State of Arab Government Administration Report: A practical path to support governments in directing artificial intelligence to serve priorities and put humans at the heart of transformation

Abu Dhabi, 12 February / WAM / The report “The State of Arab Government Administration: Practical Models for Adopting Artificial Intelligence 2026”, which was developed in partnership between the World Government Summit and the Arab Organization for Administrative Development in the League of Arab States, stressed the importance of strengthening efforts to employ artificial intelligence in redesigning the government, so that it works with it effectively, confidently, and sustainably, keeping pace with the unprecedented acceleration of technology, and the challenges this brings for government administration in the Arab world.

Dr. Yasar Jarrar, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Mohammed bin Rashid College of Government, reviewed the findings and recommendations of the report in a press conference within the activities of the World Government Summit 2026, which was held in Dubai.

The report combines a survey and dialogues with more than 1,600 Arab ministers, officials and government employees about artificial intelligence, with a focus on practical use cases with real impact.

It explores how artificial intelligence is reshaping government design, decision-making, service delivery, and government capacity building, and provides an analytical and practical reading of the reality of artificial intelligence in Arab governments, going beyond theoretical propositions to understanding readiness gaps, transformation drivers, and implementation challenges facing decision makers.

It provides a flexible, practical path that helps governments direct their investments in artificial intelligence in a way that serves their national priorities, enhances value, and puts people at the heart of government transformation.

The report confirms that artificial intelligence has become a political priority, but it has not yet turned into an institutional capacity, especially in light of the results of the ministerial survey, which revealed that only 33% of Arab governments have clear plans that are being implemented, while 67% agreed that the lack of skills is the greatest challenge facing artificial intelligence. The results indicated that Arab governments use artificial intelligence to improve efficiency in daily services and operational processes, more than complex policies or re-engineering governance models, stressing that data quality is the most important structural obstacle to artificial intelligence, not a lack of tools.

He pointed out that there is high awareness of artificial intelligence, as 88% of employees reported using it on a personal level. He pointed out that artificial intelligence is seen as a productivity lever, and that the greatest value expected from it is reducing costs, improving services, and accelerating decisions.

89% of respondents believed that artificial intelligence could help governments anticipate future crises, while 60% of employees indicated that their governments had established regulatory frameworks for artificial intelligence, and 82% expected that artificial intelligence would make a major change in their responsibilities during the next five years.

The report concluded with a number of recommendations, the most important of which are: Developing an integrated national framework for artificial intelligence, dealing with data as a sovereign infrastructure, preparing a road map for the future workforce, building human capabilities and adopting continuous learning, building national cyber immunity based on renewed training, accelerating the pace of legislative modernization to keep pace with the speed of technology, designing government artificial intelligence solutions in partnership with the private sector, and accelerating the adoption and expansion of practical models of artificial intelligence.

The report also included ten initiatives that governments are proposed to begin implementing during the year 2026, which include, at the national level for each government, the establishment of an “Artificial Intelligence Governance Office” at the government center level, the launch of a national audit of government data, the adoption of a “data readiness standard” and its mandatory application before any artificial intelligence project, the establishment of a unified government platform for joint artificial intelligence solutions, the launch of “3-5” “high-return and quick-implementation” use cases, the establishment of a new procurement and contracting framework for artificial intelligence, and the launch of the government “human readiness” program with three tracks. “Leaders, executives, and employees.” At the Arab regional level, the initiatives included the establishment of the “Arab Platform for Government Artificial Intelligence Use Cases,” the launch of the “Arab Framework for Sovereign Cooperation in Data,” and the establishment of an “Arab Platform for Responsible Governance and Algorithmic Auditing.”

It is noteworthy that the announcement of the results of the State of Arab Government Administration report comes within a series of 36 strategic reports, which are launched within the activities of the World Government Summit in cooperation with international knowledge partners from think tanks and academic and research institutions, with the aim of studying global trends in various sectors and providing implementable government strategies.

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