The initiative called 'e-government towards a better life' was launched yesterday by Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) who highlighted the salient features of the three year e-government strategy.
He said: "Bahrain is keen for having pioneering and outstanding e-services that enhance its profile as an attraction spot for investments, financial dealing and human experience.
Shaikh Mohammed also launched the Kingdom of Bahrain's new national portal which is accessible at www.e.gov.bh and shed a light on the necessity of e-government by making the public sector more competitive, efficient and productive.
The Deputy Premier dwelled on advantages of provisioning electronically enabled services such as lesser turnaround time for providing services to citizens, better information sharing amongst government agencies and accrual of cost savings to the government.
He said that 28 important e-government services are already available on the national e-government portal and over the next three years about 167 most important services will be made available online. He urged all the ministries, individuals, media and businesses to work together for making the e-government strategy a success.
Shaikh Ahmed bin Atiyatallah Al Khalifa, Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and a member of the SCICT conducted a presentation by touching upon all important aspects of three year e-government strategy.
He underlined the significance of the e-government programme for the development of the country and the economy while explaining how the e-government programme complements the ambitious reforms undertaken by the Kingdom in the fields of education, economy and labour market.
Shaikh Ahmed said: "The basic aim of the e-government strategy is to achieve a visible improvement in service delivery to individuals and businesses while achieving productivity and efficiency for the public sector." The e-government strategy under the guidance of SCICT has been prepared by the renowned international management consultancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers. The e-government strategy details out the action plan for the electronic enablement of over 160 services from 28 government agencies, four service delivery mediums - the Internet, national contact centre, common services centres and mobile gateway over the next three years.
Ministry of Municipalities and Agricultural Affairs; General Directorate for Nationality, Passports and Residence; and Ministry of Industry and Commerce conducted presentations to address the needs of the four primary customer segments addressed in the e-government strategy - individuals, businesses, visitors and government.
Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, general director IT, appraised the audience regarding the vision, outcomes and targets for the e-government strategy. He further gave details regarding the initiatives including access through multiple channels such as the internet-enabled PCs, mobile phones, contact centre and common service centres. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa also opened the exhibition.
Ministry of Interior, Basim Yaqoob Al Hamer, explained the eBorder system and the benefits accruing out of it to the various stakeholders including the government, tourists and businesses. The presentation revealed that over 3000 eVisas were issued during each of the past two months. List of services, available on the e-government portal, for the visitors was also presented. The presentation from Ministry of Industry and Commerce shed light on the initiatives undertaken by the Kingdom for enhancing the contribution of businesses in the economy by proper streamlining of processes and procedures. The presentation also examined the various stakeholders for the development of eCommerce in Bahrain.
Quelle/Source: MENAFN, 24.05.2007
