The Sharjah International Airport Free Zone (SAIF Zone) together with Hamriyah Free Zone Authority (HFZA) Yesterday(Sunday.) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sharjah Municipality to support their digital transformation vision,enhance mutual cooperation and upgrade work mechanisms.

The MoU is expected to save investors time, facilitate, quicken and simplify procedures for completing transactions. It will also ensure that all standards and information security controls are applied to the electronic link in order to protect it from risks, and lay the foundations for joint strategic cooperation. The MoU will also help all involved parties make the most of one another’s technical competencies.

The deal was virtually inked by HE Saud Salim Al Mazrouei, Director of the Hamriyah Free Zone Authority & Sharjah Airport International Free Zone Authority, and Thabet Salem Al Tarifi, Director General of Sharjah Municipality.

Senior officials from three entities were also present during the online event including Dr. Abdullah Ali Al Qaidi, Assistant Director-General of Corporate Support Sector in Sharjah Municipality,A bdulaziz Shuhail, Director of Digital Department at Sharjah Municipality, Mohamed Al Hashmi, Director of Client &Investor Services Dept, SAIF Zone, and Manal Abuzinjal, Compliance Manager, SAIF Zone.

The services to be linked online include the medical fitness certificate and the local marketing certificate.

Upgrading investor services

“HFZA and SAIF Zone’s cooperation with Sharjah municipality reflects our great interest to strengthen working mechanisms and keep pace with the latest technical developments to ensure that investors get the finest services.

This is in line with the wise directives of H.H. Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, which are intended to develop constructive cooperation among all government entities to deliver state-of-the-art services, facilitate the exchange of information, serve the business community in the emirate and meets their aspirations according to the highest levels,” Saud Al Mazroueisaid, adding that the MoU will also support Sharjah’s vision to develop the Emirate’s digital system, provide and facilitate access to various services of top-notch quality.

Al Mazroueiaffirmed that the signing of the MoU will support SAIF Zone and HFZA’s digital transformation vision and will help them provide smart services, which are being constantly improved and upgraded to enhance the experience of investors, individuals and companies, simplify and speed up procedures and achieve their satisfaction.

“We will spare no efforts to facilitate our clients’ access to all services that we provide. We will help them complete their transactions seamlessly and instantly through online apps, which are compatible with different operating systems,” he said.

“The two free zones’ policies attach utmost importance to forging strong cooperation with leading information technology institutions and companies, something which would definitely contribute to enhancing their work and upgrading their services according to the highest international standards followed. This is in line with the plans set by the government to accelerate the completion of transactions smartly and safely,”Al Mazrouei noted.

Paperless strategy

For his part, Al Tarifi stressed that the deal comes in implementation to the directives of Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi and H.H. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Crown Prince and Deputy Ruler of Sharjah, and Chairman of the Executive Council of Sharjah, who always call for improving the Emirate’s digital transformation and ensure sustainable provision of services.

“It also reflects the municipality’s keenness to bolster its cooperation with all entities across various disciplines especially the digital ones in order to support Sharjah’s vision,” Al Tarifi said.

“In addition to extending bridges of technical cooperation, the MoU will help the two entities benefit from one another expertise and competencies and facilitate the completion of various transactions. It will also support the coordination process among the involved parties in the field of exchanging data and information about transactions and topics of common interest,” he emphasized.

Al Tarifi went on to say that the virtual signing of the agreement is the best example to the municipality’s forward-looking strategy which focuses on digital transformation and supports the paperless initiative it has adopted to eliminate the use of paper and become a paperless institution by the end of this year.