'Sahl' App Achieves Dual Gulf Achievement for Kuwait

Kuwait achieved a dual Gulf milestone as the unified government e-services application, “Sahl,” won the award for Best Comprehensive Government Application, while “Baby Journey” received the Excellence Award in the category of Best Government Digital Service at the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Digital Government Awards.

The announcement of this achievement came during the seventh edition of the awards, hosted yesterday by the Kingdom of Bahrain, in a ceremony reflecting the success of Kuwait’s experience in digitizing government services, enhancing integration among entities, and improving user experience.

Minister of State for Communications and Information Technology and Acting Minister of Media and Culture, Omar Al-Omar, expressed his pride and honor in this dual Gulf recognition to the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Thursday. He emphasized that the success of “Sahl” and the excellence of “Baby Journey” reflect Kuwait’s progress in developing digital government services and embody the success of collaborative government efforts in delivering more integrated and efficient services.

Al-Omar stated, “We dedicate this achievement to His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, His Highness the Crown Prince Sheikh Sabah Al-Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah, and His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, the Prime Minister, may God protect and guard them. This dedication is in appreciation of their continuous support for the digital transformation journey in Kuwait and their commitment to developing government services and facilitating the lives of citizens and residents.”

He added, “Winning two Gulf awards in a single day is a source of pride and honor, and it confirms the success of the vision that launched the ‘Sahl’ application—not only in consolidating government services under a single digital umbrella, but also in transforming the way they are delivered, moving from individual services to integrated digital journeys that place citizens’ needs at the core of the development process.”

Al-Omar stressed that this recognition represents a shared national achievement for all government entities participating in the “Sahl” application. He noted that the excellence of “Baby Journey” at the Gulf level is a special acknowledgment of the efforts of the seven participating entities: the Ministries of Justice, Health, Interior, Commerce and Industry, the Public Authority for Civil Information, the Public Authority for Manpower, and the Civil Service Bureau. Their coordinated efforts have delivered an integrated digital experience that streamlines government procedures related to newborns.

He expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to the leaders of the participating government entities, members of the executive committee of the “Sahl” application, and the technical and administrative teams that contributed to developing the application and its digital journeys. He emphasized that these awards are the culmination of joint national efforts and continuous behind-the-scenes work that resulted in providing easier and more efficient government services to citizens and residents.

Al-Omar pointed out that the next phase will see continued development of the application and the expansion of new digital journeys, alongside leveraging artificial intelligence technologies and proactive services, and enhancing integration among government entities. He affirmed that this dual Gulf recognition represents a doubled responsibility to continue developing and elevating the quality of government services and user experience.

For his part, Colonel Bashar Al-Sayed Hashem, Chairman of the Executive Committee of the “Sahl” application, stated in a similar remark to KUNA that winning the award for Best Comprehensive Government Application and the excellence of “Baby Journey” reflect the success of the collaborative government work system, which is based on continuous coordination among government entities, reengineering procedures, developing services, and enhancing connectivity and data exchange.

He clarified that the “Sahl” application managed to consolidate services from 42 government entities within a unified digital platform, while the “Newborn Journey” served as a practical model for the transition of government entities from providing separate services to operating within an integrated digital journey, where government procedures and systems are interconnected to serve citizens.

He added that this achievement is the result of collective efforts undertaken by government entities, technical teams, and administrative staff, emphasizing that the Executive Committee will continue to work on accelerating the digitization of services and developing new digital journeys to enhance government performance efficiency and save time and effort for users.

For her part, Executive Committee member Fajr Al-Yassin confirmed to KUNA that the dual Gulf accolade reflects the importance of focusing on the quality of digital government services and user experience. She noted that developing the “Sahl” application is not limited to increasing the number of services, but also includes improving ease of use, clarity of procedures, and the ability to meet the needs of beneficiaries.

Al-Yassin explained that the “Newborn Journey” represents a model for this approach, as it was designed around family needs to provide an integrated experience that facilitates completing procedures related to a newborn, rather than dealing with each government entity separately.

She added that user feedback and suggestions form a fundamental element in the continued development of the application and its services, emphasizing that maintaining user trust requires ongoing improvements in quality, ease of use, and elevating the digital experience.

In a similar statement, Executive Committee member Amina Abdulrahim clarified that this achievement reflects the importance of technical integration among government systems and its role in building a unified digital platform capable of delivering integrated services efficiently and reliably.

She affirmed that the success of the “Newborn Journey” resulted from joint technical efforts to achieve connectivity and data exchange among participating government entities, thereby contributing to reducing the duplication of procedures and documents and facilitating the transfer of transactions between government systems.

She viewed the development of technical infrastructure and enhancing the readiness of government systems as a crucial foundation for the sustainability of digital services and the expansion of launching more integrated journeys, commending the efforts of technical teams in participating entities that contributed to the success of this initiative and the achievement of this Gulf distinction.

This accolade comes in recognition of the progress made by the “Sahl” application in delivering government services through a unified digital platform encompassing 42 government entities, allowing citizens and residents to complete their transactions electronically with ease and efficiency. It also acknowledges the success of the “Newborn Journey” in providing an advanced model of government integration that consolidates services and procedures from several government entities within a single digital journey centered on the needs of Kuwaiti families.

This dual achievement marks a new milestone in the digital transformation journey of the State of Kuwait, combining excellence in building a comprehensive government platform with excellence in developing digital services and journeys that streamline procedures and simplify the user experience.

This achievement adds another Gulf accolade to the record of the “Sahl” application, following its receipt of a special honor within the Arab Government Excellence Award and winning the Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Award for Informatics in 2025, reflecting the continued presence of the Kuwaiti experience in specialized forums on digitalization and government services.

This dual accolade confirms that the success of digital transformation is measured not only by the number of services or transactions completed, but by the ability of government entities to work and integrate within a single system, providing an integrated digital experience that enhances service quality and facilitates the lives of citizens and residents.

Bahrain’s Minister of Interior, who also serves as Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology, Field Marshal Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, and GCC Secretary-General Jasem Al-Budaiwi attended the awards ceremony for the Digital Government Award of the Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf, held yesterday evening in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

Speaking at the event, the Bahraini minister said that practical experience and real-world trials confirm that security, development, and investment in technology are two sides of the same coin. He emphasized that joint efforts and rapid coordination to adapt to the new paradigm of security and response have become an imperative, particularly as technology and artificial intelligence have transcended traditional boundaries, turning the digital space into an open arena for unrestricted movement.

He added that the security of digital infrastructure has become an integral part of national security and a country’s capacity to withstand crises and sustain operations. This necessitates continuing to strengthen Gulf cooperation in cybersecurity, enhancing readiness, exchanging expertise and information, and ensuring the continuity of vital services under all circumstances.

The minister noted that “the true value of this award is not measured solely by the number of winning entities, but by our ability to disseminate successful experiences, leverage innovative solutions, and transform individual achievements into added value for joint Gulf efforts.”

The ceremony featured a short film about the award, its previous editions, and its role in stimulating activities and sectors related to digital government across the GCC member states.