JEDDAH: A senior Saudi official has dismissed reports that the government is planning to integrate its Absher and Tawakkalna apps.

Speaking at the Innovation and Future of Government Work Conference, Prince Bandar bin Abdullah Al-Mishari, assistant minister of interior for technology affairs, said that the suggestion that the two platforms were to be rolled into one was inaccurate.

Speaking on the role of innovation in achieving Saudi Vision 2030, the prince said that comments about such a move might have “come out spontaneously from one of the colleagues during the LEAP Conference.”

He added: “It was perhaps that colleague’s own point of view, and a media representative made a story out of it.”

Prince Bandar, who directed the Interior Ministry’s National Information Center from 2008 to 2013, continued: “There is nothing true about that, as Absher has its own field of services that the MoI provides, while Tawakkalna has another field in regard to national services.”

The two apps complemented one another, and the country needed both of them, he said.

“There are a number of Absher services that can be accessed through the Tawakkalna app, as well as other government services,” Prince Bandar said. “Absher still has a lot to do with the many digital transformation gaps within the MoI.”

He added that Tawakkalna had played an important role during the COVID-19 pandemic in helping the Kingdom to deal with the health crisis.

Arab News reported on Sunday that despite media articles suggesting the government was planning to merge the two apps, there had been no official confirmation of such a move.