Saudi Digital Authority Approves Regulatory Framework of Digital Govt

Saudi Arabia moves forward towards digital governance. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia moves forward towards digital governance. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Saudi Digital Authority Approves Regulatory Framework of Digital Govt

Saudi Arabia moves forward towards digital governance. (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Saudi Arabia moves forward towards digital governance. (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Saudi Board of Directors of the Digital Government Authority (DGA) approved the regulatory framework of the digital government.

DGA aims to regulate and improve digital government work and services, in accordance with the highest international standards and practices, and to enable public agencies to work harmoniously to offer proactive and highly efficient digital government services.

DGA’s Governor Ahmed al-Soyyan, said that the regulatory framework developed for the digital government will help develop future regulations for the digital government. The framework includes a set of principles, policies, standards and user guides.

He added that the DGA is seeking to issue regulations, policies, and standards that contribute to creating a regulatory environment, which enables reaching advanced levels of maturity in the government digital transformation, unify and institutionalize the concept of government policies and standards.

They also provide recommendations to government agencies during implementation and ensure the adoption of unified tracks for the development of government digital services.

The framework is based on eight essential principles, including the “once-only principle”, the “digital by design”, and the “mobile first”.

In addition, it encompasses the Digital Government Policy, which enables and accelerates the sustainable digital transformation of the government sector and enables the successful implementation of the strategic directions of the digital government.

The Digital Government Policy is supported by five sub-policies, including digital governance, the whole of government as platforms, digital services lifecycle administration and upskilling, beneficiary-centric, and technology.

Each sub-policy includes several standards and user guides that support the implementation mechanism and contribute to enhancing the regulatory environment.

The DGA has developed the “Draft of Digital Government Policy”, which is based on the regulatory framework of the digital government.

The draft has been published through the “Istitlaa” platform to raise awareness and seek the feedback of all beneficiaries, including professionals and others who are interested in the government digital transformation.

The DGA regulated the digital government works, digital trust, and identity, and is the national reference in this regard.

The Authority aims to support the efforts of the government agencies through developing plans, programs, indexes and measurements related to the works of digital government and integrated digital government services, as well as the government digital market platform.

DGA is also responsible for regulating operational, administrational processes, related projects and monitor compliance.



'Call of Duty' to Fire Starting Gun at Gamescom Trade Show

Fans often arrive at Gamescom wearing more or less elaborate costumes. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
Fans often arrive at Gamescom wearing more or less elaborate costumes. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
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'Call of Duty' to Fire Starting Gun at Gamescom Trade Show

Fans often arrive at Gamescom wearing more or less elaborate costumes. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File
Fans often arrive at Gamescom wearing more or less elaborate costumes. Ina FASSBENDER / AFP/File

Mega-selling first-person shooter franchise "Call of Duty" will blow open the Gamescom video games trade fair Tuesday, headlining a wave of new releases as the industry weathers a rough patch.

Around 5,000 people, including game publishers, developers and fans, will attend the evening launch ceremony, before hundreds of thousands of gamers descend on the western German city of Cologne later in the week, said AFP.

Canadian TV presenter Geoff Keighley will from 8:00 pm (1800 GMT) introduce titles including "Call of Duty: Black Ops 7", one of two dozen instalments in the long-running series, as part of a two-hour showreel of the industry's upcoming blockbuster productions.

After a business and press day on Wednesday, Gamescom's doors will be flung open until Sunday to bring around 1,500 exhibitors together with swarms of fans, some of them dressed in elaborate costumes painstakingly drawn from the screens of their favorite titles.

While last year's event drew 335,000 visitors, organizers hope 2025 can bring it back to pre-Covid levels of around 370,000.

"We'll only know on the final day how many actually visited, but... the first day is sold out, all indicators are in the green," Felix Falk, managing director of Germany's GAME industry association that co-organizes Gamescom, told AFP ahead of opening day.

Hands-on time

One of the major draws to the vast halls of the Koelnmesse convention center is the opportunity for hands-on time with the feast of the latest releases at the vast stands laid on by major firms.

Nintendo is back after staying away last year, surfing on the success of its record-breaking Switch 2 console launch earlier this year.

And Microsoft's Xbox division will be showing off its own portable console, slated for release towards the end of the year.

But Japanese PlayStation maker Sony has elected to stay away in 2025.

Among the hotly anticipated games unveiled this edition are new episodes of horror sagas "Silent Hill" and "Resident Evil".

Indie hit "Hollow Knight" will get a sequel with "Silksong" after an eight-year wait, while Nintendo is cooking up "Metroid Prime 4", following up the beloved science-fiction action series.

Exhibitors may be less ecstatic than fans at this year's Gamescom as the industry endures an extended rough patch.

"The sector hasn't had an easy time of it in the last two years, there was a lot of consolidation, job cuts, some studios closed, some projects were ended prematurely," Falk said.

"That's not unusual for the highly dynamic games industry but it's nevertheless not pretty when it happens," he added.

Tracking website Game Industry Layoffs has tallied almost 30,000 job cuts since early 2023, with more than 4,000 this year alone.

But revenue in the global games market should hold steady at just under $190 billion this year, data firm Newzoo has forecast.