According to the Ministry of Interior, the Saudi government’s Absher digital services platform has a yearly economic impact of over SR20 billion ($5.3 billion), which is the level of savings the Kingdom has achieved following the adoption of digital services instead of paper-based government procedures.
Addressing Al-Eqtisadiah, Bandar bin Mashari, the assistant minister of interior in technology issues, told him that the savings would be indicative of greater efficiency in the process of digitization.
This follows the fact that government services that were once offered in a manual and paper-based system have now been transferred onto a single digital platform accessed by millions of citizens and residents.
Mashari said that “Absher is one of the oldest platforms that has had a direct impact on strengthening the efficiency of spending and in opening new avenues for providing added value services.”
He indicated that the economic impact of the platform is directly connected to the governmental agenda of digital transformation, which focuses on a decrease in operational expenses but increases the quality of service delivery among public agencies.
The assistant minister also reported that the economic recovery was SR17 billion and increased to SR20 billion based on the current data released by the ministry.
He further affirmed that Absher has undergone a shift in its financial framework, and has moved the direct state capital funding to a sustainable financing model grounded on self-generated incomes.
Mashari also reported that the Ministry of Interior is on course to increase its online capabilities, not only in the provision of services but also in security and financial protection.
He stated that due to the increasing number of digital transactions and online governance services, authorities are striving to develop a secure digital ecosystem intended to fight financial fraud and crime.
Absher is the largest digital services platform of the Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior and one of the first large-scale e-government projects in the Kingdom.
The platform was established in 2010 and offers citizens, residents, visitors, and businesses the opportunity to receive hundreds of government services via a single digital platform and through a mobile application.
Its services include civil affairs, passports, residency and visa services, traffic and vehicle transactions, and administration of business, reducing the requirement for in-person government visits.
Absher is extensively utilized throughout the Kingdom, processing millions of electronic transactions each month and forming a fundamental component of the wider Saudi Arabian digital transformation and Vision 2030 agenda.
