Many governments in the Middle East have formulated national strategies with ambitious goals. If achieved, these strategies will have profound impact and transform the region economically, socially, and technologically.
The success of this journey will hinge on a properly devised and executed implementation which will have at its core a new type of government. That kind of government will consist of ministries capable of envisioning, guiding, enabling, and achieving a transformative national development agenda. These “Ministries of the Future” will be very different from the ones prevalent today.
The Ministry of the Future is customer-centric, evidence-based, and results-oriented.
Its operations are digitally powered, collaborative and participatory. It is agile and dynamic, innovating with cutting-edge technologies to anticipate and deliver services.
Implementing the Ministry of the Future is audacious, but worth the investment given the reward of a government that can power national transformation.
To achieve that, we have identified six capabilities that the Ministry of the Future must develop and nurture, with all the effort that implies and entails. We have also found many examples of governmental entities from around the world that have successfully applied these capabilities to become agents of transformation in their countries.
Delivery accelerators
In place of static departments organised by function, the Ministry of the Future is structured around flatter, leaner organisational structures, sprint projects for innovation, and a “One-Team” approach to talent management. It houses innovation labs, like the award-winning one created by the Dubai Police.
The force is mandated to maintain safety and security by providing “innovative smart service, global institutional excellence.” The Dubai Police recently became the first police department in the world to issue non-fungible tokens (NFTs) in a step toward developing its understanding of the fast growing virtual assets industry and to engage with the public.
Collective and experimental governance
In the Ministry of the Future, citizens, businesses, and academia contribute to policy, product, and services design via mechanisms such as participatory budgeting, urban living labs, and crowdsourcing platforms. In developing its Six City Strategy Framework, for example, Finland created urban living labs that attracted nearly 2,400 companies and led to more than 800 new products and services.
Alternative funding and pricing
The Ministry of the Future uses tools such as blended finance, pay-for-success funding, and dynamic pricing to reduce budget deficits and mitigate risks. For example, Thailand used blended finance to develop a solar photovoltaic power plant and support first-mover company, the Solar Power Company Group. The deal included an $8 million loan from the World Bank Group’s International Finance Corporation and $4 million in concessional financing from the Clean Technology Fund.
Smart anticipatory regulations
The Ministry of the Future uses forecasting tools, such horizon scanning and scenario planning, and regulatory technology to proactively identify emerging needs and more effectively implement and enforce regulations. Case in point, the Australian government has converted its regulations into machine-readable content and published them on an open platform to help businesses identify their obligations and enhance compliance.
Integrated, collaborative, and cloud-based procurement
The Ministry of the Future drives step changes in government spending by centralising procurement planning and management. The Scottish government, for instance, is using collaborative frameworks and contracts for commonly purchased goods and services that makes it easier for businesses across sectors to access and win contracts. It also launched a dynamic purchasing system, which prequalifies suppliers and allows government buyers to invite bids on contracts, yielding a faster process, healthier competition, and continuous access to a range of suppliers.
Impact-driven accountability
The performance of the Ministry of the Future is directly linked to the outcomes it delivers to its customers. It has a culture of accountability and uses sensing tools, such as social analytics and surveys, and customer-focused metrics that expand and ensure customer-centricity.
In 2015, for example, the Welsh Parliament passed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act, which imposed a legal obligation on the Welsh government to enhance its citizens’ well-being as defined by cultural, economic, environmental, and social metrics.
The ultimate goal of these six capabilities is to render the government metaphorically invisible—an unprompted helper that delivers proactive and seamless whole-of-life service to people and businesses it serves.Each component agency will need to customise the Ministry of the Future template to fit its specific mission and the outcomes that it is be accountable for delivering. But working together, these Ministries of the Future can bring to life the aspirational and ambitious national transformations envisioned in the Middle East.