ShareKUWAIT: In collaboration with the Federation of Kuwait Engineering Offices, Consultant Houses, and other private sector institutions, SAP submitted an initiative to the Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs Dr Rana Abdullah Al-Fares. The initiative aims to develop local programs, provide the Kuwaiti youth with SAP skills and methodologies, and share the necessary knowledge. These will help convert selected government services into electronic services, such as the Permits system in Kuwait Municipality.
The initiative represents a road map for the beginning of close cooperation between SAP, government agencies, and private sector institutions in Kuwait to provide Kuwait with advanced technologies and methodologies and government service automation capabilities to support Kuwait's digital transformation. The initiative was presented to Minister Dr Rana Abdullah Al-Fares by Ahmed Al-Faifi, Senior Vice President for SAP Middle East North. Eng Badr Al-Salman, the President of the Federation of Kuwait Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses, attended the meeting.
Commenting on the initiative, Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs, Dr Rana Abdullah Al-Fares, said that by supporting and adopting this initiative, we aspire to qualify Kuwait's young men and women in the technology and digital transformation filed.
We want to empower them with the latest technological means that come in line with the implementation of the government's program to push forward the digitization of services, making it easier for citizens and residents of the country to complete their services. Minister Fares also confirmed that this initiative aims to hold a range of free courses periodically for Kuwaiti youth in the field of information technology to develop their skills and keep them informed of the latest developments.
Private sector's role
Commenting on the initiative, Eng Bader Al-Salman said, "We look forward to achieving Kuwait's political leadership ambitions in seeing an influential role for the private sector as an initiator and supporter of Kuwait's development plans. We realize that automation, digital transformation, and eGovernment programs are key success factors in our time. Dr Rana Al-Fares, Minister of State for Municipal Affairs and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs, will lead cooperation with global technology companies in achieving the aspirations of growth and development in Kuwait. I want to thank SAP's management and technical teams in Kuwait and the region for their initiative."
Engineer Badr Al-Salman confirmed that during his meeting with Minister Rana Al-Fares, Ahmed Al-Faifi highlighted SAP's experience in waste management in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, as one of the successful environmental experiences in the region
On this occasion, Faifi said, "SAP works closely with the region's governments, especially the GCC countries, to increase the productivity and competitiveness of its institutions by improving its services in various fields. AS well, SAP plays an active role in upgrading the level of private sector companies and institutions in those countries. SAP has prepared its solutions and technologies to suit the requirements of the countries and institutions of the region and has designed the necessary skill sets for administrators, technicians, and project managers to implement public and private sector plans as efficiently as possible. We look forward to working closely with Kuwait stakeholders to activate the terms of this initiative. We also look forward to contributing to promoting government services and the Kuwaiti economy to new frontiers."
Faifi continued that the initiative focuses on transferring advanced technological expertise from SAP to the Kuwaiti youth in one of its key aspects. SAP believes that Kuwaiti youth are best able to understand the business requirements of their country and are keen to do the work required to the fullest.
He added that SAP would study the possibility of automating the Permits system in Kuwait Municipality, which is a crucial topic of the initiative. The Permits system, as stated earlier, was discussed extensively during the first EGOV8 panel. More than twenty government agencies contribute to this system. Kuwait Municipality, however, plays a key role by being the interface that connects all of these entities. The system aims to automate the process of issuing Permits by the relevant authorities according to their competence and eliminates the need of the licensee, an individual or institution, to deal with each government entity individually and issue the Permit in the shortest possible time.
Faifi concluded his statement by saying that SAP looks forward to activating the initiative under the supervision of Dr Rana Al Fares. SAP intends to study the best options to train Kuwaiti youth on modern technologies and methodologies and qualify them professionally and systematically according to international standards. SAP also wants to help local resources develop electronic systems and services within Kuwait's digital transformation initiatives, including smart-city plans and other activities that contribute to Kuwait's ambitions, as it does in many other countries.
Sharing info on smart cities
Smart cities occupy an important aspect of the initiative. SAP is one of the leading international companies in helping countries implement their smart-city initiatives that have a significant economic and social impact on the lives of citizens on the one hand and the development of services and attraction of investments on the other hand. Discussing this area with the stakeholders in the State of Kuwait will contribute to supporting Kuwait's smart-city initiatives that increase their competitiveness with its counterparts regionally and globally.
Eng Magdy Sabry, Executive Manager of NoufEXPO, said that SAP's initiative comes as one of the fruits of the 8th eGovernment Forum (EGOV8) organized by NoufEXPO in cooperation with the Federation of Kuwait Engineering Offices and Consultant Houses on March 30 and 31, 2021. EGOV8 convened, at the time, under the auspices of Dr Rana Al Fares, in which SAP participated and expressed its desire to contribute to supporting Kuwait's directions and plans related to the automation of government services.
Sabry added, "NoufEXPO continues to focus on its role as a generator and supporter of initiatives that best serve Kuwait's economic and social growth through state-of-art technologies. We believe this is the value proposition NoufEXPO delivers through its events."
