Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid: best and worst government agencies to be revealed in September

Providers of digital and smart services will be assessed over summer

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, said the Dubai government would continue to help all sectors recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Twitter

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Prime Minister of the UAE, said on Wednesday that the five best and worst federal government agencies would be revealed in September.

Writing on Twitter, Sheikh Mohammed said more than 1,300 services provided by ministries and federal government agencies would be evaluated.

Tests will assess how easy it is for the public to pay fees, the accuracy of procedures and speed of service.

Sheikh Mohammed said the assessments would show that providing the best services in the world is a top priority for the UAE.

Rewarding the hard-working is a message to the government team that we will not allow inaction or negligence, he said.

"[We will] conduct a comprehensive evaluation of digital and smart services provided to the public across all federal government institutions and ministries," Sheikh Mohammed said.

"Next September 4 ... we will announce the best and worst five government agencies."

Sheikh Mohammed said the tests would determine the success of government agencies in reaching customers wherever they are and enable them to complete their transactions easily and efficiently.

It will highlight how the ease of accessing services can improve the quality of life for all.

He said continuous evaluation was not an administrative or routine procedure, but critical to the work of the UAE.

Sheikh Mohammed has sought to achieve top levels of service and dedication among public servants.

In 2016 he paid a surprise visit to government offices in Dubai and found desks empty.

Several officials were retired afterwards.

Ministers, managers and other officials are also routinely evaluated, while "secret shoppers" pay visits to service providers.

Sheikh Mohammed said in 2019 that standards at a government service centre were not at an acceptable level, after sharing an image of long queues at a branch of Emirates Post.

The assessment announced on Wednesday follows the launch in March of the UAE government's digital customer policy.

This encompasses 28 initiatives to be implemented by 2023 to enhance the competitiveness of the UAE at the global level.

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