With the bold Vision 2030 reform blueprint galvanizing all aspects of its digital journey, Saudi Arabia has seen radical changes in the way government entities operate and services are delivered to people over the past few years. Since its establishment in 2005, Saudi Arabia’s electronic government program, Yesser, has been at the forefront of developing robust information and communications technology infrastructure and integrating digital technologies into all areas of administration.
Yesser CEO Ali bin Nasser Al-Asiri said the online platform has enabled government agencies to simplify and improve processes of their operations, increase the quality of services, and deliver services not only in a secure, cost-effective, and sustainable manner but also in accordance with the aspirations of the beneficiaries.
“More importantly, the availability of these systems has made shared government data more easily accessible for all entities and enhanced communication between them. As a result, the decision-making processes have become more effective and efficient,” he said.
The Vision 2030 agenda envisages “an ambitious nation effectively governed.” Working toward realizing this goal, Yesser has focused on providing the latest technical solutions to governmental agencies, programs, and organizations to raise the productivity and efficiency of the public sector. These solutions have revolutionized the system of service development and delivery in the Kingdom’s public sector.
For instance, the Unified National Platform “gov.sa” is a reliable portal for more than 900 government electronic services and includes information on 250 government agencies in the Kingdom, whereas the National Contact Center (Amer) is aimed at facilitating e-government transactions for the public by providing support services and addressing inquiries about 345 services offered by more than 40 government agencies associated with the center. Meanwhile, the Government Service Bus (GSB) facilitates the integration and exchange of shared government data between government agencies for safe and timely online delivery of services.
Yesser’s initiatives were also instrumental in ensuring the continuity of public sector services when various measures taken by the government to curb the spread of COVID-19 posed significant operational challenges. Besides helping activate remote working for government agencies, the entity introduced many initiatives, such as the launch of a guide for telework, benefiting 94 percent of the government agencies in the Kingdom. Yesser also collaborated with various ministries and authorities to facilitate the return of Saudi citizens stranded outside the Kingdom due to border shutdowns and air travel suspension.
Yesser was established by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) in 2005 in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance and the Communication and Information Technology Commission, in response to a royal decree directing MCIT to formulate a plan for providing government services and transactions electronically.
