RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s National Committee for Digital Transformation has issued its 2019 National Digital Transformation Report under the direct guidance and support of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Digital transformation is a key part of Saudi Vision 2030. The report addressed government agencies’ joint efforts to launch various digital initiatives across different sectors and contribute to finding sustainable digital job opportunities. It also highlighted preparations for the next stage of growth, increasing local content and the contribution of the digital economy to the Kingdom’s gross domestic product. Part of the report focused on the smart government sector. More than 26 million operations were carried out on the “Absher” platform in 2019, with an estimated value of SR15 billion. Over 44 million other operations were carried out through the “Unified National Access” service. More than 3 million citizens have benefited from electronic services provided on the platform. The time needed for end-of-service procedures has been reduced to 48 hours. In the justice sector, there was a 75 percent reduction in paper use in courts and 179 court e-systems were implemented.FASTFACT 200K In the culture and tourism sector, more than 200,000 electronic visas were issued from the tourist visa platform in 2019. In the health sector, more than 36 million appointments were booked through the “Mawid” app, and more than 11 million residents were registered via the “Unified Health File” service. In the education sector, more than 36 million certificates were saved in the “Noor” system. In the culture and tourism sector, more than 200,000 electronic visas were issued from the tourist visa platform. In the construction sector, three million homes were equipped with fiber optic internet, and more than 300,000 homes with wireless broadband networks. Saudi Arabia made notable progress in international indicators; it was the most advanced and reform-driven country according to the World Bank’s “Doing Business” report. The Kingdom also ranked third globally in terms of 5G networks.