DSG signs MoU with GDRFA to support their package of electronic and smart services

UAE, November 4, 2015 - H.E. Ahmad Bin Humaidan, Director General of Dubai Smart Government Department (DSG), and H.E. Major General Mohammed Ahmed Al Marri, Director General of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs-Dubai (GDRFA), have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen mutual co-operation. 

Under the MoU, DSG will offer the necessary support to the package of electronic and smart shared services provided to GDRFA to ensure that these services are efficiently available round the clock. The MoU will also specify the levels of support and the priority-based response period as necessary to achieve the ultimate goal of bringing happiness to customers.

The package of services which the GDRFA will benefit from includes the Government Resources Planning Systems (GRPS), Government Information Network (GIN), MyID, Government Service Bus (GSB), Correspondence Tracking System, SMS Dubai, eSurvey, Happiness Meter, eHost, eComplain, eSuggest etc. 

Commenting on the MoU, Bin Humaidan said: 'DSG owns advanced infrastructure and enablers which all government entities can benefit from. Through our partnership with the GDRFA, we look forward to intensifying our joint efforts to improve the readiness of smart services which the GDRFA benefits from in view of the significant services that it provides to a very large section of citizens and residents. We also look forward to ensuring that these services are available round the clock and conform with the highest efficiency and reliability standards to the satisfaction and happiness of customers.'

Bin Humaidan added: 'We work as per DSG strategy 2014-2017, which features themes that have been carefully formulated to ensure the sustainability of excellence and leadership in Dubai, which seeks to become the city of the most innovative ideas and solutions and the smartest city in the world through boosting government performance for the happiness of citizens, residents and visitors in line with the initiative of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai,  and in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, to expedite transformation to smart government.'

Meanwhile, Al Marri said: “The MoU is signed as part of GDRFA's efforts and DSG's vision and strategic objectives for boosting the adoption of smart services and easing the procedures for people interacting with the government. The MoU stipulates that government shared services be streamlined to achieve the objectives of the 'Smart Dubai' initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aimed for Dubai to become the smartest city in the world.'

Al Marri affirmed that GDRFA is proud of strengthening its partnership with DSG and appreciates working with it for achieving its objectives of upgrading its services for the ultimate end of gaining the satisfaction and trust of customers through providing the best advanced services, seeking that all GDRFA's transactions are processed most efficiently, easing the task of the public and saving their effort and time.

DSG adopts a strategy based on seeking a connected and collaborative government. It utilizes a methodology of improving and applying integrated shared government services through smart technologies and infrastructures to ensure efficient and sustainable smart transformation; optimally using technological solutions and government resources, applying the best practices and providing modern smart enablers to government entities. 

Earlier, DSG has been awarded an ISO 20000:2011 Certification for IT service management, which proves its commitment to the global IT standards for improving the performance of services in general, and makes it highly qualified for effectively providing support services to government entities.

DSG has recently launched at Gitex Technology Week 2015 new smart shared services: Dubai Government's CloudOne, which provides a smart shared infrastructure that enables Dubai government entities to easily access a list of the needed IT resources, thereby saving the expenses and efforts needed to build these resources individually, and Watson interactive system, which employs artificial intelligence for dealing with government services. It also launched the Dubai Now app that combines 22 Dubai government entities services, including those provided by GDRFA.