The Ministry of Planning is taking part in the hackathon—the government’s software developers event—in collaboration with Microsoft Corporation, in order to provide electronic models and programmes using Microsoft applications.
This comes in light of the administrative reform plan that is being implemented by the ministry, which includes development projects for the skills of workers in the state’s administrative system.
Improving the capabilities of the human resources is one of the most important pillars of the administrative reform, and innovation is one of the most important themes in the sustainable development strategy in 2030, according to Ahmed Tobal, head of the Policies and Programmes Sector at the Ministry of Planning.
Tobal stated that the hackathon activities include the design and implementation of applications serving the state’s administrative system, represented in the design of application models on mobile phones to facilitate government services to citizens.
He said that at the end of the workshop, preliminary models will be provided to serve the government and the community by using a variety of applications. Microsoft Corporation will support the applications that are implemented during the hackathon and run them with the beneficiary party, he added.
In 60 working days, Microsoft will provide certificates to the developers taking part in the implementation of the successful applications which serve a large number of citizens. The company will also host applications on the Windows store to support developers and applications.
Yasser Wafiq, director of the information centre at the Ministry of Planning, said that groups of software developers from different parties in the state’s administrative system will implement the applications, under the supervision of technicians and specialists from Microsoft Company. They will attend all the days of the event to provide technical support and consultation to the participants.
He added that 40 software developers from the state’s administrative bodies are invited. If the experiment succeeds, it will be replicated to include all interested employees in the development of the electronic applications in the state’s administrative system.
He mentioned that they are aspiring to create a platform of applications to serve the citizens implemented by the employees of the government.
