Datamatix

Need for Innovative Vision in eGovernment Implementation Discussed on Final Day of Islamic Countries e-Government Summit

Posted Date : 27/11/2006

Country : Dubai

Need for Innovative Vision in eGovernment Implementation Discussed on Final Day of Islamic Countries e-Government Summit Wednesday, November 22, 2006 Dubai UAE The Islamic Countries eGovernment Summit came to a close today at the Dubai World Trade Center, UAE. The event held on 20-22 November 2006, assembled about 60 delegates from Islamic countries around the world to discuss how they can avoid their eGovernment projects from being mere adaptations and what should be done to build successful eGovernment applications that meet their national objectives. The keynote speaker for the day was Dr. Fahad Al-Twaijry, IT Specialist & Virtual Society Consultant (VSC), KSA who addressed the topic of an innovative vision to eGovernment initiatives in the region. Ms. Alison Macdonald, Director of Digital Archiving Consultancy Ltd. said, as she stressed on the importance of the achieving long-term efficiency and information benefit in data sharing, “For people, institutions, businesses to share their data, they must be confident that it will be used appropriately and that its ownership is acknowledged. Otherwise they will not share it. People using the data need that information to be able to trust it. So, sufficient and accurate rights management data must always be linkable to the data.” The day three program also included a panel discussion on the need for innovation in eGovernment initiatives in the Islamic world, which was moderated by Dr. Fahad Al-Twaijry with contributions from panelists- Ms. Alison Macdonald, Mr. Mazin Abuzin and Mr. Asif Kabani. The final session- ‘Planning for eGovernment in Pakistan’ was headed by Mr. Kabani, the President and CEO of Kabani Consulting Pakistan. Focusing on the process of eGovernance, Mr. Kabani recommended three strategic initiatives - PUBLISH using ICT to expand access to government information, INTERACT broadening civic participation in government and TRANSACT making government services available online. Elaborating on the task of publishing, the speaker said, “Governments generate huge volumes of information, much of it potentially useful to individuals and businesses. The Internet and other advanced communications technologies can bring this information quickly and more directly to citizens. Enabling citizens and businesses to readily access government information without having to travel to government offices, stand in long lines or pay bribes can be a revolutionary advance for nations wracked by inefficient bureaucracy and corruption.” Speaking about the proceedings of the event, Ali Al Kamali, the Managing Director of Datamatix said, “With Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, UAE and Indonesia leading the way, world over, Islamic countries have been considering e-government initiatives. They are looking towards the IT industry, Government and technology experts for the right tools, methods to enable a consistent approach to provide e-services for both businesses and residents that meets the requirements of their eGovernance projects. Datamatix hopes that the ‘Islamic Countries eGovernment Summit’ has served as an ideal platform for eGovernment decision makers to better understand the challenges and work towards taking their nations’ eGovernment initiatives to the next level.”