Kuwait moves from fragmented govt services to integrated digital journeys

KUWAIT: Kuwait’s Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology Affairs, Omar Saud Al-Omar, highlighted that Kuwait has entered a new phase of digital transformation through the Sahel platform, moving from fragmented government services toward fully integrated digital journeys designed around citizens’ real-life events rather than isolated transactions. During the Sahel Forum 2 held on Wednesday, he explained that the ultimate goal is for government entities to “speak with one voice and serve the user with one step.” Al-Omar cited the newborn journey as a prime example of this vision in action.

This digital journey brought together seven government institutions to create a single, unified process that reduced a procedure once measured in days to just minutes. To date, more than 6,800 newborns have been registered digitally in the first phase, with further expansion planned to include all eligible categories. Another milestone is the home ownership document journey, developed jointly by the Kuwait Finance House, the Public Authority for Housing Welfare, Kuwait Municipality and the Ministry of Justice. What once could take six to nine months can now be completed digitally in just two visits, with fully online completion expected soon through secure digital authentication.

Unleashing new services

According to Fajr Al-Yassin, Quality Control Supervisor at the Public Authority for Civil Information and a member of the Executive Committee, Sahel is currently expanding its offerings with new initiatives. The platform plans to launch additional “user journeys,” which are digital pathways connecting multiple government procedures into a single streamlined experience. One example is Kuwait’s fully digital Marriage Journey, allowing couples to complete all marriage-related procedures online. Phase two of the Birth Journey is also being introduced to further simplify procedures for new parents, starting with Kuwaiti fathers and Kuwaiti mothers, followed by non-Kuwaiti fathers, while the Sahel Business Application now serves business owners with more than 218 services provided by 18 government agencies.

Other initiatives include centralizing and streamlining the reception and management of user complaints via the Sahel app, enhancing response efficiency and service quality. At the same time, the application is undergoing a comprehensive revamp to improve its interface, functionality and overall user experience, making it more intuitive and user-friendly.

Al-Yassin further outlined the wide range of services now accessible through Sahel. Users can book driving license test appointments and update their addresses, request cancellation of a power of attorney, submit school admission forms, access the Central Employment System, inquire about domestic worker recruitment, request equivalency of educational certificates, register for Fire Force courses, lodge complaints about service providers and access specialized services such as meteorological information.

Numbers speak

Since its launch four years ago, Sahel has experienced remarkable growth. In its first year, the platform reached 800,000 users. Today, it has officially surpassed three million users, with the range of government services expanding from 123 to 433 services across multiple agencies. Over 122 million digital transactions have been completed since the platform’s inception, underscoring Sahel’s pivotal role in Kuwait’s digital government strategy.

Engineer Tariq Al-Darbas, advisor to the minister and Executive Committee member supervising the Sahel app, clarified the distinction between electronic and digital services. Electronic services simply transfer paper-based procedures to a digital screen without major change, whereas digital services are intelligently designed to be integrated, automated and user-centric. Achieving a fully digital government, he noted, requires overcoming three main challenges: first, the administrative challenge, which involves reengineering procedures and eliminating redundancy; second, the psychological challenge, which focuses on building trust in the digital system; and third, the technical challenge, which requires developing skills and integrating data across agencies.