Dubai: Smart Dubai has won two of the Arab World Smart Government Awards, organised by the Excellence Awards Academy and held in Cairo, Egypt.

The awards ceremony was held to recognise and reward outstanding and innovative government services across the Arab region.

Dubai won the Smart Government Shield Award for Best Smart Service for its ‘Dubai Now’ application, and the Global Smart Shield Award for the Smart Dubai Government Establishment.

Dubai Now is an all-encompassing one-stop shop for government services in the emirate of Dubai. The platform offers 59 services from 27 government and non-government entities, targeting 11 different segments of consumers, and providing seamless and secure operations.

Smart Dubai was recognised for their efforts to introduce services that allow customers to carry out their daily transactions without having to be physically present at a government department to do so.

This service both reduces pollution and expedites transactions and employs artificial intelligence to automate public administration.

“We are proud to be recognised by the Excellence Awards Academy today, which adds new achievements to Smart Dubai’s already impressive track record. The joint efforts of team members across the board have resulted in a high-quality bundle of smart projects and services that support our quest to become the smartest and happiest city in the world.” said Hessa Al Beloushi, director of Smart Services at Smart Dubai Office.

The application has won many awards, including the Best Mobile Government Service in the UAE at the World Government Summit 2016, as well as the Best Government Mobile Application in Dubai and the Northern Emirates at the Dot Gov 2016 Awards. It was also awarded the 2017 Smart Government Shield award in Egypt, which is dedicated to Arab governments and official institutions.

“The Dubai Now application, which has won the award for the second year in a row, sets the standard for advanced, innovative government services, presenting customers with a singular smart platform that saves them time and effort,” Al Beloushi added.

The Arab World Smart Government Awards emphasise the importance of information technology as a foundation and gateway towards smart services.

IT offers digital platforms and interactive information that establish the concepts and values of sustainable development, digital transformation, and promotion of knowledge. The Awards seek to recognise the great support that technology can offer for a safe and productive community, taking into account that 70 per cent of the 370-million-strong Arab population are young tech-savvy people, who embrace technology as a way of life.