Reflecting a unified effort across government entities to reinforce smart government and improve service quality
October 23, 2025
North Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah Governorates Record Strong Progress in Digital Transformation Indicators in H1 2025
Over 96,646 government transactions were completed digitally in North Al Batinah Governorate by the end of June 2025
Nine key services were digitalised in Al Dhahirah Governorate, resulting in 13,931 digital transactions completed within six months
North Al Batinah and Al Dhahirah governorates continued to advance their digital transformation efforts in the first half of 2025, achieving measurable progress through expanded digital services, smart solutions and improved institutional performance efficiency through service digitalisation and process simplification for beneficiaries. These developments are part of the National Programme for Government Digital Transformation, Tahawul, and reflect the growing impact of digitalisation in enhancing government service delivery at the governorate level.
Digital Transformation in North Al Batinah
Eng. Salem bin Hamad Al Kindi, Head of the Digital Transformation Team in North Al Batinah Governorate, stated that the governorate recorded a significant leap in digital transformation indicators, with more than 96,646 transactions completed through digital channels by mid-2025. This reflects the success of ongoing efforts to enhance government service systems and improve the user experience.
Al Kindi noted that several key digital projects have been implemented, including the launch of the governorate’s official website, offering centralised access to core services; a document and records management system to improve data handling and retrieval and a cloud-based file sharing platform to ease access to shared resources.
Further initiatives include the “Athar” performance excellence system to support innovation and results-driven work; the Sohar Municipality digital services platform offering a range of services under a unified interface; the “Estebyan” platform for managing and analysing surveys and the Marriage Fund application system enabling digital benefit requests. Additional developments include a digital portal for summer centre registrations and programme listings, a digital attendance system to strengthen workplace discipline and the completion of phase one of the governorate’s network infrastructure upgrade.
Al Kindi added that digitalisation has transformed several key government services, accelerated procedures and reduced administrative burdens. Services now available through digital channels include the issuance of administrative circulars and decisions, digital processing of document transfers and disposal, cloud access to shared files, Marriage Fund benefit requests, official mission and leave requests, lease registration and amendments, building permits and the renewal or cancellation of temporary municipal licences.
Qualitative Digital Initiatives in Al Dhahirah
Salem bin Ali Al Mahrouqi, Head of the Executive Digital Transformation Team in Al Dhahirah Governorate, affirmed that the governorate maintained strong momentum in its digital transformation agenda throughout the first half of 2025. Efforts focused on improving service quality and delivery through smart projects and targeted initiatives, resulting in 13,931 digital transactions completed during the period. This reflects the advancement of digital infrastructure and growing adoption of digital channels.
He highlighted that nine essential services were digitalised through the governorate’s digital portal. These include requesting a meeting with an official, applying for a winter camping site, requesting site inspection for a mobile café, requesting pest control services, requesting public site cleaning, accessing support from the Marriage Fund, receiving official correspondence electronically through Walis’ offices, applying to invest in land or sites (governmental or private) and submitting student training requests.
He further outlined several digital projects launched between January and June 2025. These include the Innovation Management System, aimed at embedding innovation within the work environment and improving public service delivery and satisfaction; the beta version of the Al Dhahirah app, offering a unified access point to governorate services and the AI-powered Municipal Slaughterhouse Monitoring Project, supporting health and inspection quality.
Additional smart initiatives include a sensor-equipped municipal vehicle to improve field service delivery, smart inspection glasses using AI to enhance inspection efficiency, the Smart Municipal Awareness Initiative to promote digital literacy in the community, the Al Dhahirah Digital Ambassador Initiative to raise awareness of the governorate’s vision in engaging ways, and the Digital Twin Project, which employs spatial technology to support decision-making and urban planning.
These achievements reflect the impact of coordinated efforts across governorates under the National Programme for Government Digital Transformation (Tahawul), which seeks to improve the quality of government services, reinforce the concept of smart government, and increase beneficiary satisfaction through faster, more transparent and accessible services.