Thursday 21 / November / 2024
Muscat: Providing ease of access to people who use the Oman government’s electronic services; efficient systems and solutions; enabling change in leadership and capacity building to support sustainability; and encouraging communities to participate and cooperate towards building trust in public institutions are the four main tracks of the government digital transformation programme.
Launched by the Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technology (MTCIT), and set to run until 2025, the programme’s executive plan is a continuation of Oman’s efforts in digital transformation by developing platforms to provide government services through digital channels, and create legislation and regulations to enable this change.
The government’s digital transformation project is also one of the initiatives of the National Digital Economy Programme, and one of the main enablers towards accomplishing Oman Vision 2040, the nation’s long-term plan to achieve economic expansion and sustainability. The programme was created to enable the government sector to strive towards innovation, provide smart services, proactive measures, and a sound online experience for customers.
One of the most important processes of the programme is to simplify procedures and make operations proactive. This will be done by first reviewing the current position of government services provided, classifying them, making pertinent information available, documenting the related procedures, and simplifying their operations to ensure ease and speed of response.
This particular process also takes into account the principles adopted by the MTCIT to enable the efficiency of services and increasing user penetration by diversifying the channels through which they can be accessed.
Another key aspect is the unification, integration and availability of data, since data is an important element of digital transformation, making it a main point of focus that will help achieve long-term plans to reach advanced levels of e-governance, as well as enable regular revision of services, increase quality of service, and allow for standardisation of procedures. Data can also be made shareable or open, depending on its nature.
The programme also requires digital integration and institutional cooperation between the units of the state administration.
This is considered one of the most important objectives, as it will help improve user experiences, make it easier to facilitate procedures, avoid duplication of work, and increase efficiency. A digital platforms and solutions hub is to be set up to improve institutional integration and create digital platforms for shared use, which will reduce spending, and increase work efficiency and planning.
Advanced digital architecture and agile management also come under the transformation programme. This particular aspect refers to the digital readiness necessary to enable efficiency, which includes upgrades to infrastructure related to hosting, integration, and networks.
Furthermore, the laws and regulations concerning digitisation will be reviewed so that they are in line with rapid technological changes, and help define the relationships between all parties involved in the implementation of this plan.
The aim of these laws is to positively impact digitisation through agile management that supports decision making, focuses on predictive analysis, and encourages real-time planning.
To protect and safeguard this new digital infrastructure, attention has also been accorded to cybersecurity, which will work hand in hand with enhanced community awareness and confidence building exercises so that people can use smart services in a safe manner.
Follow-up on the implementation of the plan will be conducted by the Financial and Economic Committee of the General Secretariat of the Council of Ministers.
The team will also help resolve challenges, and identify the directions in which the programme needs to go.
A technical committee has also been established to support implementation and enhance coordination among all those involved.
Some OMR170 million is expected to be invested in this project. The money is to go towards improving procedures, re-engineering government services, automation of basic services and making them fully available digitally, improving digital infrastructure, and improving the competence of nationals in the areas of digital transformation and change management.
With inputs from Oman News Agency
