BUSINESS | 01 SPORT | 08 Al Kuwari highlights QSL: Al Duhail significance go top with of Qatar-Turkey crushing win trade relations over Al Sadd Sunday 3 November 2019 | 6 Rabia I 1441 www.thepeninsula.qa Volume 24 | Number 8064 | 2 Riyals New phase of ‘Better Connections’ launched THE PENINSULA Prime Minister and programme aims to create 1,000 DOHA Interior Minister H E new electronic content to be made available through Prime Minister and Interior Sheikh Abdullah bin Hukoomi website for workers in Minister H E Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al the five most widely used lan- Nasser bin Khalifa Al Thani has Thani has inaugurated guages among workers in Qatar, inaugurated the sustainability and the new phase of the suitable with the needs of expa- development phase of the “Better triate labour and the devel- Connections” programme, which “Better Connections” opment of the country. aims to employ expatriates and programme, which The Better Connections, enables them to use ICT devices aims to employ launched as a pilot project in 2013 to ensure their digital inclusion expatriates and and officially launched in 2015, is and improve their lifestyle. a national initiative launched by The launch took place on the enables them to use the Ministry of Transport and Com- sidelines of the Qatar Infor- ICT devices to ensure munications in collaboration with mation Technology and Commu- their digital inclusion. the Ministry of Administrative nication Conference and Exhi- Development, Labour and Social bition (QITCOM 2019), which Affairs, aiming to achieve digital concluded on Friday. The new phase of the program inclusion of expatriate workers in During the inauguration, which comes for a period of three years, Qatar by giving them free access Foreign Minister meets US Treasury Secretary was attended by Minister of during which technical support is to the network. Internet, com- The Deputy Prime Minister Transport and Communications provided to the halls that were puters, some online services and and Minister of Foreign H E Jassim bin Saif Al Sulaiti, and created in the previous phases. The training at their accommodation. Affairs, H E Sheikh Mohamed Minister of Administrative Devel- programme will also introduce a Each of the programme facil- bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, opment, Labour and Social Affairs new initiative to provide smart- ities is equipped with 10 Microsoft- met yesterday with US H E Yousef bin Mohamed Al phones for expatriate workers at certified Vodafone Wi-Fi computers Secretary of the Treasury, Othman Fakhro, it was announced discounted prices, to expand access and is equipped with furniture and Steven Mnuchin, who is Delighted to welcome @stevenmnuchin1 to #Doha. that 1,676 technological halls had to information technology devices, other equipment to facilitate currently visiting Doha. In our meeting today, we discussed #Qatar #USA been completed in the workers’ where 50,000 expatriate workers learning and communication. More During the meeting, they housing, which provides more than will be trained over the three years than 1.5 million workers have had strong strategic and economic bilateral relations discussed bilateral relations 16,000 computers with more than to pass on knowledge to their peers the opportunity to learn about and key topics of mutual & joint collaboration to combatting terrorism. 10 percent higher than the target to continue the education process. digital technology since the launch interest. number of 1,500 halls. In its new phase, the of the program.`P2 Al Khater affirms strength of Qatar-US strategic ties MoTC signs contracts for QNA House and the Department of World Cup Qatar 2022 reflects the WASHINGTON State. She has also participated image of Arab world that reaches 11 projects for TASMU in the meeting of the Joint for life and celebrates joy. The Spokesperson for the Advisory Board of Georgetown For 50 years, the Arab people Smart Qatar Programme Ministry of Foreign Affairs University in Washington, DC in many countries have been Lolwah Al Khater (pictured) has and held a number of meetings deprived of their fundamental QNA innovation, create a compre- stressed the strength and devel- and interviews with represent- right to a dignified life, she said. DOHA hensive data repository housing opment of the strategic relations atives of the academic com- She pointed out to the role of all the data collected from its between the State of Qatar and munity and the media. joint efforts with American insti- The Ministry of Transport and attached projects, and build on the United States of America. During these meetings and tutions such as the branches of Communications (MoTC) has existing digitisation progress and During her visit to the US, interviews, she noted the legacy