Government digital transformation efforts are proceeding at breakneck speed, as reflected by the quarterly eServices statistics report, which recorded a 20 fold surge in government mobile application usage available in the eGovernment App store bahrain.bh/apps , compared to the same Five-month period last year.
Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Deputy Chief Executive of Electronic Transformation, Dr. Zakareya Ahmed AlKhajah revealed that the report, covering the months from April to August 2020, also found that more than 800,000 government transactions were processed through all channels, with online payments exceeding BD 57 million across all digital channels.
Customs fees and taxes can now be paid via the national portal bahrain.bh without the need to physically visit service centres, the Ministry of Interior’s Customs Affairs announced yesterday. Customs Affairs Finance head Hamad Buhijji said: “The new service, provided in collaboration with the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA), is in line with the directives of Minister of Interior General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdulla Al Khalifa to digitally transform all the ministry’s services.
“Customs fees, and the tax payment service, in particular, attract a high volume of requests, standing at approximately 73,000 transactions prior to the service going online.” He praised the partnership between Customs Affairs and the iGA, and expressed his appreciation for the authority’s efforts in making this service available to the public following a restructuring and revamping of processes and procedures, which are aimed at making it as accessible as possible.
Enlisting Artificial Intelligence and Big Data in COVID-19 fight has helped Bahrain ‘save precious time’ and combat the pandemic in a better way, said a top iGA official. The advanced technologies helped Kingdom easing the burden on medical staff and allowed them to focus on active cases that require treatment and thorough observation.
Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, said this during a webinar on the ‘Future Vision of Digital Government Through the Lens of COVID-19’ organised by Saudi Arabia’s eGovernment Programme ‘YESSER’ and the World Bank.
Education Minister Dr. Majid bin Ali Al Nuaimi has announced that school results will be released electronically, after their official approval. He said that the decision not to distribute paper results and certificates as usual is in line with the Education Ministry’s keenness to implement the precautionary measures taken by the Kingdom to combat the coronavirus (COVID-19), especially social distancing, as well as its efforts to transition to electronic services.
The Minister indicated that the results will be available on the educational portal edunet.bh for all school levels, adding that third intermediate and secondary school students will also be able to receive their certificates via their Microsoft365 accounts. Graduation and good conduct certificates will also be e-mailed to secondary education graduates, the Minister added.
eServices allow graduates to complete all procedures without having to physically visit service centers and offices
School and university graduates are invited to finalise their graduation requirements through a bundle of eServices offered via the national portal, bahrain.bh.
Information and eGovernment Authority deputy chief executive of electronic transformation Dr Zakareya Al Khajah said the eServices allow graduates to complete all procedures without having to physically visit service centers and offices.