Digital Transformation in Kuwait

Published on February 16, 2023

Every government worldwide invests and works on digital transformation, and Kuwait is no different. Within the last six years (2012-2018), Kuwait has risen in rank in the United Nations e-Government Development Index (EDGI).

Kuwait is a Middle East Gulf State and one of the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). With a population of over four million citizens, with the majority being youth and forward-thinking individuals, Kuwait has more potential to flourish digitally.  

The Kuwait government began its digital journey in the early 2000s. And in 2009, it made an advancement by introducing the Kuwait civil ID card program for identification and e-government services.

Digital Transformation Kuwait Conference

The Kuwait government has the vision to adopt smart and digital technologies to improve government services, drive the economy and improve operational efficiency and productivity in significant sectors by 2035. With this vision, the Kuwait government has significantly invested in Kuwait’s ICT market, which should sum up to 10B USD by 2024.

In light of this, the Kuwait government hosted a Digital Transformation conference on 2-3 November 2022 involving the Central Agency for Information Technology – CAIT. The conference served as a national platform where digital stakeholders, ICT experts, leading providers, and consultants come together to discuss the plans, strategies, and innovations to improve the country’s digital state. Also, the conference aimed to provide innovative solutions to tackle future challenges and ensure a thriving digital government.

Kuwait Civil eID card

The new national eID card is one of Kuwait’s steps toward digital transformation. The card was designed to verify the digital identities of Kuwait’s citizens. The eID card served as a means of providing seamless administrative procedures and supporting Kuwait’s vision of a digital government. And it’s a way for the citizens to gain easy access to daily services.

The new civil ID card is built with a microprocessor that can host a large quantity of data. Plus, you can store digital certificates and use your eID care, as do electronic verification and digital signatures.

The civil eID card is only a part of Kuwait’s success as a digital nation; the Public Key infrastructure managed by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI) also contributes to its success. This network works as a secure channel for data exchange. On this platform, people, governments, and companies can exchange data and verify the identity of all the parties involved in the data exchange.

With the eID card, the Ministry of Justice, lawyers can now access the government portal and sign and upload lawsuits digitally. The eID card makes the whole process easy, seamless, and convenient. Also, with the eID card, citizens have better access to electronic services, using their card as a verification tool.

The Kuwait Oil Company has employed eID to improve communication with its employees. The Kuwait credit bank has also used eID cards as a better tool for all its online services. Citizens can now apply easily for governmental loans because the eID contains all the necessary information needed for loan application. With this card, citizens can access the bank’s web portal meaning they’ll make fewer trips to the bank to address common issues.

Kuwait signs an alliance with Google Cloud for a digital transformation roadmap

Google cloud is moving to expand its territory in the Middle East and, as a result, entered into a strategic agreement with the Kuwait government. The Kuwait government and Google Cloud’s company will join forces to create a comprehensive digital transformation roadmap that will affect both the government and privately owned sectors.

Google Cloud will partner with the Kuwait Government to ensure all citizens are digitally inclined and increase employees’ efficiency and productivity. Also, both entities (Google cloud and the Kuwait government) will work together to ensure the digital transformation is implemented in the healthcare and education sectors.

The strategic alliance between both entities will enable the Kuwait government to use Google Cloud’s technology and expertise in artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and data analytics to fulfill its vision of making Kuwait a top digital nation in the next few years.

With the assistance of the Kuwait Direct Investment Promotion Authority (KDIPA), the Central Agency for Information Technology (CAIT), and the Communication and Information Technology Regulatory Authority (CITRA), Google cloud plan to open a base office in Kuwait and then reach out to other regions from there.

Conclusion

The Kuwait government is making severe plans and efforts to ensure that their country becomes a top digital state in the coming years. At this pace, they will be able to achieve their vision of running a digital government by 2035.

Sources

https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/markets/digital-identity-and-security/government/customer-cases/kuwait

https://fastcompanyme.com/news/kuwait-forges-strategic-alliance-with-google-cloud-for-digital-transformation-roadmap/

https://digitaltransformationkuwait.com/

About the Author

Mohammad J Sear is focused on bringing purpose to digital in government.

He has obtained his leadership training from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, USA and holds an MBA from the University of Leicester, UK.

After a successful 12+ years career in the UK government during the premiership of three Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher, John Major and Tony Blair, Mohammad moved to the private sector and has now for 20+ years been advising government organizations in the UK, Middle East, Australasia and South Asia on strategic challenges and digital transformation.

He is currently working for Ernst & Young (EY) and leading the Digital Government practice efforts across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), and is also a Digital Government and Innovation lecturer at the Paris School of International Affairs, Sciences Po, France.

As a thought-leader some of the articles he has authored include: “Digital is great but exclusion isn’t – make data work for driving better digital inclusion” published in Harvard Business Review, “Holistic Digital Government” published in the MIT Technology Review, “Want To Make Citizens Happy – Put Experience First” published in Forbes Middle East.

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