Sharjah Economic Development Department “SEDD” revealed that 77,938 digital transactions were completed during the first quarter of the current year 2021, achieving a growth of 134% in the total number of completed transactions compared to the same period in 2020, during which the number of digital transactions completed reached 33,294 transactions.

SEDD explained that this increase in the number of digital transactions comes because of its continuous efforts during the past period in achieving a 100% digital transformation process in all its services provided to the public. Such thing comes in line with the vision of the wise leadership to support the national orientation towards digitizing government services. In addition, it seeks to consolidate the position of the Emirate of Sharjah as one of the best agencies in providing services according to the highest standards. All of this is done in order to achieve customer satisfaction and happiness and raise the level of quality of life for citizens and residents in the emirate.

According to the Department's data, the percentage of using the digital transformation platform increased by 96% compared to its percentage in the first quarter of last year, which amounted to 62%. On the other hand, the contribution rate of smart investor application reached 17% out of the total transactions completed in the first quarter of 2021, while it was 9% in the first quarter of 2020.

Commenting on that, HE Sultan Abdullah bin Hadda Al Suwaidi, SEDD Chairman, affirmed that these numbers and statistics are a positive indicator of the significant improvement, which is due to the efficiency, durability and quality of the technical systems of the Department continuous improvement processes. Also, the digital transformation process contributes to achieving the highest levels of efficiency, flexibility and effectiveness in providing government services to customers around the clock and from anywhere through digital channels and in easy steps. Such thing helps customers to complete their transactions easily and effectively without the need to visit the Department, which saves their efforts and time.

His Excellency added that the Department has recently strengthened the level of its services provided to include digital services or booking appointments online or through the service centers contracted with the Department and spread in various cities and regions of the emirate. It should be noted that SEDD was able to meet all the requirements of the precautionary measures while ensuring the continuity of work around the clock without being affected by these procedures. All of this was due to the great progress it has made over the past years in developing and using advanced technical systems and applications.

Likely, HE pointed out that the 100% digital transformation in SEDD services and its investment over the past years in establishing an advanced digital structure contributed in maintaining the flow of business and services in these exceptional circumstances, which enabled the Department to complete all transactions digitally and through service centers.

In addition, HE stressed that the Department's strategic goal 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 easily and conveniently.

On the other hand, Ali Al Naqbi, Deputy Director of IT Department at SEDD, indicated that the percentage of using digital transformation platform increased from 62% to 96%, and transactions that require the presence of customers have decreased, which directly proves the strength and quality of the Department's digital services.

Likewise, Al Naqbi pointed out that the Department has provided multiple and varied channels to sustain its business, including digital services on the websites and smart phones, to cover all aspects and areas of the Department's procedural work, so the customer will not need to visit the Department’s headquarters. It is worth mentioning that the total number of digital transactions completed in the first quarter of 2021 reached 77,938 transactions.

Furthermore, Al Naqbi added that the past two years witnessed great developments in the modernization and development of digital services for SEDD, which had important and essential implications and results in digital work. Thus, the Department managed to raise the percentage of using the digital platforms by 96% during the first quarter of this current year 2021. Also, the past year also witnessed an improvement in developing the user experience and facilitating the customer journey. Likely, the Department is working on adopting a green environment policy that requires converting all paper transactions into digital ones.