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Ministry of Hajj uses TIBCO software to help pilgrims get to Makkah

Ministry of Hajj (MOH) is the government agency responsible for facilitating the travel of Muslims to the holy sites in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. MOH uses TIBCO software to help pilgrims get to Makkah. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia plays an important role as host to nearly six million Muslims every year from around the world—travelers who come to perform a ritual pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah, and to visit Medina and other sites of religious significance throughout the kingdom. Issuing visas and provisioning facilities to these travelers is the responsibility of the Saudi Arabian government’s Ministry of Hajj. A desire to better serve the large and growing number of annual pilgrims led MOH to initiate a plan to improve services to visitors by implementing a new technology infrastructure. Derived from the vision of His Excellency Iyad Madani, Minister of Hajj, the objective of the new project was to build an e-government solution that could benefit Muslims worldwide by enabling seamless information sharing between government agencies and the vendors that provide accommodation and other travel services to pilgrims. Sejel Technology, a consortium of American and local companies, was founded to oversee the development and operation of the new infrastructure, and also to assume responsibility for issuing visas to pilgrims on behalf of the Ministry of Hajj. As a first step, Sejel Technology evaluated business integration software companies to find the one whose product portfolio could address the requirements of the project in particular, the need for business process management software and portal technology. Sejel Technology chose TIBCO software because it offers the breadth and depth of products to support Sejel Technology’s short-term and long-term IT objectives. “In addition to its well integrated, wide range of products, TIBCO has a good relationship with our existing vendors, HP and Cisco Systems, which helps us a great deal,” says Zoubair Skairedj, CIO of Sejel Technology. “Throughout the project, TIBCO also provided excellent support and continuously supplied us with information to improve our understanding of the latest technology advancements and research.”

Over the course of nine months, Sejel implemented TIBCO’s business integration software, business process management software, portal software, and business-to-business (B2B) integration software. Because of its high national visibility and significance to Muslims around the globe, when the project went live it was inaugurated by Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Ibn AbdullaAziz al-Saud. Automation enables pilgrims to receive visas more quickly. One of the most immediate benefits of the project has been a considerable increase in the speed and efficiency of visa issuance process. “Every Muslim is supposed to visit Makkah at least once in their lifetime. As host, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is now better able to provide uplifting experiences to pilgrims fulfilling this important commitment through the use of the new information infrastructure at the Ministry of Hajj. Because of its great religious significance, this project was a dream for the ministry and all Muslims, and with the help of TIBCO, it became a reality.”

Ahmad Ghamri, CEO, Sejel Technology

Sejel and Samba - to launch automated Umrah payment solution, April 2010

RIYADH:Samba Financial Group signed a collaboration agreement with Sejel, which operates and develops the Haj and Umrah Information Center. The agreement implements an automated payment system for the Umrah sector.

The move represents a significant leap forward in the field of Umrah automated-payment services. The agreement was signed recently by Ahmed A. Ghumri, CEO of Sejel, and Anees Moumina, corporate banking head for Samba in the Western Region, in the presence of Eissa M. Al-Eissa, chairman of the group.
Members of the board and senior executives of both sides also attended the signing ceremony. The new system will provide an automated payments solution for collecting payments relating to Umrah packages based on the principle of processing applications for Umrah after the receipt of the amounts to be paid.

The system will distribute the applications to the companies and entities involved in Umrah services in the Kingdom. Al-Eissa described the agreement with Sejel as an example of the sort of partnership efforts that Samba seeks to achieve with various government and private sector organizations to contribute to achieving the aspirations and vision of the Kingdom's leadership, particularly in matters regarding visitors to the holy sites, a top priority for the Kingdom.
"I am sure that both Sejel and Samba are keen to leverage all potential human and technical resources in order to ensure success of the automated payment solution, which will work around the clock with a high degree of speed, flexibility, and confidentiality," he said.
Al-Eissa added: "I extend my thanks and appreciation to Sejel for their confidence in Samba as a strong partner that can help develop, implement and bring this solution to fruition. I am confident that this partnership represents a pioneering model for constructive cooperation between the various public and private institutions in the Kingdom, to serve the vital interests of the nation."
In his statement, Ghumri said the automated payments system would deliver significant improvements to the existing electronic system, in adding to providing interactive channels with a high degree of speed and security, with real time transference of data.
"The modest investment will put in place state-of-the-art technologies developed both locally and internationally," he added.
He said Umrah service providers would see marked improvements upon application of the new solution, as it supports the distribution of financial receivables for companies in immediate and safe manner, and will constitute an added value to the level of services provided.
Ghumri went on to say: "We, the management team at Sejel are confident that Samba, being a pioneer in the banking sector in the Kingdom, with a wealth of experience and an established track record of successes, particularly at the technical level, are the right partner for this impressive initiative. I am confident that the agreement will contribute significantly to the upgrading of the automated payments system, helping to take companies in the Umrah services sector to new heights."

SABB, Sejel Technology Sign Umra e-Payment Agreement, April 2004

In order to improve and modernize the process for issuing Umrah visas, the Ministry of Hajj of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has issued rules for electronic processing of all such visas.

The following parties will now be responsible for electronic payment of Umrah Travel Packages:

Sejel Technology Co. Ltd. (Sejel): Sejel is responsible for developing and operating the Umrah Network and Information Center, which collects and relays Umrah Visa information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Sejel has been authorized to accept all payments of Umrah Travel Package Amounts. It will thereafter be responsible for sending visa approval to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and for releasing the Package amounts to the Umrah Operators (UOs) and Umrah Application Service Providers (UASPs).

The Saudi British Bank (SABB): SABB has been appointed by Sejel Technology as the e-Payments Bank for collection and distribution of Umrah Travel Package Amounts. SABB has developed a customized e-Payments solution whereby all incoming Umrah payments are electronically validated against the Sejel voucher details, by the system before being accepted, processed and confirmation of receipt of good funds sent to Sejel.

SABB has 76 branches in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and operates globally through its associated HSBC Group which has over 9500 offices in 79 countries and other correspondent banks. External Agents and Umrah Operators are advised that under the new rules of the Ministry of Hajj, the Umrah Visas will only be issued after full payment of Umrah Travel Package Amounts.