Kuwait's E-Government initiatives gain momentum with Oracle

Of the four key areas in e-business for government, Kuwait has made considerable strides in the areas of government-to-citizen and government-to-government interaction, with additional investment potential for government-to-business and government-to-employee initiatives as well.

During the one-day seminar, Oracle's government solutions experts highlighted ways in which e-government adoption can improve citizen services, increase visibility and accountability into public sector finances, boost human resources management capabilities, and enhance public services for citizens. Visiting speakers from the Abu Dhabi Department of Finance presented their experience with using Oracle to power the eGovernment transformation in Abu Dhabi. The event was highly interactive as the audience members sought to share their experiences and learn from each other.

"E-Government has moved from being a concept to a reality in Kuwait, and there is still considerable potential for private citizens, businesses, and public departments to further benefit from self-service opportunities and the transparency benefits that e-government can deliver. Oracle Applications Day for the Kuwaiti government sector highlighted the level of development so far and the ways in which we can further partner with both the public and private sector there for more accessible information and services,"

said Ayman Abouseif, managing director, Gulf States, Oracle.

Oracle Corporation's eBusiness solutions power most of the GCC government agencies. For example:

• Oracle's fully localized Human Resources Management System and Payroll are deployed at Bahrain's Civil Service Bureau and Bahrain Pension Fund to service the entire Bahraini government employee population. Integrating those two major applications with the government-wide implementation of Oracle Financials at the Kingdom's Ministry of Finance and National Economy delivers an exceptionally powerful information backbone that enables the Bahraini government to best manage its resources based on accurate information that supports the decision-making process.

• The UAE Ministry of Finance has deployed Oracle Financials to support the processes of budgeting, planning, and finance across the UAE federal government.

• Oman's Ministry of Civil Services has implemented Oracle Human Resources Management System and Oracle Payroll to serve all ministries and government agencies. The Omani government anticipates that the competency-based Oracle HRMS will aid it in its drive toward achieving Omanization goals.

• The Dubai E-Government initiative is based on a single instance of the Oracle E-Business Suite that spans across the entire government, supporting all its major back-office functions like budgeting, finance, purchasing and human resources management.

• Abu Dhabi Department of Finance has selected Oracle Financials to power its eGovenrment transformation, supporting its integrated budget planning cycle and strong financial controls.

In an effort to update its customer and partner communities on the latest technologies available, Oracle hosts more than 30 seminars and events annually in Kuwait. The company has provided e-business solutions and technology to a number of organizations in Kuwait, including Kuwait University, Kuwait Oil Company, Public Warehousing Company, Wataniya Telecom, National Bank of Kuwait, Kuwait Finance House, and MTC.