From E-Government to Good Governance and from Good Governance to Development... The Arab world in the global E-Government readiness report 2005 Arab E-government

At meetings with senior government officials, from Ministry of Communications and Information Technology Dr. Rada highlighted Oracle's commitment to training and human resources development in the Kingdom. Support for Arabic software development is a key focus for Oracle and the company develops products and applications specifically to serve the needs of users across the Middle East and North Africa region.

'Saudi Arabia's e-Governance initiative focuses on enhancing the provision of access to government-related services and information for public use and knowledge,' Dr. Rada said.

'The initiative also aims to enhance public services through online systems which assure affordability and accountability. By catering to the needs of both enterprises and consumers, Oracle® solutions can provide decision-makers with accurate data at the right time to increase return on investment.'

Dr. Rada will also deliver a keynote speech at the 3rd Annual IT Managers Forum taking place in Riyadh from 13-15 February. Rada took the opportunity to meet with a number of Oracle's key customers and partners on the sidelines of the three-day event in the Kingdom.

The Saudi Arabian market is one of Oracle's fastest-growing geographies in the Middle East and Africa region, and is a critical element of its global strategy.

'The commitment to e-Government strategies and initiatives in the Kingdom across all of the ministries clearly shows the pace of growth in Saudi Arabia today,' commented Abdul Rahman Al Theheiban, Oracle Saudi Arabia's Managing Director. 'Dr. Rada's visit is an opportunity for us to leverage Oracle's global expertise in working with process-orientated change in the public sector and apply it to specific examples in the Kingdom, to achieve the best results for the country.'