European Commission issues call for e-government awards: The European Commission has issued a call for submissions for the third European eGovernment Awards, due to take place in September this year. The awards, which will be presented at the Ministerial eGovernment Conference 2007 in Lisbon in Portugal, recognise good practice in the use of ICT in public services at all levels -- national, regional and local. The conference and the awards will focus on four key themes in relation to ICT: better public services for growth and jobs; participation and transparency; social impact and cohesion; and effective and efficient administration. All public administrations in Europe that deliver e-government services and solutions are eligible to apply. Submissions from EU Member States, candidate countries, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland will be accepted, and applications must be in current use and supported by a public sector body. For more information visit www.epractice.eu/awards.
Bahrain reveals three-year plan: The government of Bahrain has launched its e-government strategy and unveiled a new e-services portal, www.e.gov.bh. Currently, there are 28 services accessible via the portal, with plans to increase this number to 167 over the next three years. The government has set aside USD58.3 million in development funding for the portal within that time-frame, according to AMEinfo.com. At an event to launch the portal, H.E. Sheikh Ahmed bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs, said the aim of the e-government strategy was to improve services for citizens and businesses while enhancing productivity and efficiency for the public sector. He also noted that four methods for delivering services would be developed in the coming years: online services, a national contact centre, common services centres and a mobile gateway.
South Africa upgrades IT network: The government of South Africa is revamping its internal IT infrastructure in advance of the country's hosting of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The state's current Government Common Core Network (GCCN) is to be replaced by a new Next Generation Network (NGN), the Public Service and Administration Minister Geraldine Fraser-Moleketi recently announced. Over the next five years a total of ZAR454 million (around EUR47 million) will be invested in the project, which aims to improve the delivery of services as well as reduce costs for the government, as the new network offers almost twice the bandwidth capacity of the GCCN. Telecoms operator Neotel has been awarded the contract to provide support for the new network, in a deal worth ZAR378 million over five years. The new system is expected to be up and running by October this year.
Oman aims to bridge digital divide: Oman is preparing to launch the second phase of its Digital Literacy Training Programme, an ambitious initiative aimed at helping all members of the community improve their IT skills, the Khaleej Times reports. The first phase of the scheme was deemed to be a success after 400 staff at four ministries were given IT training. It is hoped to eventually extend the same training to all 108,000 civil servants in the country, as well as to the business community and the general public. The head of the Information Technology Authority (ITA), which is charged with rolling out the scheme, admitted that bridging the digital divide poses challenges, the most significant of which are institutional bottlenecks and a shortage of skilled manpower. "The government, through ITA, is sparing no effort to overcome such obstacles to move towards a 'Digital Oman'," said Dr Salim bin Sultan Al Ruzeiqi, ITA chief executive.
New Zealand to roll out online ID system: The New Zealand government is moving ahead with the development of an Identity Verification Service, according to a report by Computerworld. The 2007 Budget has set aside NZD9 million (around EUR4.8 million) to roll out the State Services Commission's e-government initiative over the next two years. The project will allow citizens to identify themselves online to government agencies in 'real time'. "In several terms it's like presenting your passport online," said Laurence Millar, director of the SSC's e-government programme. "People can now go along and access any service and say 'I am who I say I am'." The new verification system will involve 'two-factor authentication', whereby a username and password are used in conjunction with another identity mechanism. It has yet to be decided what the secondary mechanism will be.
Autor(en)/Author(s): Sylvia Leatham
Quelle/Source: ElectricNews, 28.05.2007
