As part of Riyadh Municipality’s collaboration with Elm Company, a leader in innovative solutions and owned by the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Elm announced today that IBM has been selected as the strategic partner for the integration of the blockchain technology
Initiative aimed at improving government transactions & enhancing services
As part of Riyadh Municipality’s collaboration with Elm Company, a leader in innovative solutions and owned by the Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), Elm announced today that IBM has been selected as the strategic partner for the integration of the blockchain technology. IBM and Elm will develop an implementation strategy to facilitate government services and transactions to better serve customers digitally, and to support the transformational objectives of the Saudi Vision 2030.
Eng. Tariq bin Abdul Aziz Al-Fares, Secretary of Al Riyadh Region, expressed optimism about the new partnership between Al Riyadh Municipality and Elm Company, which has extensive experience in the digital field by working with IBM, in the integration of the blockchain technology at the municipal sector level. This will contribute immensely to enhancing these services for the benefit of citizens and residents in Al Riyadh. He pointed out that this move comes in accordance with the directives of the Saudi Government to work towards enhancing the quality of municipal services for customers and to incorporate latest technological innovations in services, in line with Saudi Vision 2030.
Riyadh Municipality, IBM and Elm will jointly organize workshops in collaboration with key government departments, and private and semi-government sectors in Al Riyadh to identify services which can be transformed and enhanced through blockchain. IBM will then design the first blockchain-based solution at the municipality level, while Elm will integrate the technology into government’s services as the next stage.
Dr. Abdulrahman Al Jadhai, Chief Executive Officer of Elm, said: “We are proud of the partnership that will significantly enhance the methods and procedures of the services provided by the Municipality. Elm is continuously applying its expertise, innovative capabilities, national talents and global partnerships towards the systematic digital development that ensures improved efficiency, in line with the Kingdom’s National Transformation Program 2020. The expertise of Elm will contribute to enriching customer experience, to build the best solutions for both public and private sectors and to contribute to the transformation towards an e-Government model, in line with the Saudi Vision 2030.”
“Blockchain is a revolutionary way to do business – and IBM is in the forefront of it. We believe that this technology has the ability to change the world in the same way that the Internet while redefining how business and transactions happen,” said Tarek Zarg El Aioun, Country General Manager, IBM Saudi Arabia. “Through the collaboration between Riyadh Municipality, Elm and IBM, we will be able to help the Saudi government reimagine and transform the way in which services are provided to citizens, residents, businesses, and visitors. It is a strategic step towards supporting the objectives of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030.”
A blockchain study, “Building Trust in Governments,” by the IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV), found that several governmental organizations are embracing blockchain technology to promote more extensive collaboration. In the Middle East and Africa, nine out of 10 government executives surveyed see contract management as the greatest potential new business model. By using blockchains for contract management, issues such as the failure of any party to meet a deadline or complete a task, for example, could be more immediately visible.
Elm, the leading digital business solutions company owned by the Public Investment Fund (PIF), is a strategic partner and is part of its ongoing efforts in supporting technology initiatives and the localization of technology. Elm business is based on facilitating services on beneficiary through multi-channel platforms, including e-services, training and consulting solutions, and IT solutions, as well as administrative support for various operations.
