In April 200 Sheikh Mohammed announced his “E-Government” initiatives. The basic plan is for all ministries and departments in Dubai to move to a paperless office environment and to offer as many services as possible to citizens and between government agencies online. The Departments of Transportation and Immigration where the first to make the change by introducing externally facing Web sites for the public to consult. This initiative has met with varied success as it takes effect across the government.
Addition E-Government plans include the development of a National ID Card and a National Web Portal bringing together all e-Government services in both the physical world and the virtual world.
Other major e-government projects the June 2004 launch of a national ID project which is intended to provide both national and other UAE inhabitants with a high tech national identification card. The card will be intended to not only enhance national security through the control and monitoring of traffic through UAE ports of entry, but also would serve as a reference for governmental and private sector dealings. The ID card could become a multi-purpose card for identification such as a driver’s license, health card, labor card and bank card. (14)
The UAE has established a national Web Portal where citizens, foreign workers, and visitors can access an ever increasing number of e-resources from the government. The Portal can be access here: http://www.government.ae/gov/en/index.jsp
The portal serves as a central repository for government information including things like yellow pages, lists of emergency numbers, links to government agencies, and some electronic forms. One innovative section of the government portal is the e-Dirham system. " The e-Dirham is a Payment Tool devised by the Ministry of Finance & Industry in order to facilitate collection of Revenues, providing the Government with a Secure Payment Method, and providing the public with a convenient payment tool." It was first introduced in the UAE in 2001. (16)
