Digital transformation of governmental services in the UAE has helped customers, who used the digital services optimally, save more than 7.5 billion dirhams by the end of 2021, according to the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA), a leading organization in the ICT sector in the Emirates.
The authority clarified that through the digital transformation of government services, customers were able to complete their services without any additional cost, time spent, and actual physical visits to the service premises, with statistics showing an average of 11 million visits.
On 20 September, 2021, the UAE government published a legislation to ensure the safe digital transformation of services for government agencies through Federal Decree Law No. 46 of 2021 on electronic transactions and trust services (The Electronic Transactions Law), reinforcing the UAE’s digital transformation strategy and commitment towards a digital economy.
Several global competitiveness reports have highlighted the competitive position of the UAE, describing its achievements in digital transformation and their impact on the improvement of quality of government service, and customer happiness and experience.
The process of digital transformation in government agencies in the UAE began 19 years ago, during which several measures were taken to gradually shift towards digital services. The UAE topped the region in government service automation. It introduced the eDirham in 2001, launched the eGovernment in 2011, and the smart Government in 2013.
In the period from 2016 to 2017, digital government capabilities were developed, government links for services were provided, the digital identity Smart Pass was launched, and all federal agencies were connected to the federal network. In the next three years, up to 2020, digital wallets were launched, eSignatures were made legally valid and admissible under the federal eCommerce Law, and UAE Pass national digital identity and digital signature solution was introduced.
In 2021, UAE’s Application Programming Interface ‘API First’ guidelines were issued to provide guidance to government entities and vendors in the UAE. As per the Digital Government Roadmap 2021-2025, TDRA announced the launch of UAE Verify, a platform using blockchain technology which allows government and private entities to verify the authenticity of digital documents.
Blockchain technology helps in regulating data and digital documents, verifying their authenticity, sharing documents and information, and protecting privacy.
The authority explained that the digital government is working to enhance the infrastructure and support strategies that will advance the process of digital transformation in government agencies in the UAE. It is also working to achieve the national strategy for digital transformation and leadership in national indicators to consolidate the country’s position as a leading provider of digital services.
