Ministry of Economy records fruitful participation at Gitex 2009

His Excellency Mohammed Al Shihhi said that the ministry's participation in Gitex, under the directives of His Excellency Sultan Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, is in line with the MoE's strategy to interact further with its stakeholders and introduce the range of electronic services now available to individuals and corporates. The MoE also networked with key exhibitors at the show to share knowledge and best practices.

He added that Gitex is a unique platform and MoE is keen to be part of it. This is particularly relevant given the fast pace of change in the world that demands governments to be up to date with technology, which is showcased at Gitex, a global platform where companies exhibit their expertise in the IT sector.

Al Shihhi said that one of the main investments in IT is in the governmental services sector as the UAE government entities are leading the region in developing IT systems, and the Leadership places strong importance on technology to further enhance the performance of various government entities.

He added, "Our participation in this crucial event was fruitful on all counts and achieved its objectives. We have successfully communicated to the hundreds of visitors to our pavilion daily our new IT-driven e-services. We also networked with key exhibitors and obtained updates on the latest technology trends."

Dr. Hashim Rashid Al Hajji, Director of Corporate Excellence at the MoE, said the ministry's first participation in Gitex was successful and left positive impressions among the audience.

He added that the MoE's participation was strong as key directorates were represented at the stand. Dr. Al Hajji said, "Our ministry has been leading the way in updating its services and computerizing them and is the first in the Arab World to issue a e-certificate of origin within 2 hours instead of one week. We have attracted large numbers of people to our stand to learn about the mechanisms and ways to issue this e-certificate and they were very impressed."

The team working within the Consumer Protection Directorate was keen to communicate to the audience on their directorate's services and the e-services available online.

Officials from the ministry held discussions with top exhibitors including Microsoft to leverage ways of capitalizing on their products to develop the ministry's services. The ministry used Gitex to launch its magazine highlighting the importance of media in promoting investments and supporting socio-economic growth and elevate the competitive edge of corporations and nations. The MoE team also distributed publications issued by the ministry at Gitex, gaining good feedback from the audience.