Winds of change

Change is on the way, both for Abu Dhabi and the Western Region, according to Mohamed Hamed Azzan Al Mazrouei, the director general of the Western Region Development Council (WRDC). Al Mazrouei, however, is not talking about economic, social, or cultural change but a revamp of the system itself. This change has come in the form of restructuring.

"Restructuring was launched to promote services and change the way the government works by providing better customer service and better communication between the customer and the client, the government bodies and its employees - all of this together," Al Mazrouei explains.

The end result, he says, will take on the shape of improved and easier services and a better way of saving people time. He adds that the change to Abu Dhabi entities is going to be a very major one.

"Within the next coming years you won't have to spend a whole day chasing someone in the municipality to finish off a piece of paper. You will become number one as a customer," he says.

The Western Region took the initiative of implementing the restructuring plan approximately a year back. Al Mazrouei believes the region was ready for change, but lacked the tools to implement it.

"We didn't know exactly what to expect," he says. But after a recently held seminar, developed and presented in partnership with the US's George Washington University (GWU), 100 attendees were given "the skills they need" to lead the emirate's restructuring, according to Al Mazrouei.

Eleven government offices were represented in the seminar including Abu Dhabi Judicial Department, Abu Dhabi Municipality, Department of Civil Service, Department of Finance, Department of Municipal Affairs, Department of Planning and Economy and the Department of Transport.