Governments in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) are being urged to evolve smart service strategies and adopt a more holistic view of smart government to successfully deliver on becoming truly smart, according to a report released by Booz Allen Hamilton on Monday. The report highlights that while several regional governments have taken positive steps, to become truly smart they must transform in response to ‘a number of new and rising challenges'. The report entitled ‘Smart Governments in the MENA region: Progress, Perception and the Path Forward', is being released during Dubai's Gitex Technology Week – where regional policy makers, business leaders and innovators will engage in dialogue on how the ‘Internet of Everything' will disrupt societies and economies. According to Booz Allen Hamilton, regional governments must seek to increase smart government engagement by going beyond a linear concept of smart services and adopt a ‘multidimensional framework'. Fady Kassatly, Vice President at Booz Allen Hamilton MENA, and co-author of the report, says the ideal smart government framework is one that is predictive, citizen-driven and shaped by user data. "The UAE and other regional governments are making tremendous strides in the pursuit of smarter government services and the creation of a better constituent experience, but there is need for a more responsive smart eco-system organized around users and user habits. "The success of smart services is based not on the perceived value of the offering, but on the tangible benefits smart services bring to citizens," Kassatly further said. "The greatest measure of success is in the engagement levels. Smart government goals cannot be achieved by simply extending access to existing e-services and adding new services through mobile technology; it is about transforming services to become responsive, adaptable, predictive and self-sustaining – encouraging more citizen participation." The report suggests governments will need to continue evolving beyond just services, by tackling seven key areas of a holistic ‘Smart Government Framework'. Those areas include: Smart Policies, the setting of policies that utilize economic modeling and big data analysis Smart Strategies, defined as being responsive, adaptive and flexible strategies Smart Human Capital, the cultivation of a robust but flexible organization that relies on smart sourcing to provide expertise Smart Technology, adopting cloud and subscription-based ICT and advancing analytics Smart Funding, which taps various funding streams to drive and maintain sustainable growth Smart Services, the provision of highly personalized and predictive services through a customized service delivery Smart Strategic Impact, allowing for evaluation of the socioeconomic impact of policies, strategies and services using robust data analytics. The United Kingdom's ‘gov.uk' is cited as a truly adaptive smart government platform, and the South Korean government's use of the Internet of Things and smart grids, to capture insights and predict future trends is also highlighted as a benchmark. "To be truly smart, we must develop smart communications strategies that drive engagement and introduce smart policies that support integration of data and service access. Proper planning and adequate funding will ensure that the smart government framework covers a larger footprint of the citizenry",Kassatly further said. "Big data analytics can provide us with real time insights about user habits and allow the service to become truly smart – personalizing itself to suit a user's habits." A ‘culture of innovation' will also play a critical role in the success of smart government, says the report – allowing for a ‘freeform thinking process to occur within broadly defined rules' to unlock the next level of digital government maturity. $3.3 trillion – according to Frost and Sullivan research, with nearly half of the world's 26 smart cities arising in emerging markets such as the Middle East. As the report highlights, the UAE and other regional markets have made encouraging progress. In Dubai, the Dubai Smart Government (DSG) Department's strategy, which consists of four major themes and 21 strategic objectives, is designed to boost confidence in the adoption of smart services. — SG
