Jordan Times
Wednesday, September 14, 2005
e-government project to offer
'customer-centric' approach
Three other agencies scheduled to start offering e-services this year
AMMAN (JT) — Prime Minister Adnan Badran on Tuesday inaugurated the first phase
of the e-government project, which started with the Drivers Vehicles Licensing
Department (DVLD) and seeks to cut red tape and offer more efficient services to
citizens.
Minister of Information and Communications Technology Nadia Saeed, who attended
the ceremony along with other senior officials and police officers, described
the e-government project as “the government's arm in administrative
development,” noting that the ultimate goal is to ease procedures for citizens
seeking government services.
She announced that in addition to the licensing department, three other agencies
were scheduled to start offering e-services this year, namely: The Tax
Department, the Lands and Survey Department and the Jordan Investment Board.
Under the project, coordinated with the Ministry of Information and
Communications Technology (MoICT), the DVLD has begun to upgrade its website
through which the agency will offer a package of e-services, the Jordan News
Agency, Petra, reported.
These include access to information about traffic violations and the related
“points system” under which traffic offenders are given points on their licences
for violations.
DVLD Director Brigadier General Thaher Ghraibeh said that his agency would be
electronically connected with other government departments via an intranet, upon
completion of the project.
According to official figures, the DVLD, which functions under the Public
Security Department, processes 5,000 transactions a day.
Last year, the department earned the Treasury JD98 million.
According to the MoICT website, the e-government project, which started in
November 2000, is defined as “a National Programme ... to enhance the
performance of government in terms of service provision, efficiency, accuracy,
time and cost-effectiveness, transparency, high level of customer satisfaction,
cross-governmental integration.”
The ministry says the mission of e-government is to manage the transformation of
the government towards a more “customer-centric” approach in the delivery of
services by means of appropriate technology, knowledge management and skilled
staff to implement e-government initiatives and programmes that are relevant and
affordable to the citizens of Jordan.