Qatar advances towards proactive government with 1,650 services digitised
<p>Doha, Qatar: Around 1,650 of approximately 2,300 services provided by government entities in Qatar are now fully digitised, as the country advances towards a new model of proactive government services designed to anticipate the needs of citizens and residents, according to an expert in strategy and government development.</p> <p>Speaking to Qatar Television, Dr. Mohammed Khalifa Al-Kubaisi, an…
Doha, Qatar - Nearly 1,650 of the roughly 2,300 services offered by Qatar's government entities have been digitised, positioning the nation on a path to proactive government services, according to Dr. Mohammed Khalifa Al-Kubaisi, an expert in strategy and government development. Al-Kubaisi emphasized that merely increasing the number of online services is not the sole indicator of success.
The expert explained that government digital transformation has progressed through three stages: electronic government, digital government, and proactive government. Under the first model, services are made available online for users to request. The second stage involves connecting systems and streamlining procedures. In the third and most advanced stage, proactive government utilizes data to predict citizens' needs and initiate services before they are requested.
Al-Kubaisi argued that the ultimate measure of progress lies not in the number of digitised services but in the ability to deliver services to citizens before they even ask for them.
He stressed the significance of integrating government data to harness the potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Comparing data to fuel and AI to an engine, Al-Kubaisi highlighted how data across sectors such as education, health, housing, employment, and social services could enable more intelligent and integrated government services.
AI could aid in anticipating needs, tailoring services to individuals' circumstances, facilitating faster and better decision-making for government employees and leaders, and transforming call centres into early-warning systems capable of detecting recurring or emerging issues.
Al-Kubaisi cautioned against merely counting the number of services available electronically. Instead, he advocated for a shift from measuring outputs to measuring impact. This includes assessing how much time digital services save citizens and residents, the reduction in forms, procedures, and requirements, the success rate of completing services on the first attempt, and whether users opt for digital channels due to genuine convenience.
Qatar has moved up from 78th to 53rd among 193 countries in the United Nations E-Government Development Index 2024, indicating progress in this field.
The expert also identified challenges for the next stage of transformation, including "data silos" where entities may be hesitant to share information and differences between government systems and standards. Al-Kubaisi stressed that the transition towards proactive government is not solely a technology project but a major government reform involving cultural change, building a culture of strategic integration among entities, and developing qualified personnel to manage this transformation.
Written by urgent.news from The Peninsula Qatar's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
