In September, the fund signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Information Centre that stipulated the centre would support the fund's programmes with its IT services as part of the centre's National Information Network project, a long-term project to develop IT infrastructure in the country.
"Access to information has become essential to the achievement of development, and the co-operation protocol with the National Information Centre comes within the context of benefiting from the centre's expertise in institution and capacity building, as well as its expertise as represented by its technical staff, which is specialised in IT systems, their operation and in staff training," said the fund's executive director, Abdullah al-Dailami.
This partnership will strengthen the capabilities of the organisations with which the fund works in Sanaa and other provinces that seek local development, "within the framework of decentralisation, the outcomes of the National Dialogue Conference and establishment of e-government", he told Al-Shorfa.
Later, he said, the centre will provide the necessary software for installing and operating the systems, and ensure they are compatible with those of the National Information Centre, in accordance with the plan approved within the framework of the co-operation protocol.
Improving community services
The National Information Centre aims to "build and link networked IT systems for 100 government entities within the framework of the National Information Network project", said centre president Yahya al-Rewi.
Partnering with the Social Fund for Development will enable the centre to expand its institutional and capacity building support for local staff on the directorate level, he added.
The National Information Centre is a government agency specialised in managing, storing, processing and facilitating access to information across networks, as part of its many programmes which aim to serve the community and help achieve development more effectively, swiftly and economically, al-Rewi said.
Nashwan al-Qubati, who heads the fund's institutional support programme, told Al-Shorfa he believes it is crucial to help government agencies "in the collection of information and the switch from paper to electronic records by automating the administrative process and computerising the archival of information".
This helps in the storage, delivery, search for and retrieval of information, he added.
The fund's institutional support programme acts in response to the needs of its partners, he said, including government entities such as ministries and other groups such as civil society organisations.
Building e-government
National Information Network project head Fouad al-Shuaibi told Al-Shorfa the new agreement seeks to "build up national capacities and [provide] the fund's partners with institutional support".
Work is currently under way at the centre to build networked systems based on the needs of the beneficiaries, he said, in an effort to meet their production needs and the requirements of their administrative functions.
"The centre seeks, as part of the National Information Network project, to build IT systems at government agencies, which is a crucial step towards [the achievement of] e-government," al-Shuaibi said.
This will be achieved through the development of IT systems for government institutions and training the staff who will operate the systems, he said, whether in the framework of the Social Fund for Development agreement or via the National Information Network project.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Faisal Darem
Quelle/Source: Al-Shorfa, 19.11.2014
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