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Governments should adopt six capabilities to transform how they operate to support a fit-for-transformation government and deliver meaningful and lasting socio-economic impact, according to Strategy& Middle East, part of the PwC network.

Many governments in the Middle East have formulated national strategies with ambitious goals. If achieved, these strategies will have profound impact and transform the region economically, socially, and technologically. The success of this journey will hinge on a properly devised and executed implementation which will have at its core a new type of government, “the Ministry of the Future”.

“The Ministry of the Future is customer-centric, evidence-based, and results-oriented,” said Paolo Pigorini, Partner with Strategy& Middle East. “Its operations are digitally powered, collaborative and participatory. It is agile and dynamic, innovating with cutting-edge technologies to anticipate and deliver services.”

The report advises thatthe Ministry of the Future should leverage six capabilities, including delivery accelerators, collective and experimental governance, alternative funding and pricing models, smart anticipatory regulations, integrated and collaborative procurement, and accountability.

Dima Sayess, Partner with Strategy& Middle East and the leader of the Ideation Center, said, “The ultimate goal of these six capabilities is to render governance metaphorically invisible—an unprompted helper that delivers proactive and seamless whole-of-life service to people and businesses. Each component agency needs to customize the Ministry of the Future template to fit its specific mission and the outcomes it is accountable for delivering. Together, these Ministries of the Future can enable national transformation.”

Delivery accelerators

Delivery accelerators make the Ministry of the Future agile and entrepreneurial, eliminating the silos obstructing efficiency, innovation, and responsiveness. Delivery accelerators include a shift towards flatter, leaner organizational structures, sprint projects for innovation, and a “One-Team” approach to talent management.

Collective and experimental governance

Collective and experimental governance invites citizens, businesses, and academia to participate in policy, product, and services design. It is enabled by participatory budgeting that offers stakeholders a voice in public funding and project choices, urban living labs that allow them to design and test government solutions jointly, and crowdsourcing platforms that solicit external data, ideas, feedback, and funding.

Alternative funding and pricing

Alternative funding and pricing models help the Ministry of the Future finance projects, reduce budget deficits, and mitigate risk. These alternative approaches include blended finance that assembles public and private funding, “pay-for-success” impact funding, and dynamic pricing models.

Smart anticipatory regulations

Smart anticipatory regulations allow the Ministry of the Future to be more responsive and holistic about regulation. Forecasting tools, such as horizon scanning and scenario planning, help identify emerging regulatory needs and compose and test regulations on a timely basis. Regulatory technology uses the power of digital technologies for implementation and enforcement.

Integrated, collaborative, and cloud-based procurement

Integrated, collaborative, and cloud-based procurement enables step changes in government spending. It supports economies of scale and bidder access by combining and connecting all aspects of procurement into a single shared-services model. Cloud-based approaches enhance spending transparency and oversightby centralizing procurement planning and management.

Impact-driven accountability

Impact-driven accountability turns the focal point of performance to the outcomes the Ministry of the Future delivers to its customers. A culture of accountability supports the achievement of targets and strategies that are clearly defined and customer-focused. Sensing tools, such as social analytics and surveys support the creation of customer-centric solutions. Customer-centered metrics help evaluate outcomes and drive improvement.

“The transition to fit-for-transformation government requires a willingness to abandon long-established hierarchical structures, leadership models, processes, and organizational cultures. This paper defines anew framework for government that can deliver innovative solutions, offer elevated service levels, and drives national transformation – an actionable blueprint for building the Ministry of the Future,” concluded Fadi Adra, Partner with Strategy& Middle East.