UAE Government intends launch of Digital Excellence Centre to enhance best practice

United Arab Emirates, 31 May 2023: Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi, Minister of State for Government Development and the Future, Chairperson of the Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation; signed an agreement to explore the establishment of “The UAE Centre for Government Digital Excellence” supported by Microsoft and PwC Middle East, aiming to enhance government digital transformation, and enable government entities to benefit from best practices and modern technologies.

The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Samer Abu Ltaif, Corporate VP & President, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa at Microsoft; and Hani Ashkar, PwC Middle East Senior Partner, on behalf of their respective companies.

The envisioned UAE Centre for Government Digital Excellence aims to strengthen partnerships with top technology companies, aiding the UAE government's digital transformation process. Through the implementation of projects designed to establish digital government systems and services, the centre would seek to boost the digital readiness of the UAE government while embracing the newest technologies to expedite their digital transformation journey.

“The Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation focusses on accelerating the UAE government’s digital transformation, development of the digital system for government services and operations, and enhancing digital readiness and efficiency. Therefore, working with Microsoft and PwC Middle East represents a vital step in achieving the goals of the committee by benefiting from leading global technologies, solutions, expertise and experiences”, said Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi.

Her Excellency explained that the new centre would contribute to raising the efficiency of government systems, developing new business models, enhancing the UAE’s digital competitiveness, and developing government talent and expertise in the field of digital transformation, which strengthens the UAE’s position and leadership globally.

Her Excellency Ohood Al Roumi expressed gratitude for the ongoing collaboration between Microsoft and PwC Middle East and their unwavering commitment to the UAE government.

Samer Abu Ltaif, Corporate VP & President, Central & Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa at Microsoft, “We are honoured to be exploring this opportunity with the UAE government and our partner PwC Middle East to build a centre of excellence for government training. It will not only enhance the skills and capabilities of our public servants, and make them fit for a future increasingly enabled by technology, but also leverage our expertise and innovation to create value for the public sector. We are proud to be part of this initiative and look forward to working together for a better future.”

Hani Ashkar, PwC Middle East Senior Partner, said: "The UAE has been at the forefront of adopting AI technologies driving a transformative shift across vital sectors. We are proud to collaborate with the Higher Committee for Government Digital Transformation and our alliance partner Microsoft in the development of The UAE Centre for Government Digital Excellence delivering solutions that are human-led and tech-powered. This collaboration underscores our purpose to build trust in society and solve important problems. Together, we will reimagine a more effective, efficient and citizen-centric government”.  

The UAE Centre for Government Digital Excellence would focus on investing in research and development in the field of digital transformation to further explore the impact of advanced technologies on government work. The centre would organise a series of awareness sessions and training workshops aiming to develop skills of federal government employees, explore challenges and opportunities of digital transformation and employ it to drive government development in vital fields.