The UAE and the region will gain immensely from Dubai's ePay experience, says Salem Al Shair
Dubai eGovernment showcased the benefits of its ePay service at the 'Visa International Government Services Conference' held today (Wednesday, November 07, 2007) at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai. During the event, Salem Al Shair, eServices Director at Dubai eGovernment gave the keynote address entitled 'eGovernment for a High Growth Economy'. This included a detailed presentation on the award-winning ePay, which has crossed the AED 160 million mark in revenue collections, as of 6th November, 2007.
Speaking at the conference, Al Shair said, "Our ePay system aligns with the vision of H. H. Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, which states that Dubai Government organisations should 'ease the lives of people interacting with the government, and position Dubai as a leading business hub in the knowledge economy."
Al Shair stressed on the importance for governments in the region to have a robust electronic payment system to speed up government transactions and continue to be one of the drivers for a high growth economy. He said that ePay was developed in partnership between the government and the private sector.
"Dubai can only become a leading business hub, if the government facilitates, rather than hinders trade licensing and business transactions. Our ePay channel accepts online payments in real-time from all possible merchant sources including credit cards, charge card, prepaid card, direct debit, eDirham and Dubai eGov Cards. No other payment mechanism gives such flexibility and security in the region," said Al Shair.
"Dubai eGovernment has pioneered eGovernment implementation in the region and we are happy to share our experiences with other government entities in the region to assist them in their efforts. Services like the ePay in particular have proved invaluable to users in Dubai, as is evident from the steady rise in the number of people using this service," he added.
The fast-growing popularity of the ePay service can be gauged from the sharp increase in the number of transactions. In 2003, the total e-transactions were 205, involving a sum of AED 130,000. As of yesterday, 6th November, 2007, there were over 180,475 transactions, resulting in a revenue collection of approximately AED 160 million.
With ePay, users can make secure online payments in real-time for Dubai government services for transactions through the Internet, Kiosks and IVR, using credit cards or eDirham. Dubai eGovernment plays the role of a virtual payment gateway for government, semi-government and private services. Besides generating revenues, the ePay service fully complements Dubai's growth strategy and is one of the initiatives by the government as it looks to create a robust digital society.
During the conference, Salem Al Shair met up and discussed mutually beneficial strategies with key figures from around the world including Aliza Knox, Senior Vice President, Visa International and Chung Sung Ho, Executive Director of LG Cards, Korea. The two day conference ends on November 8th, with the government ePayment Adoption Ranking by the Economist Intelligence Unit.
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About Dubai eGovernment:
Dubai eGovernment is a pioneering initiative in the region to provide online services across the spectrum of corporate and community life in the emirate. It also has a vision to integrate
individually automated government departments under the single umbrella of the eGovernment initiative, thus empowering employees across lines of businesses and levels of government, besides facilitating the lives of citizens and customers of the government. Dubai has taken a lead in the region in deploying eGovernment applications and is among the first few governments in the world to provide such integrated services to its citizens. The eGovernment portal (www.dubai.ae) is a single contact point masking the complexity of the bureaucratic procedures, and guiding access to all services in the easiest possible way. In addition, the eGovernment initiative seeks to improve and enhance procedures by maximizing the benefit from technology, so that users from all walks of life will be able to utilize the portal for their specific needs with considerable ease.
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© Press Release 2007
