As the nation advances with creating a digital economy and utilizing emerging technology, the UAE Cabinet approved the creation of a new upper committee for government digital transformation. Ohood Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, will preside over the committee, the Dubai Media Office said.
Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications, will serve as the committee’s vice-chairman.
The committee aims to supervise the development of the digital ecosystem for the UAE government, enhancing readiness, competitiveness, flexibility and digital alignment between projects and digital systems in federal government agencies, an official statement said.
The UAE is taking several steps to boost its digital economy and leverage the advantages provided by emerging technologies.
Last week, Dubai announced the formation of a new higher committee for future technology and digital economy to focus on developing the sector.
The goal of the new body is “to promote Dubai’s supremacy in the digital economy globally”, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, said at the time.
The Dubai government also revealed its Dubai Metaverse Strategy last month, which aims to create 40,000 jobs and add $4 billion to the emirate’s economy in the next five years.
The UAE’s new government digital transformation committee will aim to make more efficient use of digital assets, while improving integration between government agencies, the statement said.
The committee’s duties include preparing policies for digital transformation in the federal government, and reviewing and following up on the necessary strategies, programmes and initiatives to support the transition.
The committee will also be responsible for issuing guidance on strategic projects related to the digitisation of government services, business and operations.
Members include officials from the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), the Federal Authority for Government Human Resources, the head of Cyber Security for the UAE Government, the chief of government services of the UAE government and a representative from the Ministry of Finance.
Earlier this year, the TDRA released the findings of its UAE Digital Transformation Enablers report, highlighting key elements of the country’s digital transformation process including through initiatives such as the Federal Network, UAE Pass, the Government Service Bus and the national customer relationship management system.
The UAE ranked among the world’s best countries in terms of government digital transformation, becoming the only Arab nation in this group, according to the World Bank’s GovTech Maturity Index 2021 that measured the reliance on modern tech in government work in 198 states.
The Emirates also leads the Arab world in digital progress and preparedness for the future, according to the Future Readiness Index released last year by the Portulans Institute and Google. The nation was third among 27 emerging global economies and 23rd out of 123 countries.
Last month, the UAE’s Ministry of Artificial Intelligence, Digital Economy and Remote Work Applications also signed a preliminary agreement with blockchain data platform Chainalysis to provide virtual training programmes for the country’s government entities.
The UAE Chainalysis Centre of Excellence will help government employees upskill themselves with knowledge about blockchain — the decentralised platform seen as a secure way to conduct transactions — and other technology shaping the future economy such as digital assets, the ministry said at the time.
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