Seventh e-Government Forum underway, under the Prime Minister's patronage

KUWAIT: NoufEXPO launched the seventh e-Government Forum and its accompanying technology exhibition under the patronage of His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah on Tuesday under the slogan 'Modern trends of smart government' in the Al-Baraka Ballroom of Crowne Plaza hotel.

Representing the Premier, Chairman and CEO of the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA) Salem Al-Othaina said the e-government forum's motto shows a world characterized by accelerated change, especially in the technology field, that in turn affects lifestyle in all its aspects such as economic, social and many more. He said the government is keen to keep pace with digital transformation in order to build a society based on smart e-services.

"The society must keep up with the digital transformation and exploitation of modern technological solutions. On July 8, 2019, the Council of Ministers issued resolution no. 911 in its meeting no. 2019/28 to form a committee to prepare the national plan and information technology policy," Othaina noted.

He added that to organize efforts exerted to contribute to the realization of the aspirations of Kuwait in light of the general framework of the state's strategy, the committee is responsible for the preparation of IT plans and policies at the national level. It also adopts proposals of plans and programs to update them.

Director-General of the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT) Haya Al-Wadani said we live in a world of development and rapid challenges in the field of technology, which requires us to keep pace with change and overcome those challenges. "Those challenges require us to develop our capabilities and our work procedures to enable us to attain better government services comparable to developed countries in this area."

Yousef Al-Marzouq, General Manager of Nouf EXPO, said: "The slogan of the E-Government Forum this year reflects our hopes and aspirations in the transition of e-government programs in Kuwait to more advanced stages with the implementation of smart government services. However, the main highlight of the forum this year is the holding two specialized workshops on important topics in the delivery and development of government services and other projects, which are 'Follow-up Strategies and Performance Vulnerability' and 'Practical Applications for the Use of Artificial Intelligence Technologies."

He added these workshops help organizations monitor their execution and link it to objectives and strategy. Management will have an accurate online view of their performance that helps them face any challenges as they come.

By Faten Omar