Sahl App Wins Two Gulf Awards

Kuwait has achieved a dual Gulf award, with the unified government e-services application “Sahl” winning the Best Comprehensive Government Application award, and “Birth Journey” receiving the Excellence Award in the Best Government Digital Service category 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 culmination that reflects the success of Kuwait’s experience in digitizing government services, enhancing integration among entities, and improving the user experience.

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

Al-Omar said, “We dedicate this achievement to the esteemed position of His Highness the Amir of Kuwait, Sheikh Meshal Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the esteemed and trusted Crown Prince, Sheikh Sabah 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 recognition 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 developing the way they are delivered and transitioning from individual services to integrated digital journeys that place citizens’ needs at the core of the development process.”

Al-Omar stressed that this accolade represents a shared national achievement for all government entities participating in the “Sahl” application. He noted that the excellence of “Birth Journey” at the Gulf level is a special recognition 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 Diwan of Civil Service. Their coordinated efforts have delivered a cohesive digital experience that streamlines government procedures related to newborns.

He expressed his sincere gratitude and appreciation to the leaders of the participating government entities, the members of the Executive Committee for the “Sahl” application, and the technical and administrative teams that contributed to the development of the application and its digital journeys. He affirmed that these awards are the culmination of joint national efforts and continuous behind-the-scenes work that has 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 additional digital journeys, alongside leveraging artificial intelligence technologies and proactive services, and enhancing integration among government entities. He emphasized that this dual Gulf accolade represents a doubled responsibility to continue development and elevate the quality of government services and the user experience.

For his part, Colonel Bashar Al-Sayed Hashem, Chairman of the Executive Committee for the “Sahl” application, stated in a similar remark to KUNA that winning the Best Comprehensive Government Application award and the excellence of “Birth Journey” reflect the success of the joint 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 succeeded in consolidating services from 42 government entities onto a single unified digital platform. Meanwhile, the “Newborn Journey” served as a practical model for government entities transitioning from providing isolated services to operating within an integrated digital journey, where government procedures and systems are harmonized to better serve citizens. He added that this achievement is the result of collective efforts by government entities, as well as the technical and administrative teams involved, and affirmed that the Executive Committee will continue to work on accelerating the digitization of services and developing new digital journeys, thereby enhancing government performance efficiency and saving time and effort for users.

For her part, Executive Committee member Fajr Al-Yassin told KUNA that the dual Gulf recognition reflects the importance of focusing on the quality of digital government services and user experience. She noted that the development of the “Sahl” application goes beyond merely increasing the number of services; it also encompasses improving ease of use, clarifying procedures, and ensuring the services’ ability to meet beneficiaries’ needs. Al-Yassin explained that the “Newborn Journey” exemplifies this approach, as it was designed around family needs to provide an integrated experience that simplifies procedures related to a newborn, rather than requiring citizens to deal with each government entity separately. She added that user feedback and suggestions form a core element in the ongoing development of the application and its services, emphasizing that maintaining user trust requires continuous improvement in quality, ease of use, and the overall digital experience.

In a similar statement, Executive Committee member Amina Abdulrahim highlighted that this achievement underscores 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 establish connectivity and data exchange among participating government entities, thereby 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 additional integrated journeys, commending the technical teams in participating entities for their contributions to the success of this initiative and the achievement of this Gulf distinction.

This recognition comes in appreciation of the progress made by the “Sahl” application in delivering government services through a unified digital platform that includes 42 government entities, enabling 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 multiple government entities into a single digital journey centered on the needs of Kuwaiti families.

This dual achievement marks a new milestone in Kuwait’s digital transformation journey, 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 accomplishment adds another Gulf honor to the “Sahl” application’s record, following its receipt of a special award at the Arab Government Excellence Awards and its win of the Sheikh Salem Al-Ali Al-Sabah Award for Informatics in 2025, reflecting the continued presence of the Kuwaiti experience in specialized forums on digitization and government services.

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

Bahraini Interior Minister, 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 stated that practical experiences and expertise 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 in the concept of security and response have become an imperative, particularly as technology and artificial intelligence have transcended borders, turning the digital space into an open arena for movement without permission or restrictions.

He added that the security of digital infrastructure has become an integral part of national security and a country’s capacity for resilience and continuity, necessitating the continued enhancement of Gulf cooperation in the field of cybersecurity, raising readiness levels, exchanging expertise and information, and ensuring the continuity of vital services under all circumstances.

For his part, the Secretary-General stressed in a similar address that the GCC Digital Government Award holds particular significance, as it is not merely an occasion to honor winning entities but a Gulf platform for discovering outstanding ideas, fostering innovation, and transforming successful experiences into opportunities for development and mutual benefit. He noted that “the true value of this award is measured not only by the number of winning entities but also by our ability to disseminate successful experiences, leverage innovative solutions, and convert individual achievements into added value for joint Gulf efforts.”

The ceremony included a short film about the award, its previous editions, and its role in stimulating activities and operational areas of digital government across GCC member states. The Bahraini Interior Minister, Chairman of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communications Technology, and the GCC Secretary-General presented awards to the winners of the 2026 Digital Government Award, members of the judging panel, and the founders of the award from GCC member states.