GEC NEWS WIRETransform City for Hundreds of Thousands of Residents and Businesses
The Holy Makkah Municipality’s award-winning online resources have transformed the city into a global leader in e-government services, experts said at a major technology event. One of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s fastest-growing cities, the Holy Makkah Municipality’s growth is guided by the Makkah Development Plan that calls for more than SAR 100 billion worth of infrastructure, utilities, real estate, and tourism projects.
While many MENA countries have cut back on funding for e-government programs, according to Booz & Co., the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has expanded support. As a result, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia jumped from No. 70 in 2008 to No. 41 in 2012 in the United Nations E-Government Ranking, according to Booz & Co.
In line with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s “Second National e-Government Action Plan: 2012-2016 / 1433-1437”, the Holy Makkah Municipality began revamping its e-government services in 2012, using an innovative public-private partnership with IT systems integrator Omnix International and IT solutions provider Oracle.
At the e-Government Excellence Forum, which explores communication between government agencies and private organizations, Dr. Ibrahim Abdullah, Vice Mayor for IT, Holy Makkah Municipality, said, “We faced a challenge with updating legacy systems to automated processes, ensuring digital collaboration, and enhancing the quality of our services – especially as the city grows and more residents come online. One year after launching our partnership with Omnix International and Oracle, we have seen strong success on our e-government services enabling hundreds of thousands of residents and businesses to easily access our government services online, and making our government employees more productive. We will continue to boost e-services in the coming months, further enhancing quality of life across the Holy Makkah Municipality.”
