Singapore to provide Oman with expertise in visa clearance processes

Singapore to provide Oman with expertise in visa clearance processes

IDA International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), signed an agreement on Tuesday with the Information Technology Authority of Oman to provide consultancy services for improving and streamlining visa processes for Oman's foreign domestic workers.


Get the full story from The Straits Times.

This is the statement from IDA:

IDA International, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), signed an agreement with the Information Technology Authority (ITA) of the Sultanate of Oman yesterday, to deliver innovative digital services for the Omani Ministry of Manpower, benefitting the labour market in Oman. The agreement was signed at the sidelines of Oman's leading IT and Telecom Show, COMEX 2014.

The collaboration is timely as it is in line with the ITA's eGovernment Transformation Plan, which seeks to accelerate and automate internal processes and procedures within government agencies, and ultimately, bring about better government services to end users, and greater operational and procedural efficiency within the Omani Government

Mr Vincent Wong, Chief Executive Officer of IDA International, said, "As the public workforce in Oman becomes increasingly technologically savvy, it is imperative that smarter ways of work are adopted to enable more effective delivery of government services to citizens and residents in the Sultanate. Singapore and Oman share a common vision in bringing about greater value creation for the country and our people through innovative public sector ICT. We are happy to leverage our core strength in eGov consultancy to support the Omani government's advancement toward eTransformation."

The agreement will see IDA International providing consultancy services to transform and streamline the visa clearance processes for the Omani Ministry of Manpower. This will help enhance the management of foreign labour in Oman, including the blue collar, white collar and foreign domestic workers, benefiting the local workforce and the local economy. Consultants from IDA International would also undertake a study to improve the inspection processes related to the labour welfare management of the workforce in Oman.

HE Hamad bin Khamis Al Amri, Undersecretary of Ministry of Manpower, Sultanate of Oman, said: "We recognise advancements in ICT are transforming daily lives for citizens and residents and have become indispensable in the way the Government interacts and serves them. The collaboration with IDA International will empower us to work seamlessly behind the scenes to bring about greater convenience for our various stakeholders."

Dr Salim Al Ruzaiqi, Chief Executive Officer of ITA, said, "As we seek to push forward the Digital Oman national strategy, this strategic and timely collaboration with IDA International signifies a key step toward achieving the key pillar of our eGovernment transformation plan. We believe this partnership will establish a strong foundation and pave the way for future cooperation between the ICT industries of Oman and Singapore in the long run."

The agreement was officially signed at the sidelines of COMEX 2014 by HE Hamad bin Khamis Al Amri, Undersecretary of Oman's Ministry of Manpower, Dr Salim Al Ruzaiqi, Chief Executive Officer of ITA and Mr Tan Lark Yang, Group Director of IDA International, and witnessed by Mr Masagos Zulkifli, Senior Minister of State, Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs and Foreign Affairs. Mr Zulkifli is on an introductory visit to Muscat as part of Singapore's efforts to strengthen relations with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

To forge stronger collaborations between Singapore's and Oman's infocomm industries, IDA has also led a delegation of seven Singapore tech companies to participate in this year's COMEX. An eGovernment Transformation Seminar was also jointly organised with ITA to facilitate exchange of best practices and thought leadership on strategies to bring about eGovernment transformation.

This is IDA's fourth showing at COMEX. From secure mobile communications solutions that protect privacy on mobile devices to mobility solutions that allow for fleet and asset tracking, Singapore tech companies will showcase cutting-edge technology at the COMEX Expo from 7-11 April 2014 at the Oman International Exhibition Centre. This is in line with the key theme of this year's COMEX Conference - "Mobility".

This website is best viewed using the latest versions of web browsers.