JEDDAH: The Jeddah municipality has succeeded in streamlining its work through the introduction of its e-government program, which has been set up to ease public access to information and smooth executive procedures, said Adel Fakieh, the city’s mayor.
The municipality is currently providing 33 services electronically through its website. “We are planning on increasing the number of electronic services to 53 in the near future,” said Fakieh.
Deputy Mayor Khaled Aqeel said the municipality has analyzed its work procedures and managed to restructure them electronically.
Aqeel was speaking on behalf of the mayor during the opening of the Electronic Municipality Day Forum at the King Abdulaziz Cultural Center in Ubrug Al-Righama yesterday.
Municipal officials and public and private sector representatives from across the Kingdom are attending the two-day event. The event is being held for sharing experience and exchanging information regarding e-government.
Aqeel said the municipality worked hard in developing its electronic services to streamline the work it carries out for the public. Improvements include linking locations with a central geographic system to help municipality officials carry out monitoring and maintenance duties.
On the first day of the event, municipality officials from around the Kingdom shared their experience in using technology.
Bassam Al-Wareeth, general supervisor of Jeddah municipality’s information technology projects, said the forum was initiated by the municipality to encourage and develop the move toward electronic governance by all government establishments.
He noted that the forum is unique because of its discussions on diversity and involvement with the private sector. “This event aims at gaining experience and knowledge by citing practical examples to allow municipalities to use technology to develop their services and facilities,” he said.
The forum is accompanied by an information technology exhibition.
