The Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Dr. Amjad Ghanem, On the E-Government Services System and Placing Palestine on the Global Technology Map
Ramallah, Tuesday, January 4, 2022 —
During his meeting on "Today's File" program on Palestine Satellite Channel, Dr. Amjad Ghanem, the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, reaffirmed that the piloted e-services system launched by the Palestinian government last year aims primarily to gradually break out from the Israeli occupation, promote national products, invest in human capital, and place Palestine on the global technology map.
Furthermore, the governmental e-services facilitate citizens' access to the best services in record time through a secure and integrated online platform to achieve a digital transformation and an e-government system.
"Under the auspices of Mr. President Mahmoud Abbas, the 18th government, represented by Dr. Mohammed Shtayyeh, has pursued this policy to enhance citizens' resilience, use technology at the service of citizens, and invest in the young minds of fresh graduates who are the true Palestinian capital."
Following this statement, the Secretary-General highlighted that the e-government services system was gradually launched for staff within the ministries last week, stressing that the pilot phase and testing of the system will continue to reach the highest degree of accuracy and inclusiveness.
Dr. Amjad said, “We are joining efforts with various partners, notably the Ministry of telecommunications and Information Technology, Finance, Monetary Authority, different government institutions, and several private sector companies represented in banks and payment companies for the final launch.”
His Excellency added that the system is proudly designed and built by Palestinians, and its work is being followed up directly by the Prime Minister and by the Secretariat-General of the Council of Ministers, noting that it currently includes twelve electronic services, while the government provides some (1,400) services, (1,000) of which are paid.
Moreover, various services will be gradually and sequentially added to the e-services system every month, as needed by citizens, noting that the system was initiated with the most frequent service system. The E-system will provide services such as: permit license renewal, birth certificate issuance, passport renewal, certificate of registration obtainment, health insurance, etc., saving time, effort, and money with the latest technologies in place globally, ensuring the security and confidentiality of users' personal information.
The Secretary-General concluded: "The digital transformation plan and the automation of information need to combine all efforts by all official and private institutions and the private sector. Consequently, it needs to improve the skills of the public service personnel, i.e., having more knowledge and experience that qualifies them for multiple roles and the ability to think creatively and learn remotely."