Qatar will digitize 90% of citizen services by 2030

Qatar has revealed its intentions to digitize 90% of its citizen services by 2030, marking a significant step in advancing the country’s digital infrastructure. This ambitious goal is a key component of the newly introduced third National Development Strategy (NDS3), outlining a comprehensive vision for digital governance.

At the core of this strategy is the establishment of a specialized “Centre of Excellence” for data and emerging technologies, including Artificial Intelligence (AI). This center is expected to lead crucial initiatives, such as developing a comprehensive national framework for data governance and management.

The primary focus will be on enhancing data availability and quality, positioning Qatar as a frontrunner in digital government. The NDS3 states, “The government will transform the design and delivery of its services by strengthening central capabilities in innovation and digitization.”

This transformative approach includes overhauling the service catalogue, implementing Service Level Agreement (SLA) frameworks, launching a centralized portal, providing integrated services, improving customer experience at service centers, and establishing innovation labs in with the help of the Centre of Excellence.

As part of these advancements, the country will also upgrade tools for monitoring operational and institutional performance. This aims to effectively monitor the progress outlined in the NDS3.

The strategy underscores the importance of system interoperability through enhanced data exchange layers to boost the efficiency and speed of government decision-making. The recently released NDS3 highlights the critical nature of the government’s institutional transformation, seen as essential to realizing progress in Doha’s economic and social spheres.

The government plans to design and implement centralized systems for tracking and monitoring the performance of government services to enhance customer experience and ensure service quality and efficiency.

Furthermore, Qatar is actively cultivating collaborations with key players in the ICT sector to instigate digitization across various domains. This involves the initiation of smart cities and the promotion of innovative solutions to advance connectivity and IT infrastructure. Already, ICT providers like Ooredoo Qatar, Siemens, and Microsoft have joined forces to propel smart city solutions throughout Qatar, focusing on the development of digital, Internet of Things (IoT), and software analytics solutions.

The NDS3 underscores the significance of aligning policies across different government entities, incorporating input from academia, citizens, residents, businesses, and non-governmental entities in a systematic manner. Furthermore, the NDS3 seeks to bolster accountability in government institutions by enhancing the capabilities, governance, and operating models of independent oversight bodies.