recently, as it gears up to take part in the Gitex Technology Week.

The ADSIC addressed all aspects of the emirate’s e-Government presence at the leading annual ICT event under the theme ‘Towards a Digital Abu Dhabi.’

The Sharjah Department of e-Government has announced that 33 government departments will participate in the 39th GITEX Technology Week from 6th-10th October, at Dubai World Trade Centre.

The departments are participating in line with Sharjah e-Government's determination to support digital transformation and develop processes and systems across government entities in the emirate.

The UAE capital climbed three places to secure 10th position, while Dubai also improved its standing, moving from 17th to 12th place among 142 cities worldwide

Abu Dhabi and Dubai made significant strides in the Smart City Index 2024, compiled by Switzerland’s International Institute for Management Development (IMD), earlier this year.

The UAE capital climbed three places to secure 10th position, while Dubai also improved its standing, moving from 17th to 12th place among 142 cities worldwide. The two cities were among the most impressive in performance, as per the IMD report.

A total of 66.5 per cent of users of the official portal of the UAE Government prefer email to other means of communication with government authorities, a Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) online opinion poll shows.

Salem Khamis Al Shair Al Suwaidi, Deputy Director General for Information and e-Government Sector at TRA, said: “More than 2,100 people participated in the poll. Of these, 14 per cent prefer to visit the entity to complete their transactions, 12 per cent prefer to communicate through SMS, while only around 6 per cent prefer social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, discussion forums and similar channels.”

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, has viewed a report on the results of the transition to m-government at a meeting with government officials on Saturday.

Sheikh Mohammed said that an accomplishment rate of 96.3 per cent was reported by the government’s most important 337 departments providing services on a daily basis to customers at the end of the two-year timeline set for shifting to m-government and m-services.

Mohamed Ismaeel, Director of Operations and Production, Emirates eGovernment welcomed the South Korean delegation led by Lee Jee-Yun of the Ministry of Public Administration and Security and Kyu-Taek Ji, Economic Counsellor, Embassy of the Republic of Korea in the UAE.

Mashreq Neo aims to transform the traditional banking landscape in the UAE

As the digital future becomes inevitable, a one-size-fits-all approach in banking does not work anymore, and financial institutions that adeptly combine the best of digital and human touch will stand out.

These are the words of Aref Al Ramli (pictured right), Regional Head of Digital Banking for Mashreq, after the UAE-based lender launched Mashreq Neo, a full fledged digital bank that transformed the traditional banking landscape of the country, on October 1.

Abu Dhabi has been ranked top on a list of cities in Africa and the Middle East in the McKinsey Global Institute study 'Smart Cities: Digital Solutions for a More Livable Future'.

The study looked at how cities all over the world use technology to increase the quality of life across a wide range of criteria, including healthcare, security, mobility, economic development and housing. With a rating of 18.4, Abu Dhabi ranked first in the region ahead of Dubai, which was placed second with a rating of 17.3.