UAE and World Bank Group Launch Capacity-Building Initiative to Transform Government Services Across Africa
A pioneering partnership introduces Benin, Djibouti and Rwanda to the Emirates' proven methodologies for streamlining public administration and eliminating bureaucratic complexity.
The UAE Government and the World Bank Group have inaugurated the inaugural cohort of the Government Experience Exchange Programme for Zero Government Bureaucracy, a strategic initiative designed to strengthen governmental capabilities across selected African nations. The programme brings together officials from the Republic of Benin, the Republic of Djibouti and the Republic of Rwanda to engage with the UAE’s transformative approach to government modernisation.
Central to this collaborative endeavour is the transfer of practical expertise in delivering seamless administrative procedures and elevating service standards. Rather than a conventional knowledge transfer, the partnership emphasises translating proven methodologies into actionable reform initiatives supported by measurable performance indicators and clearly defined implementation roadmaps.
Mohammad Abdullah Al Gergawi, Minister of Cabinet Affairs, articulated the underlying philosophy guiding this partnership. He emphasised that the UAE’s advanced governance framework positions citizens at the centre of public administration, with government development fundamentally oriented towards enhancing their wellbeing and anticipating societal needs. The partnership with the World Bank Group, he noted, provides a strategic platform for collaborative experience-sharing that transforms governmental approaches into sustained, implementable change with tangible community impact.
Ousmane Dione, World Bank Group Vice President for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan region, underscored the mutual commitment to extending the Zero Bureaucracy programme across Africa. He highlighted how this knowledge exchange supports governments in streamlining administrative procedures, improving service delivery and positioning citizens and businesses as central to public administration—essential foundations for job creation and measurable developmental outcomes.
The inaugural cohort brought together ministers and senior government officials spanning digital transformation, economic development, public finance, health systems and government information technology. Through fifteen carefully structured meetings, workshops and engagements with UAE specialists, participants gained comprehensive insights into the Emirates’ Zero Government Bureaucracy framework.
The participating delegations—including Digital Transformation and Innovation Minister Mahuna Akplogan from Benin, alongside senior officials from Djibouti’s urban affairs and health ministries, and Rwanda’s information and communications technology leadership—identified priority reform challenges and developed 90-day national action plans. These plans delineated responsible stakeholders, established performance metrics and created implementation milestones tailored to each nation’s distinct circumstances.
A significant programme component included a virtual experience-exchange session with Uzbekistan, enabling delegations to examine comparative approaches to Zero Government Bureaucracy implementation and examine practical lessons and operational mechanisms.
The Government Experience Exchange Office serves as the coordinating hub, sharing UAE methodologies, mobilising domestic expertise and providing strategic guidance throughout implementation phases. The World Bank Group assumes responsibility for engaging with beneficiary nations, facilitating access to international best practices and technical specialists, and ensuring alignment with national priorities whilst supporting regional knowledge dissemination and outcome measurement.
This partnership emerged from the UAE Government’s April 2026 initiative with the World Bank Group in Washington, DC, establishing comprehensive cooperation frameworks encompassing regulatory development, institutional capacity-building, public-sector digitalisation and performance-based governance structures.
Source: WAM