H.H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa – Deputy Prime Minister, Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information & Communication Technology – patronizes the Opening Ceremony of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum & IT Expo 2018 held today at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and organized by the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA).
During the occasion attended by the Deputy Prime Ministers, Chairman of Shura Council, number of ministers, House of Representatives and Shura Council members, diplomats, senior officials, guests and participants from Bahrain and abroad; His Highness stated:
“Held in its 9th edition; the Forum is one of the major important events that attracts elite experts as it provides an opportunity to exchange pioneering experiences and initiatives, additionally, enhances local and foreign relationships to present the latest and most advanced in the ICT field.
The Kingdom of Bahrain has achieved, in this field and throughout a period of more than 10 years, several accomplishments related to the Government Action Plan and government projects to benefit the nation and citizens – strengthening confidence amongst investors in various sectors and earned the Kingdom the position and name as a safe, stable investment destination.
One of the most significant accomplishments within the eGovernment Program is maintaining at least 90% of the national strategic goals and exceeding the value of financial transactions completed via the eGovernment channels to BD333 Million after launching more than 350 eServices in various services provided for citizens and residents.
As a result of these accomplishments, local or international, the Kingdom of Bahrain was able to maintain its advanced rank with very-high index countries as issued in the United Nations eGovernment Survey 2018 which ranked Bahrain 26th internationally, 5th amongst Asian countries and 4th worldwide within the Telecommunication Infrastructure Index.
In partnership with Amazon Web Services, the Kingdom was able to solely lead the global trend in the Cloud Computing field – locally and regionally and in both the public and private sectors. The new eGovernment national strategy for 2019-2021 has focused on determining the strategic priorities to support the Government Action Program and achieve the Economic Vision 2030.
To establish the culture of government excellence in the ICT field and Cyber-security amongst all government entities, a Bahrain eGovernment Index has been formed to evaluate entities according to a set of criteria that contribute in raising performance and apply the best technical practices on an institutional level.
On such occasion, I am pleased to thank Chief Executive and employees of the Information & eGovernment Authority, partners, sponsors as well as the National Information and Communication Technology of eGovernance Committee for its exerted efforts in reducing expenditures,” stated His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.
The event also included a speech of iGA Chief Executive Mr. Mohamed Ali AlQaed who presented the Authority’s key accomplishments since its establishment along with the new strategy. A short reportage was also presented to showcase Bahrain’s journey in the ICT field and a speech by Huawei Technologies Company Group Vice President Mr. Mark Xueman which introduced the company and its vision on its future operations in the Kingdom. Mr. Xueman also highlighted the company’s readiness to collaborate with the government as a strategic partner in the ICT field.
During the closing, H.H. Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa honored public entities which were granted with advanced rankings in the Bahrain eGovernment Index 2018. These entities include Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs; Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning (Works Sector) along with the Ministry of Health. Furthermore, His Highness honored Forum’s sponsors and organizers then lastly inaugurated the Bahrain IT Expo 2018.