Special to ag-IP-news Agency

DUBAI - HE Dr. Talal Abu-Ghazaleh, chairman of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization (TAG-Org), praised the important, strategic decision made by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, to transform Dubai into the smartest city worldwide.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that Dubai has been consistently proactive in adopting and launching smart initiatives of the highest caliber, and that the city is eminently capable of achieving His Highness' vision. In doing so, the city will rely, as will the rest of the Emirates, on strong Information Technology and Communications infrastructure. It will also rely on the support, supervision, and continued efforts of the country's rulers to improve the educational system and the governmental institutions which support education, and to develop the economic and service sectors. On that score, Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh stated that the UAE is considered a pioneer in leading  its transformation into a knowledge-based economy.

He added that the UAE occupies a distinguished position in the realm of information technology and communications, nearly reaching the average results of the G7 group.

Dr. Abu-Ghazaleh announced, during his meeting with Mr. Ahmed Mohammed bin Humaidan, Director General of the Dubai Smart Government that the Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Organization, in keeping with Dubai's smart transformation, will launch "Abu-Ghazaleh for Smart Solutions," and will utilize all of its experience and capabilities to help achieve His Highness' strategic vision.

During the meeting, which was attended by Mr. Marwan Bin Haidar, Executive Director of Planning and Development for the Dubai Smart Government, discussion revolved around various aspects of His Highness' decision to revolutionize Dubai, which includes 100 initiatives, and the transformation of 1,000 governmental services into smart services.

The meeting also tackled the programs proposed by TAG-Org’s E-Solutions Department, which target governmental and private institutions. These programs focus on smart development and include the following: smart business systems, data storage, corporate portal systems, electronic education systems, university administration systems, electronic archive systems, and resource planning systems.

His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum affirmed that today the country is witnessing the beginning of a new period of improvement in Dubai's quality of life, through this huge proposal which includes unprecedented collaboration between the public and private sectors, in order to create a new reality for all, and to change the concept of Dubai--from a city populated by people, to a city which lives side by side with its inhabitants.

His Highness added, "We aim to make Dubai--with all of its services and facilities--a smart city, and to foster a different, better quality of life for its inhabitants."

For his part, His Highness Hamdan bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, stated that His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum wants a smart city, a smart economy, a smart educational system, and a smart environment, and that he wants to foster a different quality of life--not only for coming generations, but for Dubai's inhabitants today.