of American universities in Education signed contracts for 11 projects for Qatar’s evolving national digital H E Al Khater held meetings with the World Cup hosted by the State City in Qatar, in the scientific its TASMU Smart Qatar infrastructure. a number of officials in the White of Qatar, stressing that the FIFA openness in the region. Programme during QITCOM 2019. The highlights of the day also The TASMU Central Platform included the Operations of the contract was awarded to a Con- Smart Qatar Program Transfor- sortium where Ooredoo is the mation Office contract being Ashghal opens first Mesaimeer underpass main partner. Other partners of awarded to Deloitte. The con- the consortium included tract was signed by Muhannad THE PENINSULA bridge, including Eng. Yousef Abdulrahman Project Engineer Hassan Al Ghanim said Microsoft, as the global tech- Tayem, Lead Partner Deloitte DOHA Al Emadi, Projects Affairs Director at Ashghal; that the newly-opened underpass is the first nology enabler, PWC, as the ME Business Transformation Bader Darwish, Highway Project Department achievement at Mesaimeer Interchange as consulting firm, TATA, as the Portfolio. The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) opened Manager; Lieutenant Eng. Saoud Abdullah it is ready for use six months ahead of the system integrator, Malomatia, The Smart Sectors Transfor- yesterday a new underpass at the Mesaimeer Al Hamad, from Traffic Engineering and planned date with a completion of 65 percent as the IT service provider, Dell, mation Roadmap project was Interchange with a length of 220M to provide Safety Department, along with a number of of junction works. Cisco, Atos as the technology awarded to Oliver Wyman LLC a free exit for the E-Ring Road towards engineers from Ashghal and the contracting “The underpass connects traffic flow infrastructure enabler and Qatar. The contract was signed Rawdat Al Khail Street. company. from E Ring road towards Rawdhat Al Khail security partners, S Software, as by Dr Neil Reid, Managing On this occasion, a number of officials The new underpass is the first of nine Street. Road users coming from Al Thumama the business process man- Partner at Oliver Wyman. paid a visit to follow the latest progress of underpasses that make up the vital junction, and Old Airport have direct access to Rawdat agement, PayCare, as the digital Other projects awarded Mesaimeer Interchange and the new flyover with a capacity of 1,500 vehicles per hour. Al Khail Street without the need to use the payment enabler, amongst include, but not limited to, the old diversion”, Al Ghanim added. others. TASMU Digital Skills initiative that The three-level Mesaimeer Interchange Most importantly, these con- was awarded to Ronald Berger . is the first of its kind in Qatar, because it con- tracts will bring to life TASMUs Among the smart sectors wave-2 tains nine underpasses providing free flow mega-project, the TASMU smart solutions, Insightful traffic. The interchange contains two main Central Platform, which will Customs Rating, Digital Farmer bridges connecting Rawdat Al khail street and form the principal foundation Community and Virtual Consul- the Industrial Area Road in both directions, of Qatar’s transformation into a tation were awarded to Malo- in addition to connecting the E Ring road with smart country and will empower matia, the TASMU Six Policies and the southern part of Doha Expressway in one cross-sector collaboration, as Standards Development was direction, which will achieve a great flow of well as data sharing, to awarded to PA Consulting Group. traffic in all directions. encourage innovation and The TASMU Smart Qatar ini- The project is of 6.1km length of con- digital enablement across the tiative is the MoTCs flagship struction works, with three to four lanes in country and its growing digital national digitization program, each direction to accommodate about 20,000 landscape. designed to underpin, transform vehicles per hour in both directions. The Central Platform will be and accelerate the achievement The new interchange, completed in the the main foundation of the of all the foundation pillars of the second quarter of 2020, will significantly TASMU Smart Qatar Program, Qatar National Vision (QNV) 2030. improve traffic, reducing travel time by more connecting all projects and The contracts signed by than 60 percent. sectors, to activate integrated MoTC will support the This interchange is designed in a dis- smart solutions. As the backbone advancement of these smart tinctive pentagonal shape where it connects of the TASMU programme, the technologies, which are spread five main roads in Doha like: E Ring Road, central platform will cater to all over 100 projects that are Doha Expressway, Sabah Al Ahmad corridor, sectors requirements and designed