IfG.CC - The Potsdam eGovernment Competence Center

Bahraini information technology and e-content expert, Waheed Al Balushi, who is e-services manager for the Labour Market Regulatory Authority, is taking part in the grand jury sessions.

The latest meeting was held on the island of Brijuni, Croatia, under the patronage of President Stjepan Mesic.

Unveiling the strategy, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) said 90 new projects will be implemented during the four-year period.

The First GCC Conference for eGovernment came under the recommendations of the first meeting of the GCC's eGovernment Agencies and programs held in the Kingdom of Bahrain which has proposed to have an annual conference to share common experiences and successful projects among all the Gulf States, instead of a separate conference.

The Bahrain Pavilion showcases different solutions and applications offered by the private sector to deliver integrated eGovernment services. This comes as part of the Kingdom's goal of increasing the pace of growth and development of the Kingdom's private sector in the field, as well benefitting from knowledge and experience exchange and spreading awareness about the high level of quality of Bahrain's services, in line with Bahrain's Vision 2030 of economic sustainability.

The Supreme Committee of Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) approved a proposal to establish a new company to manage the project.

The company will be equally owned by the government and a large international company.

Bahrain Post, in cooperation with the eGovernment Authority (eGA) in Bahrain, recently launched the Mailbox Renewal eService for individuals and businesses through the eGovernment National Portal (www.bahrain.bh).

This follows the launch of the successful eService enabling the tracking of postal packages earlier this year, the first of many offerings Bahrain Post has pledged to provide through the eGovernment National Portal. The mailbox renewal eService simplifies the process and makes it much more convenient for those who wish to renew their mailboxes, while at the same time easing the workload on Bahrain Post staff and enabling further efficiencies at post offices throughout the Kingdom.

Customers can enter their 13 digit ‘mail number’ to track their shipments online through Bahrain’s egovernment portal, or through a smartphone app, available free for Android and iOS-based phones. Users can download this app through the mobile section of the egovernment portal.

Mohammed Ziad Asfour, eGovernment Authority Marketing and Awareness Directorate Assistant Director, said in an official statement, “The aim of this campaign is to encourage the public to use the e-payment of fees and contraventions through the mobile, familiarize them with the registration process for this state-of-the-art mode of payment while highlighting the benefits in term of saving a lot of time and effort.”

It is being run by a newly-formed company, Silah Gulf, which was also launched yesterday during a ceremony held under the patronage of and attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

Operated by the newly formed company, Silah Gulf, the centre offers the same comprehensive services at an elevated level of quality to all ministries, government and private sectors on both local and regional levels through an easy to dial number on a 24 hour basis.

The National Contact Centre is considered as a channel that permits the Kingdom of Bahrain’s Government to expand the services it offers to its citizens, residents, visitors and businesses by ensuring the prompt as well as simple access. It is part of the main national strategic objectives of the eGovernment Authority that strives to facilitate and to enable citizens to interact with the government through telephone calls, post, emails and by fax.

The signing ceremony was held at the eGovernment Authority headquarters in the presence of Bipa Director General Dr. Raed Mohammed bin Shams, the CEO of the eGovernment Authority Mr. Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, and a number of officials from both organizations.

BIPA director general Dr Raed Mohammed bin Shams and eGA CEO Mohammed Ali Al Qaed signed the MoU at the eGA headquarters in the presence of officials from both organizations.

Dr Mohammed stressed the need of continuous learning through the various elearning and etraining channels and described it as an essential part of Bipa strategy within the framework of 'Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.'

Bahrain’s eGovernment Authority (eGA) has announced the release of ‘Ramadaniyat’ to provide a range of services with an application for smart devices.

All eServices related to Ramadan are available in the 'Ramadaniyat' section on the eGA portal (bahrain.bh) and the mobile portal (bahrain.bh/mobile), the authority said.

The International Internet Society, a non-profit organisation that sets standards and Internet policies in the world, has ranked Bahrain as 19th country in the world with the best Internet services.

The Kingdom’s classification was based on the feedback of the society’s branch in Bahrain, and the speed of its “Internet growth” in particular, as well as its reliability, sustainability and ability to meet the requirements of data preservation and exchange.

The report is integral and comprehensive in measuring the readiness of eGovernment and is the only report globally that evaluates the readiness of 193 world countries and United Nations Member States. It has indicated the advancement of Bahrain on the eParticipation Index – occupying the 14th rank after it had been the 19th within the last report in 2012. Such an achievement s moved Bahrain ahead It was also classified, for the 3rd consecutive time, as one of the top 8 countries in the Global Web Index.

The report is integral and comprehensive in measuring the readiness of eGovernment and is the only report globally that evaluates the readiness of 193 world countries and United Nations Member States. It has indicated the advancement of Bahrain on the eParticipation Index - occupying the 14th rank after it had been the 19th within the last report in 2012. Such an achievement s moved Bahrain ahead It was also classified, for the 3rd consecutive time, as one of the top 8 countries in the Global Web Index.

The Global Information Technology Report 2012 ranked 142 economies by examining the correlation between ICT readiness and economic growth.

In the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), Bahrain was ranked 27th globally and first in the Middle East and North Africa region, up three places on the previous year.

Deputy Premier HH Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa the chairman of the Supreme Commission for Education and Training Development dispatched a message of thanks to the Minister of Education Dr. Majid bin Ali Al-Nuaimi on the occasion of the Kingdom of Bahrain's attaining this advanced position.