SEDD completes 145,523 digital transactions in 2021 first half

Sharjah Economic Development Department (SEDD) revealed that 145523 digital transactions were completed during the first half of 2021, achieving a growth of 104 per cent in terms of the total number of completed transactions compared to 2020.

The Department explained that this achievement was the result of the successful completion of the digital transformation system for all the services provided by it, which were previously accomplished.

Also, it was a continuation of the modernisation and development of its digital services in a systematic and thoughtful manner, which resulted in a major shift in performance and a high demand for benefiting from digital services.

In addition, SEDD digital transformation of resulted in the simplicity and flexibility in providing and making all its digital services available to the public through multiple platforms. Such thing came in line with the vision of the wise leadership and in support of the national trend towards digitising government services.

Also, it seeks to consolidate Sharjah’s position as one of the best agencies in providing services according to the highest standards, in a manner that achieves the satisfaction and happiness of customers and raises the quality of life for citizens and residents in the emirate.

According to SEDD data, the percentage of using the digital transformation platform has grown to 96 compared to the first half of last year, when the percentage of use did not exceed 76, while the number of smart investor transactions out of the total transactions completed in the first half of the same year increased by 79 per cent.

Sultan Abdullah Bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD Chairman, stressed that this large number of digital transactions reflects the extent of the Department’s keenness to develop the level of its services provided to the public, investors and partners, by converting them to the digital mode, which facilitates procedures, reduces time and reduces waste of resources. It was done through the provision of innovative, easy and fast government services that encourage citizens and residents to benefit from them. This emphasises the efficiency, durability and quality of the technical systems of the Department and the continuous improvement processes pursued by it.

He added: “We have a clear strategy for the coming years based on the implementation of many innovative projects that contribute to the completion of our various transactions with ease, thanks to the great progress made by the Department over the past years in developing and using advanced technical systems and applications”.

He pointed out that the digital transformation in SEDD services, which hit 100 per cent, and its investment over the past years in establishing an advanced digital infrastructure contributed to maintaining the progress of business and services during the last period, which enabled the Department to complete all transactions digitally and through service centres.

He stressed that the Department’s strategic objective is to achieve a comprehensive development plan that promotes economic development in Sharjah, by developing services to match the highest international quality standards in terms of speed of delivery and access to dealers in the economic sector and investors in the emirate, and striving to complete transactions with ease.

From his side, Ali Al Naqbi, Deputy Director of IT Department at SEDD, indicated that the number of visits to SEDD digital platforms continued to rise during the first half of this year compared to previous years, reaching 4,738211 visits. In addition, he stated that the number of in-person transactions decreased, which directly proves the durability, strength and quality of the digital services provided.

Al Naqbi pointed out that SEDD has provided multiple and diverse channels for the sustainability of its business, including digital services on portals and smart phones. These channels aimed to cover all aspects and areas of the Department’s procedural work, so the customer does not need to visit it, as the growth rate reached 113 per cent for the digital transactions completed in the first half of the year.

Moreover, Al Naqbi added that implementing transactions digitally has contributed to achieving many important positive effects on various economic, social, environmental and operational aspects, whether by achieving high efficiency in completing customer requests by reducing the time it takes to obtain services, or by facilitating service access, which is what reflected in the level of productivity.

He illustrated that the Department was able to raiser the percentage of using digital platforms to 96 during 2021 first half. In addition, SEDD continued during the last period to improve and develop the user experience and facilitate the customer’s journey. Meanwhile, it works to adopt the environment friendly process that requires converting all paper transactions into digital transactions.