Kuwait seeks to draw a roadmap for digital future, says Al-Nahedh
During the opening of the second ‘Kuwait Smart Government Summit’ organized by the Central Agency for Information Technology in partnership with Microsoft, the Minister of Commerce and Industry and Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs Mazen Al-Nahedh announced Kuwait’s new roadmap for the digital future under the New Kuwait vision.
Delivering a speech at the opening of the summit which coincides with Microsoft’s 25th anniversary in the country, Al Nahedh stressed the importance of supporting public private partnerships especially with tech companies to adopt applications that meet the aspirations of Kuwait.
Al Nahedh stated, “The summit aims to accelerate the adoption of smart technologies to promote digital government transformation and launch several initiatives with government agencies to draw a roadmap for the digital future of Kuwait. We have always been supportive of partnerships between the Kuwait government and IT companies resulting in the comprehensive development of tech infrastructure projects aimed to build a society based on knowledge and smart technologies such as the cloud, artificial intelligence, data, robots, and others.”
Al Nahedh conveyed his happiness in leading Kuwait’ ambition and vision of developing human capital in for the digital economy.
He explained that the world is changing very quickly and that digital transformation is part of this change, stressing that the information technology will continue to accelerate the wheel of transformation through access and the establishment of supportive infrastructures that keep pace with modern technology.
In his final comments he pointed out that digital transformation increases returns on investments while contributing to a diversified and sustainable national knowledge-based economy which in turn achieves prosperity and wellbeing for all.
For his part, Acting Director General of the Central Agency for Information Technology Dr Ammar Al-Husseini said that the country has made significant strides to enhancing governmental competitiveness, efficiencies, and productivity. He pointed that the acceleration of digital transformation is a fundamental pillar of Kuwait Vision 2035.
Digital transformation
CAIT in partnership with Microsoft, launched important initiatives to support the acceleration of the digital transformation agenda in the government sector. Some of those initiatives included a Center of Excellence for Digital Productivity to enhance productivity and institutional effectiveness through optimization of digital technologies, as well as utilization of Microsoft 365 programs and the application ‘The Hub’, a digital platform that provides a new experience for exchanging information and request for digital services within government agencies.
Ihab Fouda, Public Sector General Manager at Microsoft Middle East and Africa, reaffirmed Microsoft’s commitment to provide safe technology and smart solutions to Kuwait its government, institutions and people.
Fouda stated, “As part of the summit, Microsoft launched a joint cooperation with Kuwait’s Ministry of Oil to create a joint dialogue platform to discuss and crystalize a roadmap for a digital advanced sustainable project to help preserve Kuwait’s petroleum wealth while maintaining a sustainable environment utilizing AI.”
Undersecretary of the Ministry of Oil Sheikh Dr Nimr Fahd Al-Malik Al-Sabah said in his speech that the launch of the environmental digital initiative is of great importance in encouraging the use of technology and artificial intelligence to accelerate digital transformation in the oil sector and enhance Kuwait’s path towards sustainable development of the petroleum sector.
Sheikh Nimr Al-Sabah stressed the need to develop a roadmap for sustainability and identify the necessary steps for the oil sector in particular and the government in general given the global initiatives to replace traditional fuel resources with renewable one using digital sustainable technologies.
For her part, the Director General of the General Authority for Disability Affairs, Dr. Bibi Al-Amiri, “We are working with Microsoft to implement the digital initiative for people of determination through three axis’s.” The first axis is to enable the largest possible number of people of determination to use technologies by activating the necessary features in Microsoft solutions, especially Windows, Microsoft 365 and Teams. The second axis is to evaluate the current websites of government agencies and provide proposed recommendations to make them more suitable for people of determination, while the third axis is to raise awareness and develop skills through training programs and workshops.”
For his part, Microsoft General Manager in Kuwait Alaeddine Karim noted that the State of Kuwait is strengthening its efforts to adopt modern technological services and keep pace with technical developments in the field of smart technologies. Karim added that Microsoft is working closely with the Central Agency for Information Technology to provide smart technologies such as artificial intelligence and data analysis capabilities to accelerate the smart government agenda with the aim to improve the lives of citizens, enhance sustainability efforts, develop infrastructure and support economic growth in line with Kuwait Vision 2035.
The summit focused on showcasing the ambitious achievements of organizations in various sectors that have dedicated technology solutions and digital capabilities to create advanced services that enhance their level of competitiveness, including the launch of a number of initiatives with government agencies. The summit witnessed wide participation that included senior officials and IT experts working in various Kuwaiti government agencies.
