Shaikh Mohammed, who is also Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT), in his keynote address, highlighted the importance of enhancing the level of e-services in the Kingdom.
The Forum is being held at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Spa and organized by the eGovernment Authority (eGA) in cooperation with Bahrain Internet Society and the Project Management Institute (Arabian Gulf).
Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said that the determination continues towards comprehensive transformation in work processes and developing mechanisms to keep-up with the latest tools and techniques. This is in order to achieve governmental work that goes in line with international standards in terms of efficiency and ICT transparency.
The forum, annually organized by the Kingdom over the past five years, has become a landmark in the international events and was attended by leading experts and decision-makers.
His Highness also declared that the reform project of his Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa has formed an important milestone in the development process in Bahrain. In a short period of time, it has been transformed from knowledge-receiver to an active member within the international ICT society – proving such; the authority has organized last November an international expert workshop to discuss the ranking related to UN eGovernment Readiness. As a result, it was decided to host the 2013 United Nations Public Service Forum Day and Awards Ceremony in June.
The Kingdom managed to achieve advanced levels within the UN awards in addition to the FutureGov. Awards for Best Public Sector Institution of the Year in the Middle East in 2011-2012. Whereas, he said, the UAE was the only Middle East country to win the award and also praised the development team of Zajel for winning first place in the United Nations Public Service Forum Day and Awards Ceremony in the category ‘Advances Government Knowledge Management’.
Bahrain was able to be part of shaping the international ICT standards, providing consultancies to other countries. Also, participate actively in meetings held by UNESCWA to form legislations aiming to enhance the knowledge society in the Arab region.
He confirmed that the strategy reflected government keenness in reaching out its eServices to all society members; upon that, the authority launched the most up-to-date technological tools to combine special needs through developing the portal interface and launch of the Video Call Center.
He further added that in an aim to enhance transparency and prompt correspondence, the eParticipation through the social networks was improved aiming to activate it among all governmental entities; he also praised the recent initiatives taken by HRH Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander of the Bahrain Defense Force and First Deputy Prime Minister, in requesting to follow-up and communicate with ministries via email.
He also announced the launch of phase one of the Unified National Complaint System in collaboration with different governmental entities. Soon, the eProcurement System will be launched to integrate with the eTendering System which was recently inaugurated.
He said that within the coming years, the country will witness more than 90 projects implemented electronically, involving all government agencies in the areas of health, education, culture, administration, economy and other fields; that contribute to enhancing electronic coherence between all government facilities and beneficiaries.
His Highness also announced the launch of the search engine which is designed to effectively facilitate access to sites, governmental services and information using the latest technology in a professional way. He also pointed out the launch of the first ePayment service via Smartphone applications, which is an enquiry and payment service of electricity and water bills in cooperation with Electricity and Water Authority, in addition to the Enquiry and Traffic Convention Payment Application which was in collaboration with Ministry of Interior.
Kamal bin Ahmed Minister for Transportation, who holds additional portfolio of Minister for the e-Government, explained that within the next phase, Bahrain will focus on linking government projects to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of services provided to citizens and residents, as well as focus on investments in human resources and capacity-building of the staff in the ICT field. Thus, filling the gap in knowledge and skills in this area and reducing reliance on foreign talent.
“We have achieved rapid success in this direction through the design and development of the search engine for eGovernment services and proposals with a Bahraini team specialized in this area. We will continue to work on training and rehabilitating Bahraini talents to take their rightful place in the field of ICT in the Kingdom,” Kamal, said.
The opening ceremony included a presentation by eGovernment Authority CEO Mohammed Ali Al Qaed who reviewed the achievements and benefits accomplished by the Kingdom and the functions of the national eGovernment strategy 2016. He also mentioned the achievements and aspirations of the eGovernment programme, citing leading international experiences, such as the Korean and Australian experiences that have been able to register their mark milestone in the area of eGovernment.
Al Qaed declared that the eGovernment Authority is keen on continual development and raising the quality of government services based on the latest practices and international standards as it benefits from international experiences – having previously launched eight applications for Smartphones in 2012, and today will launch four additional applications which rely on GPS technology for the first time.
Al Qaed noted that Bahrain held top places and became the first regionally in eService index in the United Nations’ eGovernment Development report for the year 2012. The report praised the role of the Kingdom in the implementation of initiatives based on the proposals of citizens with regard to the development of eServices, in addition to its role in providing services to people with special needs through ICT.
Following Al Qaed’s presentation, forum’s keynote speaker Robert Tercek gave a speech expressing his pride in participating for the first time in Bahrain International eGovernment Forum. He was impressed that Bahrain is investing in human resources and supporting technological investments.