Eng. Qussai Al-Shatti, HH Sheikh Jaber Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah and Sheikh Mohammed Abdullah

Commenting on the upcoming fifth round of the e-Government Forum (EGOV5) under the motto of Digital Transformation, Eng. Qussai Ibrahim Al-Shatti, Acting General Manager of the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT), said that EGOV5 will discuss one of the growth and development tracks that all countries seek today. He said, "This year, again, we enjoy the patronageof His Highness the Prime Minister Sheikh Jaber Mubarak Al-Hamad AL-Sabah.

His Highness has always been keen to support this event for his firm belief that advanced technology is the way forward. His Highness will be represented by His Excellency Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, Acting Minsiter of Information, and Chairman of the Board of CAIT during the opening ceremony; a highly appreciated initiative added to the valuable role His Excellency is carrying out in leading CAIT's programs."

Al-Shatti said, "Through the motto of Digital Transformation, we intend to unambiguously clarify the path that developing e-Government programs pass through. Digital transformation is a comprehensive development journey that affects all government agencies, their departments, their business processes, their staff, and thetools and technologies they use. This journey has to be controlled by strict governance frameworks that define responsibilities and make best use of available resources. Only this can lead to the gradual, yet successful, change towards useful and efficient electronic government services."

"However, Digital Transformation is not a government specialty. It is, as well, inevitable for all private sector enterprises

in order to help them survive and grow. Having said this, it is important to emphasize that the ecosystem of e-Government programs include many private sector services such as electronic payment systems, e-commerce systems, and Internet services. These are vital for the success of e-Government implementations. We hope that our partners, the global and local technology vendors, will contribute to Kuwait's Digital Transformation journey that CAIT is leading in cooperation with all other government agencies," he added.

Acting General Manager of CAIT confirmed that CAIT will announce the results of the e-Services Excellence Awards during the opening ceremony of EGOV5. The Award was launched last year during the opening ceremony of EGOV4. Al-Shatti added, "Benefiting from our experience last year, we have added several criteria to the evaluation process of electronic services and experiences. Among these are information security, information privacy and accuracy, and availability of user help and guidance. We are gradually moving to adopt industry best practices for the e-Services Excellence Award."

"I would like to extend my invitation to all government agencies to take role in this event and showcase their e-services and plans, as well as participatein the e-Services Excellence Award. EGOV5 will be an excellent venue to network with the participating global, regional, and local technology vendors to solidify and boost their e-Government development and digital transformation programs. NoufEXPO, the organizing company, is closely working with EGOV5's Scientific Committee at CAIT to finalize the event's proceedings," he concluded.