UAE’s annual technology spending covers everything from electric bikes to medical blockchain platforms
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When we think of digital governments, tiresome queues vanish, and we imagine a smoothly functioning office. Governments across the globe are already working hard on digital infrastructure to provide better services for citizens and firms.
Departments must expand smart services across a range of areas such as environment, health, and education. The UAE is a nation that has backed work in this area with significant resources. The country scored highly on the UN E-Government Survey rankings for two consecutive years in 2020. And last year the Emirate hit its Vision 2021 national agenda milestones, which prioritized combining a high quality of life with world-class public infrastructure and government services.
From early on, the Emirate understood the importance of making the latest technologies accessible. Back in 2013, it launched the UAE mGovernment initiative, to make digital government services readily available to citizens and residents wherever they are, at any time — effectively relocating customer service centers into every customer’s device.
Currently, DubaiNow offers information and access to more than 50 government services from 24 government bodies. Yet, data protection schemes still need to be constantly perfected to ensure user resilience is maintained.
With national information communication technology spending expected to hit $23 billion by 2024, the UAE is operating across open standards with mass Internet usage. This makes data governance, particularly data protection, significant and key to the adoption of new disruptive technologies.
There are several efforts to provide secure data operations. The Ministry of Health and Prevention announced that transactions and storage will now be carried out on a blockchain-based digital platform to secure all data related to such areas as government and private pharmaceutical facilities, health practitioners, and drug information.
Also, the Dubai Health Authority has also recently completed an online platform for UAE doctors to help them work through cases in real-time, regardless of where they are in the world. UAE targets to improve health care were made side-by-side while taking into consideration environmental concerns. To maintain momentum in the advancement of the UN’s Sustainability and Development Goals, which concludes in 2030, the UAE has scaled up green measures in line with its country-wide digital transformation.
As part of its Smart City initiative, Dubai aims to have 25 percent of all its city-wide travel managed by greener driverless transport by 2025. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority also has been testing Sky Pods for several years, which are lightweight unibikes and electric vehicles designed for public use for two riders.
Turning to education, the UAE established the Mohammed bin Rashid Smart Learning Programme to provide a unique learning environment for young people in schools through the introduction of Smart Classes under which students will use devices to learn. The initiative also includes specialized training programs for teachers and the introduction of new study subjects.
But there are challenges all governments need to meet. Inadequate cybersecurity measures and underdeveloped data protection laws should be further addressed. Drafting agile and private sector–friendly regulation will only further benefit future developments.
By advancing a consolidated and well-managed approach, the UAE will be better prepared to invest in its long-term digital infrastructure and encourage regional development. This will allow the nation to take a step, or possibly a leap, into the next era of this age of disruption.
• Dr. Raymond Khoury is partner at management consultancy Arthur D. Little Middle East.
