DUBAI — Dubai ruler Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum issued a law establishing the Dubai Digital Authority (DDA).

According to the new law, DDA will be Dubai’s official body responsible for all matters related to information technology, data, smart and digital transformation, and information security.

The Smart Dubai Department, the Smart Dubai Government, the Dubai Data Establishment, the Dubai Electronic Security Center, and the Dubai Statistics Center will operate under the new authority. The DDA has both its own judicial identity and legal authority.

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid said the establishment of the Dubai Digital Authority is aimed at further enhancing Dubai's smart and digital transformation, providing high-level digital services to both individuals and businesses, and maintaining the highest standards of cybersecurity.

Sheikh Mohammed reaffirmed that the DDA’s main objectives are to accelerate technological advancement and adopt the latest ICT advancements that support social and economic prosperity and improve people’s living standards.

Sheikh Mohammed further said: "Our goal behind the establishment of the Dubai Digital Authority is to achieve social and economic benefits our digital transformation began 20 years ago, our digital economy is currently worth AED 100 billion and we aim to double the contribution of the digital sector within two years."

"We aim to improve the quality of digital services and use them to serve the community in all sectors," he added.

The Authority’s objectives include contributing to revitalizing Dubai’s economic cycle by facilitating digital transformation in all government entities and raising efficiency and performance levels by enabling government departments to automate their work, operations and services.

The DDA is also responsible for developing, approving and managing policies and strategies for advancing the development of this vital sector.

Furthermore, the DDA is mandated to drive the digital transformation of the government across key areas including government services, shared government solutions, data management, cybersecurity, and ecosystem and governance.

Sheikh Mohammed also issued a decree appointing Hamad Obaid Al Mansoori as the director-general of the Dubai Digital Authority.