Dubai eGovernment, a pioneering initiative in the region to provide online services, has announced that it has laid the foundation for the creation of a comprehensive online platform for the business sector after signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Department of Economic Development (DED) during a press conference held today (Sunday, September 9, 2007) at Dubai eGovernment’s GITEX stand. The partnership aims to create the 'Dubai Investment and Business Portal' that will present a new collection of eServices developed according to the specific needs and expectations of all clients and users of Dubai eGovernment and DED facilities.
"This is an important step in our ultimate goal to provide a hassle-free, easily accessible single point of contact for all information and services required by both potential and existing members of Dubai's business community. Dubai eGovernment is committed to facilitate a seamless transition into a knowledge-based economy, and we are pleased to work with the Department of Economic Development to jointly develop new and more appropriate services based on long-term, sustainable norms of business," said Salem Al Shair, eServices Director, Dubai eGovernment.
The partnership has initially identified investors and business organizations as the target customer groups that are bound to benefit greatly from the new initiative. The investor group includes local or foreign individuals, and existing companies and companies contemplating starting new businesses in Dubai, while those categorised in the business group include existing businesses in Dubai.
Among the business requirements that will be addressed by the new online platform are general information about the UAE, Dubai and the economy; business registration; business opportunities in Dubai; licences and permits; identifying business location and choosing a business name; business planning consultation; business laws, rules and regulations; entrepreneurial courses; buying a business and franchising in Dubai; networking opportunities; eBusiness and eCommerce in Dubai; doing business with the government.
"To realize the full economic potential of Dubai, we must be able to adopt the latest best practices and take advantage of cutting-edge technology to fast track business development. This portal can contribute to economic growth and business expansion in Dubai as it provides customer-focused information and services through a single point of contact," said Khalid Al Qassim, Deputy General Manager, Research and Planning Department, DED.
The Department of Economic Development is pleased to share expertise and resources with Dubai eGovernment to take full advantage of the powerful impact of the internet in realizing our objectives
To help Dubai eGovernment and DED get a better grasp of the pulse of their target customer groups, they will also initiate a series of customer group engagements such as surveys and questionnaires, focus groups among entrepreneurs and businesses with the same interests; forums and other relevant activities.
Dubai eGovernment is a pioneering initiative in the region to provide online services across the spectrum of corporate and community life in the emirate. It also has a vision to integrate individually automated government departments under the single umbrella of the eGovernment initiative, thus empowering employees across lines of businesses and levels of government, besides facilitating the lives of citizens and customers of the government. Dubai has taken a lead in the region in deploying eGovernment applications and is among the first few governments in the world to provide such integrated services to its citizens. The eGovernment portal (www.dubai.ae) is a single contact point masking the complexity of the bureaucratic procedures, and guiding access to all services in the easiest possible way. In addition, the eGovernment initiative seeks to improve and enhance procedures by maximizing the benefit from technology, so that users from all walks of life will be able to utilize the portal for their specific needs with considerable ease.
