Al Shamsi: Sustainability and Competitiveness Require Avoiding Routine and Thinking out of the Box

HE Ali Mohammed Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Federal Authority for Identity and Citizenship highlighted the importance of innovation and creativity for enabling institutions to harmoniously keep up with the massive developments and advances, which are experienced in our world today. These developments are specifically seen in the technology, smart and e-transformation and transition to artificial intelligence to develop the services towards unprecedented horizons that seemed a fantasy only a few years ago.

He stated that institutions seeking sustainability and competitiveness should focus on avoiding routine and thinking out of the box whether in providing services or products. Besides, they should make best use of employees’ potentials by encouraging creative and innovative thinking as well as encouraging the out-of-the-box ideas. This will contribute in their harmonious and integrated coping with the spirit and rapid developments of the age as well as achieving precedence and superiority in all field of work, exceeding visitors’ expectations and as much as possible, bridging the gap between these institutions and their most advanced and up to date counterparts.

HE made these statements while inaugurating the UAE Innovation Month 2019 events, which are organized by ICA in its Head Office, Khalifa City, Abu Dhabi with the participation of many local institutions from the private and public sector and a number of international companies, operating in the area of documents technologies, data protection, and identity verification.

Al Shamsi further added that innovation and creativity should emerge from the institution environment, be coherent with its values, contribute to changing and developing its current situation, and push it towards the better. He affirmed the necessity of a strong basis and well-established foundations, which are built on accurate planning, scientific analysis, and informed decisions free from improvisation and the concept of trial and error. This, in turn, ensures achieving the desired results that accrue for the benefit of institutions, states, and communities.

He invited all ICA’s employees to make use of the events of the innovation month, to access all that is new and advanced in their respective areas, and to benefit from what is presented by the participating entities and companies in unleashing their imagination and developing the horizons of their thinking. He described these events as open brainstorming sessions featured by the out-of-the-box thinking to generate ideas that level up ICA’s competitiveness and promote its path towards excellence in the applied technologies, provided services, and contributions in supporting the decision making and governmental transition in the State. He underlined that ICA will sponsor and adopt distinguished ideas and work on applying them and honoring their owners.

After launching the events, he was introduced to the projects and services presented by ICA. He listened to the supervisors explaining Self Service Device, which enables all visitors to access many of the services provided by ICA in all its sectors be it identity, nationality, or residency through the service e-channels, which enable customers to submit their applications by their own without the need to visit the typing offices. In addition, he listened to explanations of the most up-to-date services provided by ICA via the Validation Gateway to promote dependency on ID cards in finalizing transactions online in a safe and secure manner.

He passed by the participating companies and institutions wards where he was introduced, through its operators, to the most up-to-date technologies created by these institutions to ensure the safety and authenticity of documents and to combat forgeries, relying on coding and integration between physical and cyberspaces to come up with impenetrable protection solutions. In addition, information technology and database were employed in creating unprecedented new services in different fields.

He then visited the New Data Center established by ICA, which includes all its electronic systems and provided with all means and services ensuring efficient performance and 24-hour non-stop operations.

The opening ceremony was attended by Brigadier Saeed Rakan Al Rashidi, Acting Director-General of Foreigners Affairs and Ports, BG. Suhail Juma bin Kaltham Al Khaili, ICA’s Acting Director-General of Nationality, along with a number of police officers and officials from ICA. Yousef Al Blooshi, Executive Director of Customer Happiness Affairs in ICA, spoke at the opening ceremony and reiterated that ICA is inspired in its events by the insightful vision and proper guidance of the State’s wise leadership, focusing on establishing the innovation month as a platform presenting creative ideas and solutions that contribute to achieving the welfare of the community.

He said that innovation has become essential and core for surviving, development, and establishing a better tomorrow for our beloved country, pointing that it is the only activity that belongs to the future in a time where all the rest of the activities and products belongs to the present or the past.