ictQATAR holds first government IT forum

ictQATAR will plan and coordinate i-Gov, which will see government agencies connect online to improve customer services. Rolled out over the next four years, i-Gov will make life easier for those who live and work in Qatar by providing a comprehensive range of government information and services online.

ictQATAR's Secretary General, Dr Hessa Al Jaber used the Forum to encourage the Government's IT community to commit to the ambitious program and emphasized that agency cooperation and communication will be key to developing i-Gov into a world-class initiative.

"Now that i-Gov is launched, we are all one team. ictQATAR will provide an umbrella for awareness building and communication activities, but also our goal is to increase efficiency across government through i-Gov," explained ictQATAR's Secretary General. "Together, we will provide important information and services to our residents faster and more efficiently than ever before."

ictQATAR also outlined the timeline for the implementation of i-Gov, which will ultimately see online government information and services accessed via a single website. This will allow residents and citizens to find information in one place, as well as undertake numerous tasks online, such as viewing library databases and register patents and trademarks online.

The Government IT Forum was attended by 73 IT professionals from government and semi-government agencies, who participated in a question and answer session with a panel consisting of international and Qatari IT specialists about critical success factors relating to integrated e-government.

The panel and audience put forward their experiences and ideas about a range of issues that i-Gov will encompass, including the importance of developing i-Gov into a citizen-centric program, which provides information and services that people want and need in a one stop e-shop.

ictQATAR, the Supreme Council of Information and Communications Technology, is Qatar's telecommunications regulatory authority and initiator of multiple information and communication technology programs designed to drive industry and advance the lives of Qatar's people. ictQATAR aims to promote an advanced ICT society through the development of infrastructure and skills, the delivery of e-services and education, and the fostering of a regulatory environment conducive to sustainable growth.