"Through our e-government strategy, we have placed the roadmap and action plan of the government for a period of three years," said Deputy Prime Minister and Information and Communication Technology Supreme Committee chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.
He was speaking at the opening of the Bahrain International e-government Forum held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre.
The forum coincided with the first anniversary of the inauguration of the e-government strategy for Bahrain.
"We aspire to provide the best government services to citizens, residents, economic, banking institutions and business effectively and efficiently focusing on providing high quality and distinct e-government services which would contribute to making Bahrain the optimal preferred place for work, residence and tourism," said Shaikh Mohammed.
The forum also coincides with the celebration of the World Information Society Day.
Over 500 delegates from around the world are attending the forum and the exhibition.
The three-day event, being held under the patronage of Shaikh Mohammed, is organised by the e-government Agency in co-operation with Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE) and the Bahrain Information Technology Society (BITS).
The opening session was also addressed by Central Informatics Organisation (CIO) president and forum head Mohammed Al Amer, BSE president Abdul Majeed Al Gassab and BITS vice-president Hussain Naeemi.
A presentation on Bahrain e-government was made by e-government Agency chief executive officer Mohammed Al Qaed.
The shift to electronic dealings would save time and effort and reduce cost in light of economic and population growth in the region, said Shaikh Mohammed.
"Bahrain, out of its belief in the paramount importance played by information and communication technology in the development of nations and peoples and the tremendous potentials it offers for development and progress in all areas, has taken serious and practical steps to activate the programmes of the e-government," he added.
Some of the programmes include:
- The formation of the Supreme Committee for Information Technology and Communications by a resolution issued by Prime Minister Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa.
- Launch of the e-government strategy for Bahrain last year.
- Formation of working groups in all ministries and state bodies to speed up the transition to electronic services.
The government will continue during the coming period its policy in relation to activation of its programmes in this field by utilising the infrastructure for information technology, communications and the specialised Bahraini labour force here, said Shaikh Mohammed.
He presented awards for excellence in the field of e-government.
"We aim through the launch of such awards to increase desire and competitiveness of ministries and economic institutions to offer the best initiatives and electronic services with efficiency and high quality, and contribute to maintaining the leading position of Bahrain in providing the best electronic services for all."
Since the establishment of the e-government authority under the Cabinet by a royal decree last year, more than 50 government services were provided electronically within the e-government portal on the Internet, which can be accessed and used all days of the week, 24-hours-a-day, said Shaikh Mohammed.
"We also provide multiple methods of payment via electronic e-government portal through credit cards and normal ATM cards, to facilitate payment services to the public," he revealed.
There has been an increased rate of visitors to the e-government portal, said Shaikh Mohammed.
It started at a rate of 200,000 visits per month during the launch of the strategy and recently reached one million visits per month.
An agreement with Microsoft was finalised to implement the national e-mail project through which Bahrain will be one of the first world countries to provide this effective service free of charge for citizens and residents, said Shaikh Mohammed.
"The next phase will witness a continuation of work on activating the rest of government electronic services which are now 167 essential government services," he added.
"The e-government will work in conjunction with ministries and various government agencies to launch 40 new government services electronically by the end of this year."
The forum, under the theme Serving the Community, brings together GCC and international experts who will discuss and debate key issues and future directions in e-government, said Mr Al Amer.
"This is a unique opportunity to learn from e-government practitioners and to investigate the GCC e-government market," he added.
Mr Al Amer said it was important to protect and secure the data from abuse.
"The forum has brought together the very latest solutions and the brightest minds in government and industry," he added.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Soman Baby
Quelle/Source: Gulf Daily News, 20.05.2008
