MoTC’s QDGTP and ESCWA-UN to deliver digital transformation workshop at QITCOM

22 October 2019, DOHA- QATAR:The Qatar Digital Government Training Program (QDGTP), an initiative of the Ministry of Transport and Communications (MoTC), is organising a workshop on Digital Transformation for government entities. In partnership with the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for West Asia (ESCWA), the workshop is scheduled to take place on October 30 and 31, 2019.

The event is taking place on the sidelines of the Qatar Information Technology Conference & Exhibition (QITCOM 2019) which is being held from 29th October to 1st November 2019 at the Qatar National Convention Center in Doha, under the theme “Safe Smart Cities”. Participants will include representatives from public bodies concerned with the provision of government services including IT directors, managers and high-level positions from over 25 government entities; representatives from national universities and research centers, the private sector and ICT companies among others.

The workshop is ESCWA's first in Qatar and is aimed at informing participants about the main concepts of digital transformation, its challenges and potential socio-economic impact. It will discuss best regional and international practices on implementing this transformation, highlight key international and regional indicators, and measure methodologies and mechanisms used to gauge the progress in digital transformation. Other topics include new trends in digital transformation, such as open government data, and technical and management aspects related to the development of digital government transformation.

One of the major highlights of the two-day event will be the Artificial Intelligence (AI) Hackfest held in conjunction with Microsoft. Participants from seven government entities will be presenting 10 use cases that they have worked on before the event with the audience voting to select the best ones. Prizes will be awarded on the last day of the workshop.

Commenting on the occasion, Her Excellency Reem Al Mansoori, Assistant Undersecretary for the Digital Society Development Sector at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said: “We are delighted to host this workshop which comes as part of our strategy towards enhancing the capacity of IT professionals in Qatar, especially in the public sector. This workshop comes at an opportune time as Qatar is rapidly developing a knowledge-based diversified economy in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030, contributing to its digital transformation goals. We believe that participants will gain valuable insights from the event that will positively impact the digital transformation of Qatar.”

The QDGTP is a strategic initiative developed by the MoTC to boost the professional capacity of government IT employees with specialized and accredited training. The program aims to build information and communication technology capability in the government to achieve improved service provision, efficiency and transparency in line with the Qatar Digital Government 2020 Strategy.