IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

The programme, called Qudrat eTraining, is a national project which aims to eliminate computer illiteracy by training 2,015 government employees and 13,000 Bahraini nationals, officials said in a statement.

Each trainee will attend a two-hour training session for 12 days.

The kingdom's eGovernment Authority has announced the initiative, and an initial contract has been awarded to design and build the centre to Bahrain-based strategic consultants BDO Jawad Habib.

Al Qaed stated that they've already succeeded in exceeding the set objectives and the number of registered delegates has so far reached 700 people, 550 of them are from outside the Kingdom of Bahrain, representing 97 countries.

It was announced by the e-Government Agency based on criteria set by ministerial and parliamentary committees, reports our sister paper Akhbar Al Khaleej.

Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said the move would allow everyone to communicate and interact direcly with government departments through social and technical channels.

Shaikh Mohammed was speaking while opening the fourth Bahrain International eGovernment Forum at the Isa Cultural Centre, in Juffair.

The workshops included international speakers who touched upon topics and trends related to the field of ICT.

Eight specialized workshops kicked-off today as part of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2015 activities held under the patronage of His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology.

Parallel to the Bahrain IT Expo 2015, the workshops will continue till 19th March, 2015.

Mr. Mohammad Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive Officer of the e-government Authority was also present along with His Excellency Mr. Sayed Agha, the Resident Representative of UNDP in the Kingdom of Bahrain.

The pioneering ict body showcases several of its leading e-government platforms including its spatial data infrastructure and abu dhabi contact centre

Abu Dhabi Systems and Information Centre (ADSIC), the government entity responsibly for the emirate's ITC agenda, recently showcased its pioneering efforts in enabling the digital transformation of Government services and delivery through a number of innovative added-value multiple digital channels during the Bahrain International e-Government Forum 2015, last week.

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.

The e-Government Authority (EGA) has been awarded the Information Security Certification - the international standard for protecting the confidentiality, integrity and availability of data.

EGA successfully developed services that provide support for citizens, residents and businesses through its website and mobile phone portals, e-kiosks and e-service centres.

The Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) has announced the launch of its eWallet, a new online payment method for government eServices.

The eWallet is being made available in cooperation with The BENEFIT Company, which runs the Credit Reference Bureau network and provides the electronic funds transfer system between banks, and CrediMax,  a pioneer in credit card and payment gateways.

India, whose highly trained team of experts work in the global IT industry, is an ideal partner for Bahrain in promoting its e-government initiatives, said the newly-appointed Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs and president of the Central Informatics Organisation (CIO), Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatalla Al Khalifa.

"Bahrain is ahead of other countries in the region in terms of having a mechanism as well as an open, fair and objective evaluation of e-content," he told the GDN.

The strategy, from 2007 to 2010, involved completing 203 eServices being made available though various channels, Cabinet Affairs Minister Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa told a Press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

He said this had been one of the eGA's most significant tasks accomplished.

Speaking at the official opening of the Bahrain ICT Expo at Bahrain International Convention and Exhibition Centre, he said participation in the event, coinciding with the Third Bahrain International e-Government Forum, was of a high standard.

"Bahrain is considered an active country in the use of social media networks, especially Twitter which has 61,000 active users in Bahrain only - with an average of one tweet per month," said Jordanian government digital director Khalid Al Ahmed.

Bahrain has made successive accomplishments in eGovernment within a very short time, Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said.

Citing Bahrain's 18th position among 192 members according to the UN eGovernment Survey, the Deputy Premier said this year's edition of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum coincides with the initiation of government's policy directions towards conversion into electronic transactions and application of best practices in the eGovernment field, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

Providing an effective virtual gateway to government information, presenting numerous accessible online services, and ultimately making life easier for its citizens and foreign residents. These are among the major goals the Kingdom of Bahrain has fulfilled so far as part of its full commitment to make inroads into ensuring a better and more sustainable future for all.

As a result, Bahrain has achieved the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number ten which aims at reducing inequality by adopting the “No One is Left Behind” motto in providing government services, notably via the Bahraini E-Government National Portal (hereafter, BE-GNP), where English and Arabic are used to offer services to Bahrainis and residents alike.

Bahrain is the only Arab country to feature in this category of advanced countries which have a very good development rate on the eGovernment Development Index, said the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The country is ranked 45th on the global information and communications technology readiness index. The Kingdom, which improved its position by six ranks this year, comes 45 behind UAE 29 and Qatar 32, and before Jordan 47, Saudi Arabia 48 and Oman 53.

Bahrain's regional leadership in information technology has been acknowledged recently by the World Economic Forum and INSEAD, one of the world's leading business schools, in the organisations' Global Information Technology Report 2007-2008.