IfG.CC - The Institute for eGovernment

The UAE is leading the Arab region when it comes to the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) solutions, which is set to see an annual growth rate of 33.5 per cent, a new report has revealed.

The report by the Dubai Technology Entrepreneurship Campus, prepared in collaboration with ArabNet and startAD, also revealed that the UAE is followed by Saudi Arabia with an expected 31.3 per cent annual growth rate in the adoption of AI, the rest of the GCC region at 28.8 per cent, and Egypt at 25.5 per cent.

Emirates ranking jumped one place to 17th globally

The UAE’s global ranking in digital competitiveness continued to improve as it secured the 17th position in IMD World Digital Competitiveness 2018 report.

The region’s second biggest economy also maintained its lead in the Middle East chiefly due to Dubai’s strong push towards digitisation and embracing new technologies to make the emirate a smart city.

The big movers in the rankings were Qatar and Kuwait both of which jumped up four places to occupy 32nd and 52nd place respectively, while Bahrain moved into the top 50 for the first time coming in at 45th.

His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Tuesday stressed the importance of technology and telecommunication services.

Sheikh Mohammed visited Gitex at the Dubai International Exhibition and Convention Centre, accompanied by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai.

Major General Khalifa Hareb Al Khaili, Acting Assistant Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior for Naturalization, Residency and Ports Affairs stressed the keenness of the UAE government to provide a quality standard of life for its citizens. He said that this keenness reflects the Ministry’s strategy to provide excellent services that boost the confidence of the public, and increase the satisfaction levels of clients regarding the provided services as per the best international standards.

The UAE is investing heavily in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as part of an eTransformation initiative which authorities aim to implement at the federal level by 2014, Salem Khamis Al Shair Al Suwaidi, deputy director general of the Emirates eGovernment said.

“The government has succeeded in paving the way for the eTransformation by setting up an advanced electronic infrastructure and providing appropriate legal basis across the emirates depending on a strategic framework consisting of three dimensions — eServices, eReadiness and ICT environment,” said Al Suwaidi as the UAE prepares to celebrate its 41st National Day on December 2.

Leading UK authority Professor George Crooks, medical director for NHS 24, Scotland's health information and self care advice service, will speak on the topic of aligning the continuum of care and global best practice in telehealth, using NHS 24 as an example, and drawing parallels with the UAE.

The presentation, on day one of the two-day Dubai Health Authority, Health Authority - Abu Dhabi, SEHA and Dubai Healthcare City supported event, will invite delegates to rethink how they can reconfigure and deliver future healthcare services, with the role of technology a key driver.

NRI, which is published annually, measures the preparedness of an economy to use ICT to boost competitiveness and well-being and tracks the development of ICTs around the world.

The report assesses the digital ecosystems of 144 developed and developing countries — accounting for more than 98 per cent of the world’s GDP.

The country, which came 42nd in 2005, has outperformed other Gulf countries. The report ranks Bahrain 42nd, followed by Qatar at 53, Kuwait at 57, Saudi Arabia at 70 and Oman at 84.

Driven by a highly advanced e-Government portal, the UAE was ranked second in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and seventh in Asia, according to findings of the United Nations (UN) e-Government Survey 2014.

The UAE recognises the importance of building and developing future cities, relying on innovative and creative ideas in line with its development over the past years and its reputation on the global map in the coming years, Dr. Abdullah bin Mohammed Belhaif Al Nuaimi, Minister of Infrastructure Development, said in his inaugural address on Monday at the Arab Future Cities Summit 2017.

''We are committed not only to keeping pace with the latest developments but also to foresight challenges, develop and analyse visions concerning all vital sectors and design long-term plans that will achieve a qualitative leap at all levels. This can only be achieved through the development of cities and infrastructure to cope with the latest current developments,'' said Al Nauaimi, who is also Chairman of the Sheikh Zayed Housing Programme.

The Ministry of Economy has already surpassed the 50 per cent target, and it yesterday launched a new portal providing 80 services of a total of 130 services to be introduced by the end of this year.

The UAE Cabinet has approved the formation of the Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation as the country presses forward with plans to develop a digital economy and make use of future technology.

The committee will be chaired by Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Governmental Development and Future, the Dubai Media Office said in a tweet on Monday.

The number of internet users in the Arab World is expected to rise to about 226 million by 2018, says the Arab Knowledge Economy report 2015-2016.

The UAE ranked first on 2015 E-performance Index with average of 67.35 per cent, according to a new research launched on Tuesday.

The research further revealed that GDP of Gulf countries constitutes around 60 per cent of the total Arab world GDP. Saudi Arabia ranked first in Arab World GDP with $753 billion and the UAE ranked second with $401 billion GDP.

The World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on the Future of Government in partnership with the UAE government on Tuesday launched a guide to help governments use technology to deliver more efficient public services.

The guide, “Future of Government Smart Toolbox” report aims to improve government performance in key areas such as trust, leadership, security, innovation, anti-corruption, bureaucracy and delivery of services.

Emirates NBD sends message to customers about new charges applicable from June 1, 2015

In line with the UAE government’s mGovernment and eGovernment drives that have seen hundreds of government departments go paperless, UAE banks are now following the example.

Starting next week, Dubai-based Emirates NBD bank will stop issuing paper statements for its credit cards, and will send the same via email to its customers.

“The UAE has achieved several milestones with regard to the implementation of the WSIS action lines. Covering a spectrum of development from education to capacity building, the UAE has moved upwards in the ranks to reach its current elevated status on several different fronts. As a strategic partner for the WSIS Forum 2012, we are leading our region by example. Through our participation and strategic partnership, other Arab nations are coming forward and will continue to do so to join this global initiative to lessen the gap between the developed and developing nations with regard to the information society,” stated Mohammed Nasser Al Ghanim, UAE Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) director-general and chairman of the UAE WSIS National Committee.

A language barrier can make typing internet addresses difficult for those for whom English is not a native language, said Dr Abdul Rahman Alkhudair, an eGovernment consultant for the Saudi Ministry of Finance.

Egypt’s information minister Tarek Kamel on Monday said that the country had applied for the first domain name in the Arabic alphabet.

Key factors critical to building successful digital enterprises in Dubai/UAE are identified as providing a clear digital vision, aligning business and IT strategies and nurturing digital talent.

Organised by S P Jain School of Global Management (S P Jain) the annual IT Management Conclave 2018 is being held at Taj Dubai, UAE on Wednesday (24 October) where its annual Industry Survey findings were released.

An opinion poll conducted by Emirates eGovernment on the official portal of the UAE Government (government.ae) has revealed that most users trust online payment for government services. More than 2300 people participated in the poll. 83 per cent of them said they trust paying government fees online, 7 per cent said they "somewhat" trust online payment, while 10 per cent do not trust online payment for government services.

Most federal and local government entities in the UAE have online payment channels for their services which include utility and phone bills, fines and Zakat payment. Payments can be made by eDirham, credit cards and direct debit.