ITA holds workshop on eGovernment services portal

This workshop was held at the Knowledge Oasis Muscat - Muscat Hall, Building 1 on the 16th September 2008 between 10am and 1pm.

Yaqoob Dur Mohammed al Bulushi, Chief of Infrastructure and e-Services Division of ITA, welcomed the audience and explained the importance of the workshop in the success of the eGovernment Services Portal project. He thanked the entities for cooperating with the developments of the portal contents.

Speaking on the eServices content, Salim Al Shuaili, Project Team Leader, said:

"We are here to update everyone on the major achievements made in this project and also present the current status of the portal contents."

Screen shots of the existing version of the portal were displayed and the location of the e-services sections from different public sector entities were presented in detail.

He further elaborated on the future plan of the portal with regard to integration and unified presentation of eServices from the public entities of the Sultanate through a common gateway.

Methods to access the contents of the eGovernment Services Portal, through the Virtual Private Network (VPN) connectivity were explained in detail. Those entities, who have compiled their content about their e-services for the portal, were expected to review the current status of contents and eventually approve them. Other entities now have the opportunity to glimpse the content of others and can expedite their content compilations.

Visitors of the portal can access a number of eServices in a seamless and transparent manner after appropriate authentication. In a similar manner, the public sector entities can also update their contents through authorized login. They are encouraged to use electronic forms which can now legally carry electronic signatures. With the national ePayment gateway being operational, customers can now pay online through the Internet. The eGovernment Services Portal, is a single window to public sector services.

Attendees of this workshop consisted of representatives from all ministries and selected public authorities. Following the presentations by ITA staff, the question and answer session at the end of the workshop gave opportunities to the public sector representatives to clarify their understanding.