New ICT strategy to enhance efficiency of government services, says minister

TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The new ICT and Digital Economy Strategy, the Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohamed, said, will pave the way for increasing the efficiency of government services through e-transformation, digitising documents, moving to e-payments, and expanding the use of Artificial Intelligence, all the while strengthening public-private partnerships.

The strategy calls for developing the telecommunications infrastructure, supporting the digital economy, enhancing e-governance, and developing digital capacity.

The minister said there are key performance indicators to measure its success by 2026.

The Economic Recovery Plan mandates the development of the ICT sector in the Kingdom in line with the comprehensive development goals led by HM King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.

The ICT sector continues to receive support from the Government, headed by HRH Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa as part of the overall Bahrain Economic Vision 2030.

The Chief Executive of the Information and e-Government Authority, Mohamed Ali AlQaed, affirmed that the iGA would enhance e-governance through different initiatives.

iGA plans to implement digitisation initiatives, develop e-key services, launch unified apps, develop data portals, improve public E-Systems and adopt the latest technologies in conducting census surveys.

Shaikh Salman bin Mohamed bin Abdulla Al Khalifa, the CEO of the National Cybersecurity Centre, said the centre would launch the National Strategy for Cybersecurity to provide the necessary tools to achieve goals related to cyber security and data protection.

The CE of the Labour Fund (Tamkeen), Hussain Mohammed Rajab, affirmed the importance of capacity building and investing in human capital to boost the strategy.

“Tamkeen will continue to upskill Bahraini nationals through specialised programmes, private sector partnerships, and promoting research and innovation while introducing new concepts in existing curricula and increasing the number of graduates,” said Rajab.

Nibras Mohammed Ali Talib, the Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Registration and Companies at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Tourism, said the strategy aims to make the Kingdom a regional electronic trade hub.

He listed initiatives launched, including the Electronic Mall and the e-Marketplace in the commercial activity registration system.