New digital direction • Chapter summary

Perhaps the most apparent contagious impact brought about by the pandemic is displayed in the technological and digital sectors. This has served to ramp up a process that was already well integrated in the national plan. Abu Dhabi has long had a culture that has thrived on embracing transformative technologies and digitalization, even in the midst of a crisis. Blockchain and AI are exciting technologies into which Abu Dhabi is investing capital and human knowledge.

At the governmental level, last April saw the launching of Abu Dhabi Connect, ushering in a new age of digital sustainability. This first-ofits-kind project streamlined some 500 government services, simplifying procedures through digital innovation and thereby saving AED714 million in money and, perhaps more importantly, 7 million hours for customers and over 700,000 across different government bodies.

The example set at the top is mirrored in the direction taken at the business level. Accenture’s Managing Director, Xavier Anglada, notes how the pandemic accelerated the process of digital transformation: “We have seen it with updating visas and adopting e-signatures at scale…the expedience of digitalization is critical.” Not only does this transformation make daily tasks easier but it also engenders resilience and, as General Manager of Al Masaood Oil & Gas Ahmad El Tennir states succinctly, “It makes us well prepared for any type of business uncertainty.”

As Abu Dhabi takes stock of its experience through the pandemic and looks to life after it, there are exciting prospects on the horizons as the digital landscape now appears to hold even more new innovations.