Bahrain will ‘invest’ in government initiatives

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister has affirmed Bahrain’s commitment to investing in and supporting government initiatives, including Fikra, which has proven to further the quality of government services.

Fikra, or the Government Innovation Competition, has produced an array of creative ideas which have contributed to furthering excellence across government services benefiting the Kingdom’s citizens in line with Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.

HRH Prince Salman yesterday received the 12 finalists of Fikra, at Gudaibiya Palace.

The Deputy Prime Minister, His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, the Speaker of the Council of Representatives, Fawzia bint Abdullah Zainal, and several senior officials attended the meeting.

HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister highlighted that creativity and excellence are characteristic of Bahrain’s citizens, and highlighted the importance of implementing plans and programmes based on creative ideas to turn challenges into opportunities.

His Royal Highness further highlighted that this approach enhances competitiveness and creates promising opportunities in line with the Kingdom’s comprehensive development goals, led by His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

HRH Prince Salman honoured Fikra’s winners, noting that their ideas will be incorporated into the Kingdom’s development process, which will enhance the public sector’s efficiency.

Following a multi-tiered evaluation process, 12 concepts qualified for the final stage of the competition.

The ideas were presented to an evaluation committee comprised of several Ministers and were the subject of a public vote.

The following are the three winning concepts:

1. The ‘Hawiyati Application’, presented by Mohammed Abdulrahman Al Ansari and Sayed Ahmed Hameed Ahmed from The King Hamad University Hospital.

2. ‘Green by Grey’, presented by Hamad Badu from The Ministry of Works, Municipalities, and Urban Planning.

3. ‘Nasmaek’ (We Hear You) presented by Muhannad Al Noaimi from The Ministry of Information Affairs won the public vote.

The finalists expressed their thanks and appreciation of His Royal Highness's commitment to supporting government employees and promoting creativity and innovation across government workstreams.

The winners also expressed their pride in winning the competition launched by His Royal Highness and their aspiration to implement their ideas that will contribute to the Kingdom’s comprehensive development.