UAE to establish higher committee to drive digital transformation of government

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.

Omar Al Olama, Minister of State for Digital Economy, AI and Remote Work Systems, will serve as the committee's vice chairman.

The committee aims to supervise the UAE's digitisation plans and enhance the readiness, competitiveness and flexibility and alignment between projects and the digital systems of federal agencies.

The UAE is taking several steps to boost its digital economy and exploit the advantages provided by emerging technology.

Last week, Dubai announced the formation of the Higher Committee for Future Technology and Digital Economy to focus on developing the sector.

The committee's mandate 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 government digital transformation committee will aim to make more efficient use of digital assets while improving integration between government agencies, the media office said.

Its duties include preparing federal policies for digital transformation 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 government's cyber security chief, the UAE chief of government services and a Ministry of Finance representative.

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 through initiatives such as the Federal Network, UAE Pass, the Government Service Bus and the national customer relationship management system.

The UAE was ranked among the world's best countries in terms of the pace of the government's 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 technology in government work in 198 states.

The Emirates also leads the Arab world in digital progress and state of 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 State for Digital Economy, AI and Remote Work Systems 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 to upskill themselves with knowledge about blockchain — the decentralised platform that is considered to be a secure way to conduct transactions — and other technology shaping the future economy such as digital assets, the ministry said at the time.