Department of finance organises Abu Dhabi government ERP system users forum

The Department of Finance-Abu Dhabi (DoF), in collaboration with Oracle Middle East '&' Africa, organised its first forum on the Abu Dhabi Government ERP System (ADERP) for the 33 state-owned entities which applied the system and fund their operational and capital operations from the general budget of the Abu Dhabi Government. The forum witnessed the participation of more than 500 specialists and system users. The event set an interactive platform for the participants to exchange knowledge and experiences and offered them the opportunity to learn about the system's latest developments as well as to identify the latest technological advancements for joint government services. During the forum, Oracle Middle East and Africa honored Mohammed Sultan bin Ghanoum Al Hameli, Director General of DoF-Abu Dhabi in recognition of the Department's ongoing efforts to ensure the effective implementation of the Abu Dhabi Government ERP System. The forum, which took place in Abu Dhabi's Jumeirah Etihad Towers, included a number of speakers specialised in the ERP system. Dr Hazem Turki El Khatib, Director of the Information Technology at DoF, conducted a presentation titled ?Abu Dhabi Government ERP Shared Service - Benefit Analysis'. In addition, Oracle presented ?Oracle Solutions for Government Applications'. The ADERP system represents an important milestone for DoF and brings various benefits to all participating government entities. The system will contribute towards working under one unified Government vision with a Unified Integrated Financial System across Abu Dhabi Government, which will facilitate the preparation of the financial reports and measuring the performance of the general budget. This will result not only in lessening costs, but also in increased productivity and the quality of services. Mohammed Sultan bin Ghanoum Al Hameli, Director General of DoF-Abu Dhabi emphasised the Department's commitment to provide sustainable financial resources for Abu Dhabi's government entities according to the highest standards of integrity, professionalism and performance in order to guarantee a unified financial strategy for the Government Entities. He said, "Through this forum, DoF highlighted the latest developments of the system, while shedding light on its benefits and the vital role it plays to create initiatives relevant to building an integrated financial system in line with Abu Dhabi Vision 2030." He added, "The wise leadership and directives of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and His Highness General Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, inspired and motivated the Department to implement the ADERP system and to develop the operational processes of government entities in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The system gave government entities the opportunity to manage internal and external resources and to build an integrated financial system in addition to providing effective training for employees through a specialised training center." He noted, "The system was designed to manage Abu Dhabi Government's shared resources according to best international practices in order to fulfill all the objectives it was created for. Thirty three government entities have applied the system, which represents 50% of the total number of government entities that are set to adopt the ADERP system. The number of the system users from these entities accounts for 4,600 employees at this stage and the number of entities and users will increase in the next stages." He concluded: "The Abu Dhabi Government ERP Shared Service is expected to present significant improvements when performing government financial work within the Emirate of Abu Dhabi as it combines the latest IT systems, highest standards of quality and efficiency. The creation of a joint system cut costs, as opposed to implementing a system for each government entity independently." The forum included three workshops titled ?From Procurement to Payment', ?From Hired to Retirement' and ?Planning to Budgeting'. Throughout the workshops, DoF's goal was to inform the employees dealing with the system on how to manage shared government resources as well as the sub-processes listed under the system. Commenting on the efficiency of the system, Abdul Wahid Al Foulazi from the Abu Dhabi Municipality praised the accomplishments of the Department in implementing the ADERP system as well its commitment to share and exchange knowledge with users to enhance workflow. He also emphasised the positive impact the system has on finance and accounting operations in the Abu Dhabi Municipality. For her part, Fatima Al Zaabi, Director of the Finance Affairs Department at the Family Development Foundation (FDF) said: "The ADERP system plays a crucial role in developing the accounting system adopted by the foundation, as it provides financial information, results and financial resources which are relevant to our work. The system also provides easy access to the information from the Foundation's main center, sub-centers or schools." Furthermore, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, representative from Al Ain Municipality, highlighted DoF's strong commitment to clearly and quickly respond to users' queries. He added that organising this forum reflects DoF's belief in the importance of strengthening user's capabilities and in increasing their knowledge on the system's mechanisms with regards to procurement management, financial and human resources. DoF-Abu Dhabi previously organised a workshop on Abu Dhabi's Government Financial System framework, which was titled ?The Present and Future Outlook' and was attended by members of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council in addition to top-level executives of more than 100 entities and state owned companies