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The Ministry of Economy and Commerce won the second-place award for the Best Digital Service through Mobile Applications, the third-place award for the Best Government Website and the fourth-place award for the Best Digital Service for Business at the Qatar Digital Government Excellence Awards.
The Ministry received the award at the closing ceremony of Qatar’s Information and Communication Technology Exhibition and Conference (QITCOM 2017) that was held at the Qatar National Convention Center.
HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al Sulaiti presented the award to Mr. Abdullah Ahmed Al Ali, IT Director at the Ministry of Economy and Commerce.
The award highlights the Ministry’s successful efforts in providing smart and innovative services that contribute to the development of the business sector in Qatar, in line with its vision to build a diversified economic landscape and self-reliant private sector within a competitive business environment. The mobile phone application is regarded as one of the most innovative projects that the Ministry of Economy and Commerce has implemented, in accordance with the highest global standards. The Ministry is continuously working to develop and improve its offerings.
The mobile phone app offers a unique combination of smart e-services designed to improve the level of facilities offered to investors, businessmen and consumers, among other clients.
These services include: the establishment of companies, whether by investors residing in Qatar or abroad; the issuance and renewal of commercial registrations; the issuance and renewal of commercial licenses; requesting a non-ownership certificate; searching for a commercial name or activity; cancelling a main or branch registration; adding a commercial activity; issuing a substitute for a lost license; and uploading all required documents through the application. These services save investors both time and effort, and contribute to the promotion of efficiency and productivity.
The app also offers consumer services, such as submitting complaints and applying for supply services. Users can also access various international reports and economic indicators and stay up to date with the ministry’s latest news, recall campaigns and administrative closure decisions, as well as the latest economic developments on the local, regional and global level.
The Qatar Digital Government launched the first edition of the Digital Government Excellence Awards in 2015 to instill a culture of positive competition and excellence among government entities in terms of digital transformation and the development of digital services.
The annual Digital Government Excellence Awards acknowledges and rewards government entities for providing and developing digital services in addition to encouraging all parties to continue to harness communications technology and modern information technology. 
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce had recently won the ‘Best Ministry Smart Application in the Arab World’ for the second consecutive year in recognition of its official smartphone app MEC_QATAR. The Ministry received the award at the 8th edition of the ‘Smart Government Awards’ that was held in Cairo to honor winners across the Arabia region.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce also won several prizes last year for its mobile phone app on iPhone and Android devices, including the “Best Smartphone Application” at 7th edition of the Smart Government Excellence Awards, which was organized in the city of Kuwait under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Mohammad Abdullah Al-Mubarak Al-Sabah, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs in the State of Kuwait.
The Ministry of Economy and Commerce also received the “Best Mobile-Government Service Award” across the Arab world in the economy and commerce. The award was presented during the 4th edition of the World Government Summit held in Dubai, UAE, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President of the United Arab Emirates, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai.