Abu Dhabi ranks high in 'e-maturity'

In late 2007, the Abu Dhabi Government undertook its first research project to measure the Emirate's capability to apply and benefit from Information and Communication Technologies (ICT), clearly demonstrating its commitment to developing both e-Maturity and e-Government.

The Report -- among the most pervasive and exhaustive ICT-readiness research undertaken in the Arab World to date -- will enable the Abu Dhabi Government to effectively focus and steer its ICT priorities based on actual needs, speeding up its transition towards a knowledge-based society. This process establishes a precedent in terms of its comprehensive coverage of key economic sectors on an annual basis as well as the corresponding population of a state-level database of ICT indices to leverage for global comparative studies conducted by international organizations.

The Abu Dhabi Systems & Information Committee (ADSIC), who is spearheading the Emirate's e-Government Program, conducted this first annual e-Maturity Assessment using more than 200 key indicators derived from international indices defined by the World Economic Forum (WEF), the United Nations (UN) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU).

These indices assess various topical issues, ranging from ICT use and penetration throughout the Emirate to e-Government readiness and web presence. Furthermore, several sector-specific reports on education, healthcare, finance, real estate, tourism, recruitment, transport and mainstream business sectors were also studied.

Overall, data for this pioneering project was collected from official sources and 12 field surveys involving around 3,000 individuals, companies and government entities across the emirate, and is maintained in a digital repository for future leveraging and updates. Abu Dhabi's results were compared to international benchmarks, with results consistently ranking the Emirate amongst the top 30.

Abu Dhabi's position of strength is testament to the visionary leadership of HH Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, and HH General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, in positioning ICT as a key enabler for national modernization across all sectors in the Emirate.

This is clearly reflected in the comparative analysis done through the e-Maturity Assessment. Abu Dhabi's strong position is further supported by best-in-class telecommunications infrastructure, where mobile telephony affordability and penetration rates among the highest in the world.

Commenting on the project, ADSIC Chairman Rashed Lahej Al Mansoori said: "These initial research findings are very promising indeed. The level of e-Maturity in Abu Dhabi is demonstrated as being the highest in the Arab world and is comparable with levels in leading countries. Ongoing analysis of the collected data is also generating a large body of vital knowledge regarding ICT adoption in the Emirate. This will help us better target and measure the effectiveness of our coming e-Literacy Campaign and sector-specific services projects within our e-Government Program."

The e-Maturity Assessment also highlighted some improvement opportunities that will be addressed through the ongoing Abu Dhabi e-Government Program. These include strengthening web presence by all sectors, promoting e-literacy campaigns as well as potential targeted subsidization programs to increase both ICT penetration into and utilization by Abu Dhabi's population, businesses and government.

The Abu Dhabi e-Maturity Assessment results reflect the situation prevailing at the end of 2007. Going forward, similar analyses will be conducted annually to continually monitor progress and to refine ICT strategies, priorities and policies accordingly and whenever necessary.