Dubai – 13August 2024: Etihad Water and Electricity (EtihadWE) hosted a Strategic Partners Council for Consultants and Contractors, as part of its “Zero Government Bureaucracy” programme. The national programme, announced at the start of this year by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, and Ruler of Dubai, aims to reduce the timeframes of government services by at least 50%, and eliminate at least 2000 unnecessary procedures, as part of the UAE’s efforts to enhance the quality and efficiency of its government services.
The event was attended by a team from the Prime Minister’s Office, led by Salim Al Shaami, the Executive Director of Government Services Sector. It was also attended by several senior officials from EtihadWE, including Eng. Salim Mohamed bin Rabeea, Chief Commercial Officer.
These efforts have culminated in establishing a unified electronic portal, managed by local municipalities, which will streamline the application process. By clubbing submissions across various service providers, the time required to complete transactions is dramatically reduced.
Another key initiative has been increasing the speed and efficiency of residential plan approvals. This approach has also decreased the time needed to secure approvals, simplifying the process significantly. Since its implementation, over 15,000 applications have been processed through this system, slashing the average approval time to just 5 working days from submitting the application.
Eng. Salim Mohamed bin Rabeea, CCO of EtihadWE, said “The key focus of our series of workshops on Zero Government Bureaucracy has been on our customers. By reducing or eliminating unnecessary steps and bureaucratic procedures, we have improved the customer journey, sped up transactions and enabled a more seamless experience. A high number of valuable ideas have culminated from the participants in these sessions,” he continued. “Our efforts to realise these ideas quickly is testament to our swift adoption of key government initiatives, aimed at improving the sector and boosting economic activity. Our CEO, Engineer Yousif Ahmed Al Ali, has been instrumental in driving these initiatives and ensuring we achieve milestone progress in our sector.”
Throughout the internal workshops, meetings, and events held by EtihadWE around the “Zero Government Bureaucracy” programmes approximately 150 new ideas have been proposed to further streamline and enhance operational efficiencies. Of these, 43 ideas have been approved, with 29 being implemented internally in coordination with the Information Technology, and the remaining 14 ideas are being implemented in cooperation with external partners.
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