UAE may merge ministries post-coronavirus – Sheikh Mohammed

The UAE may merge some of its ministries as part of a government restructuring post-coronavirus period, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai said.

“We will review the structure and size of the government and we may merge ministries and change entities,” he said on Twitter.

“We need a government that is more agile, flexible, and fast to keep pace with new and different national priorities.”

He added: “Anyone who thinks that the world after Covid-19 will be the same as the one before it is mistaken.”

His comments came on Wednesday, following the conclusion of a three-day virtual government summit that was convened to develop a post-virus strategy.

اختتمنا اليوم اجتماعات حكومة الامارات لإعداد استراتيجية الدولة بعد كوفيد ١٩..سنراجع هيكل الحكومة وحجمها .. قد ندمج وزارات..ونغير هيئات .. وسنجري تغييرات..نحتاج حكومة أكثر رشاقة ومرونة وسرعة لتواكب أولويات وطنية جديدة ومختلفة ..
مخطىء من يظن أن العالم بعد كوفيد ١٩ كالعالم قبله ..

— HH Sheikh Mohammed (@HHShkMohd) May 13, 2020

The meeting, which saw the participation of over 100 government officials and experts, focussed on six major sectors: Health, education, economy, food security, society and government.

“The post-Covid-19 phase will affect work systems in the government and private sectors, which requires the development of a comprehensive and proactive methodology that explores the features of this stage and devises solutions to its challenges,” official news agency WAM quoted Sheikh Mohammed as saying.

“We can recover quickly after this pandemic that has afflicted the world … We have great confidence in the Emirates team … We want them to intensify efforts to raise the state’s readiness and enhance its ability to face any emergency in the future, and accelerate the recovery process after this challenge has receded.”