His Majesty stressed the importance of adopting the best specifications for the smart IDs, highlighting safety, multi-purpose use and essentiality of the service as the main features to be ensured, while he underlined time effectiveness in service delivery.

The King stressed once again the significance of the e-government project as it lies at the core of the government’s basic role: improving the level and quality of services offered to the public through simplifying measures and saving time and effort.

The discussion covered the stages of implementing the e-government project and online connection of civil service agencies around the Kingdom, especially in the fields of health and education.

For his part, Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour briefed His Majesty on the government’s approach to implement the smart IDs, which is part of the e-government project.

Through a steering committee handling the service, the government will make sure the cards are issued in accordance with the highest technical standards that ensure the safety of the data related to card holders, Ensour explained.

The premier highlighted the ICT sector’s role in implementing the e-government project, which, he said, seeks to ensure better performance, accuracy and swiftness in action, while minimising the probability of human errors.

ICT Minister Majd Shweikeh briefed His Majesty and the attendees on the progress in the project, noting that smart cards would ease procedures related to an array of services such as the issuance of civil IDs and passports and other documents, customs and exemptions, purchase and sale transactions, services related to the facilitation of investment and obtaining different types of licences.

They are also helpful when it comes to government transactions, such as health and social insurance, court records and other administrative measures.

Under the e-government project’s first phase, 50 services will be launched this year and 70 during the second phase next year the minister noted, adding that by the end of phase three in 2019, about 350 services will be in place.

In regard to the national fibre optic grid project for southern region, the minister said the network would connect around 3,200 educational, health, government and service institutions by the end of 2019.

The smart civil IDs rely on developing a central system through electronic interconnectivity and integration with all other relevant systems, provided that the needed infrastructure is in place.