HE Saeed Mohammed Al Tayer, Managing Director and CEO of Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA), has highlighted the organisation’s progress in reducing government bureaucracy and advancing digital integration. This follows directives from HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, aimed at increasing the UAE’s global competitiveness. The UAE was recently ranked first worldwide in the 2025 Absence of Bureaucracy Index, part of the Government Efficiency pillar in the IMD World Competitiveness Ranking.
Al Tayer stated that DEWA has achieved digital integration across more than 100 projects by working with 65 government and private sector partners. Service automation now covers all services, raising digital adoption to 99.5%. Customer happiness reached 98.3%, while service quality stood at 95%. According to Al Tayer: “DEWA achieved digital integration across more than 100 projects, in collaboration with 65 government and private organisations, while service automation reached 100%. This raised the digital adoption of DEWA’s services to 99.5%, taking the customer happiness and service quality scores to 98.3% and 95%, respectively.” He added: “Through the implementation of the ‘Services 360’ policy, DEWA eliminated 90% of service delivery points, streamlining procedures and enhancing customer happiness. DEWA provides all its services digitally through its website, smart app and unified government channels.”
The authority has re-engineered its processes so that all stages—from application submissions to document issuance—are fully digital. As part of its High Water Usage Alert initiative, DEWA sent over three million alerts about water leaks inside buildings, which helped prevent significant water loss and resulted in cost savings for customers.
Al Tayer said: “DEWA’s keenness to eliminate unnecessary procedures and reduce transport costs for stakeholders through the provision of proactive, innovative and secure digital services.” He continued: “He reaffirmed DEWA’s commitment to continuous development in its drive to provide efficient, high-quality and effective services that improve people’s lives and meet their needs swiftly and effortlessly. DEWA continues to adopt the latest technologies to simplify government procedures, accelerate digital transformation, enhance system efficiency and bolster digital integration with government agencies.”
Digital transformation has allowed better monitoring of performance data as well as early detection of issues for rapid resolution. Integrated transaction monitoring enables officials to make informed decisions based on real-time data.
The Smart Response Water initiative uses artificial intelligence through DEWA’s smart app or website for verification purposes. The number of steps required during field visits was reduced from ten to five; self-diagnosis now requires only one step. Processing times have been cut by nearly half while field visits decreased by over a third.
Similarly, the Smart Water Interruptions Management System has shortened reporting times from two hours down to a single click for users while allowing immediate identification of affected customers via continuous network monitoring.
