The Metaverse will not only offer immense opportunities for businesses and customer interactivity – but will also be a powerful tool for governments around the world. This includes unique education opportunities and the ability to serve citizens in novel and exciting ways.

This is the view of Muhammad Salman Anjum, CEO of Invoicemate and MateSol, who was speaking at the recent Democracy4All event in Barcelona. In his presentation, Anjum breaks down what exactly to expect from the Metaverse and how it will ultimately improve governance.

Dubai acts as a Metaverse model

When people think about the Metaverse, they often think about gaming, virtual reality and 3D devices. However, the Metaverse should be understood in a much broader sense as the next evolution of the Internet with a focus on the integration of physical and digital experiences, said Anjum.

This goes beyond new ways to consume entertainment and can act as a significant job creator and stimulus for the economy. ‘At its core, the Metaverse is about creating a new environment in which people can work, socialise, play, learn and transact,’ he said.

Anjum pointed to Dubai’s government, which launched its own official Metaverse strategy. The strategy aims to turn the emirate into one of the world’s top ten Metaverse economies as well as a global hub for the Metaverse community. This in turn aims to promote Dubai’s ambitions to support more than 40,000 virtual jobs by 2030, providing a significant boost to its economy.

The Dubai Metaverse Strategy seeks to:

• Foster innovation, enhance the Metaverse’s economic contributions through R&D collaborations, and promote advanced ecosystems utilising accelerators and incubators that attract companies and projects to Dubai;
• Foster talent and invest in future capabilities by providing the necessary support in Metaverse education aimed at developers, content creators and users of digital platforms in the Metaverse community;
• Develop Web3 technology and its applications to create new governmental work models and development in vital sectors, including tourism, education, retail, remote work, healthcare and the legal sector.

The strategy also aims to develop global standards in building safe and secure platforms for users and develop Metaverse infrastructure and regulations to accelerate the adoption of these technologies.

Metaverse as a public service to citizens

This move to the Metaverse will also allow governments and services to further enhance their digital services to citizens, said Anjum. He once again highlighted Dubai, which aims to use the Metaverse as a source of revenue generation rather than purely as a source of hype. He pointed to Dubai’s goal to have 1% of its GDP by 2030 generated through the Metaverse.

‘It’s not just a strategy, the actual steps are happening. Their Economic Minister already has an office space in the Metaverse, their municipalities have already started drafting digital twins, and the Healthcare Ministery has already started its offering.’

Anjum noted that it was not just Dubai that has started on this Metaverse strategy, with the neighbouring city of Ajman creating a virtual police station which can be accessed by citizens anywhere in the world. The technology will also allow for a future where the city’s residents can quickly access other city services and attend public meetings through the Metaverse, he said.

The Metaverse is also arguably a more user-friendly point of contact compared to other digital channels, as it can make services more accessible to those with mobility issues or thigh schedules, he said.

Other countries/areas which already have tangible Metaverse plans include:

• South Korea;
• Barbados;
• China;
• Saudi Arabia;
• Catalonia.