Qatar e-Government 2020 strategy

The Qatar e-Government 2020 strategy envisions a transformative digital approach that aims to modernise government operations, deliver better services to citizens and businesses, and foster economic growth through advanced technologies. With a focus on efficiency, accessibility, and openness, the strategy serves as a roadmap for Qatar to build a digital-first government that is responsive and transparent.

The strategy has been structured around clear goals, strategic approaches, and supporting policies to ensure its successful implementation. By re-engineering processes and leveraging shared technologies, the government seeks to enhance the experience of individuals and businesses while achieving greater administrative efficiency.

Strategic objectives

The Qatar e-Government 2020 strategy is built upon three core objectives:

• Better serve individuals and businesses: Deliver 100% of government services online, ensuring 80% are available as end-to-end services that users can complete seamlessly without physical interaction.
• Create efficiency in government administration: Streamline processes, reduce duplication, and save resources through shared IT infrastructure and services.
• Increase government openness: Foster greater transparency, encourage citizen participation in policymaking, and promote innovation by publishing open government data.

Four strategic thrusts

To achieve its objectives, the strategy adopts four key strategic thrusts:

• Offer end-to-end eServices: Government services will be reimagined as seamless online experiences that are user-friendly and accessible across multiple channels, including mobile devices. Processes will be redesigned to minimise reliance on paper-based transactions, enabling fully digital services.
• Drive user adoption: Adoption of eServices will be encouraged through targeted awareness campaigns, incentives for users, and trust-building policies to ensure privacy and security. By educating citizens and businesses about the benefits of online services, the government aims to transition most transactions to digital channels.
• Increase government efficiency: Government entities will use shared infrastructure and applications to reduce operational costs and enhance service delivery. A unified IT backbone will ensure consistent, efficient, and secure digital transformation across all entities.
• Promote open government: By enabling greater participation through eConsultation platforms, the government will engage citizens and businesses in policy development. Additionally, the release of open data will create opportunities for innovation and increased transparency.

Policies supporting the strategy

The Qatar e-Government 2020 strategy is guided by a series of policies to ensure effective delivery, user trust, and operational alignment. These policies address the critical aspects of privacy, digital communications, and government transparency.

The data privacy policy has been introduced to address concerns about how personal information is managed and protected. Its primary purpose is to ensure that citizens and businesses can confidently use e-government services without fear of misuse or unauthorised access to their data. The policy outlines strict guidelines on data collection, storage, sharing, and access, adhering to international standards for privacy and security. By defining clear principles for data protection, the policy aims to build trust in digital services and encourage widespread adoption.

The digital communication policy focuses on transforming the way government entities interact with their users. Its scope encompasses all forms of electronic communication, including email, SMS, and digital mailboxes. The policy sets out standards to ensure that digital communications are timely, secure, and user-friendly. By reducing reliance on paper-based communication, it supports the broader goal of efficient and sustainable government operations. Furthermore, the policy promotes consistency across all government entities, ensuring a unified and professional approach to engaging with citizens and businesses.

The open government policies form the foundation for increased transparency and public engagement. These policies aim to foster trust between the government and the people it serves by providing access to government operations, data, and decisions. The purpose of open government policies is twofold: to give citizens and businesses insight into government activities and to encourage their participation in policymaking processes. This includes the adoption of tools like online forums, consultation platforms, and social media to enable open dialogue. The policies also outline measures to ensure the secure release of open datasets that can drive innovation, fuel economic opportunities, and improve public services. By promoting transparency and collaboration, the government seeks to build a stronger, more inclusive relationship with its constituents.

Implementation and roadmap

The implementation of the strategy is carefully phased into three waves spanning from 2014 to 2020. The first phase focuses on creating a foundation for digital transformation by improving existing services and building the necessary infrastructure. During the second phase, the government expands the availability of eServices and drives user adoption through targeted efforts. By the final phase, all services are made fully accessible online, with an emphasis on realising efficiencies and fostering collaboration across entities.

This phased approach ensures that the ambitious goals of the strategy remain achievable. By prioritising high-volume services and optimising processes early on, the government builds momentum for the later stages of implementation.

Governance and collaboration

A comprehensive governance structure has been established to oversee the strategy’s implementation. At the highest level, the Council of Ministers provides legislative oversight, while the e-Government steering committee monitors progress and resolves challenges. The strategy management office, under the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology, actively manages project execution and ensures alignment across government entities.

Collaboration among individual government entities is a cornerstone of the strategy. Each entity is responsible for developing and implementing eServices in accordance with shared guidelines and infrastructure. The establishment of a standard operating model ensures consistency, accountability, and efficiency across the entire government ecosystem.