Smart Dubai hosted the tenth and final destination of the Journey of the Future program in collaboration with the Mohammed bin Rashid School of Government (MBRSG).
The "Journey" brought together top Dubai Government officials enrolled in the School's executive education program, who were introduced to Smart Dubai's leading initiatives and achievements, as well as the cutting-edge systems, policies and technologies that are spearheading the Emirate's smart transformation and advancing the objectives of the Dubai Agenda 2021.
His Excellency Younus Al Nasser, Assistant Director General of the Smart Dubai Office (SDO) and CEO of the Dubai Data Establishment, hosted the session, introducing the participants to Smart Dubai's organizational hierarchy. H.E. Al Nasser went into the details of SDO's action plan, as well as the timeline for the initiatives and projects that seek to make Dubai the most efficient, integrated, safe and influential city for both residents and visitors.
It is important to strengthen cooperation between Smart Dubai and its various government-sector partners, Al Nasser stressed, adding that it is "the key to upgrading government services in the UAE and enhancing institutional performance, as it facilitates the exchange of experiences, information and resources to achieve the strategic objectives of all parties."
Furthermore, Smart Dubai took the opportunity to showcase the internal and external procedures used to coordinate between its affiliated organizations - the Dubai Smart Government Establishment and the Dubai Data Establishment - as well as these entities' role in smart planning, developing data-sharing laws and policies and facilitating the adoption of the latest IT solutions by the private and public sectors.
H.E. Dr Ali Sebaa Al Marri, Executive President of MBRSG, said: "We strive to cooperate with all government entities in order to achieve our wise leadership's vision to enhance the government services and practices in the UAE, improve governance and invest in our human capital to pave the way for a sustainable knowledge economy."
"Our goal is to invigorate the academic sector to fulfil its potential for empowering the national workforce and equipping them with the required tools and skills to innovate," H.E. Al Marri added. "A knowledgeable and educated workforce can then apply their education and talents to improve performance at their respective departments and, consequently, enhance the country's overall competitiveness."
The session also discussed Smart Dubai's services, which include developing applications and creating integrated platforms for various government institutions, such as electronic payment portals (which have processed transactions worth AED11 billion from 2008 to 2016, growing at an annual rate of 25 percent) and other applications that economize time and effort for customers, and facilitate the exchange of information and data via advanced digital technologies and secure systems.