Business & Money | Tuesday 18 October, 2016 5:00 am |

The Saudi Ministry of Interior is using its presence at GITEX Technology Week 2016 to showcase its electronic and Smart services for citizens and residents of the Kingdom. The stand features a host of unique examples of the Ministry’s offerings, including 27 Smart Services, and 14 applications and Smart Devices, such as the mobile ‘911’ traffic control and incident response center.

Prince Bandar Bin Abdullah Al-Mashari, Assistant Minister of Interior for Technology Affairs, KSA, visited the stand and was briefed by the different entities participating under the ministry’s stand. He also met several ministry’s officials. Mohammad bin Abdullah Al Gergawi, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of Cabinet Affairs and The Future visited the stand on the second day and was hosted by Prince Bandar Bin Abdullah Al-Mashari and top Saudi government officials.

Engineer Mohammed Al Aseeri, official spokesperson of the National Information Centre from the Saudi Ministry of Interior, said: “The platform for sharing expertise and learning from peers that GITEX provides is unmatched in the region. We believe that our strong presence here, showcasing our alignment with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, will go a long way in positioning the Kingdom as an innovative early adopter of technology in public services, and emphasizes the strong business and economic environment and potential within the Kingdom.

“Our electronic and Smart Services reflect the commitment of the national leadership and government to not only invest in innovative technology, but also our focus towards building a unified citizen and resident experience across the GCC states. We have opened channels of communication with our counterparts from the GCC to build a secure electronic collaboration system across national identification, so that all citizens and residents can enjoy a unified and secure experience of interacting with governments and accessing e-Services anywhere in the GCC,” he added.

On its first day, Sheikh Maktoum Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Deputy Ruler of Dubai, visited the Saudi Ministry of Interior stand during the official opening tour for GITEX 2016, and was guided through a tour of the Ministry’s service demonstrations on the stand.

Focusing on the end-user benefit, the Ministry’s GITEX stand features videos that provide the viewers with overviews across areas that the Ministry focuses on, spanning from end-user facing traffic and identity management solutions such as that on the Ministry’s absher.com website, to the Ministry’s services and innovation in Internet security. The Ministry’s solutions for a secure Internet are with a view to greater national security and a better Internet experience within the Kingdom.

Technology professionals from the Saudi Ministry of Interior are also meeting with private and public sector organizations at GITEX to evaluate new technology platforms, applications, and services that could enhance the Ministry’s offering. Building a pool of data around the innovation available in the market will enable the Ministry to prepare and adopt the most advanced technology solutions from around the world, and apply these innovations for user benefit.

The Ministry of Interior’s GITEX 2016 website has been extended with a dedicated mobile application. Designed to bring the web experience to the mobile platform, the Ministry’s GITEX app allows staff on the stand to access the latest news and information, provides the app user with information on the demonstrations and services visible on the stand.