Oman is ranked fourth in the 2022 Government Electronic and Mobile Services (GEMS) Maturity Index issued by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).
The index measures the maturity of government services provided through electronic portals and smart applications according to three pillars, which are service availability and development, service use and satisfaction, and the government’s efforts to public outreach.
Of the 18 Arab countries that participated in the 2022 index, Saudi Arabia was ranked first, followed by Qatar and the UAE.
Oman improved its year-on-year score from 64 per cent to 69, a growth of 7.8 per cent, and its ranking by one place, compared to fifth in 2021, through better performance in two pillars.
The first is the use of the service and user satisfaction, from 46.35 per cent in 2021 to 58.08 per cent in 2022, and second in the public outreach pillar, from 67.70 per cent in 2021 to 72.14 per cent in 2022.
A total of 24 institutions were included in the evaluation in Oman, along with 84 services across several sectors, such as commerce and industry, health, education, transport, traffic, police, tourism, municipal affairs, labour and justice.
According to ESCWA, the index is a tool that enables decision and policy makers to monitor digital transformation programmes, and it seeks to bridge the gap in most of the international indicators, related to service maturity, its use, user satisfaction, and public outreach.
‘To this end, 84 government services have been identified, and it is necessary for each country to deliver them electronically for individuals and businesses.’
Reliance on e-government services has generally increased in the Arab region compared to 2021, especially in educational and financial institutions, but more efforts must be exerted to digitise services in other sectors such as justice and tourism. These are the key findings of the fourth edition of the GEMS index on the Arab region issued annually by ESCWA since 2019.
Nawar al Awa, ESCWA GEMS project lead, said that there is need to promote the maturity of these services at the national level, even in high-assessment states, by keeping pace with the use of new digital technologies such as virtual reality.
He also highlighted the importance of cooperation and shared experiences among countries in order to avoid duplication of effort, particularly since the report indicates that there is a widening gap between Arab countries, causing results to range between one and 87 per cent.
In addition, the report highlights the role of digital government services in increasing efficiency, reducing waste and corruption, promoting transparency, providing accountability and achieving economic growth. It also mentions the key role of digital governments in promoting equality among citizens.
Source: https://www.muscatdaily.com/2023/02/19/oman-ranks-4th-in-un-list-for-e-govt-services/