Bahrain Open Data Portal wins Best Open Data Initiative at 5th GCC eGovernment Awards

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Nearly 400 government databases and over two million records have been established in the Bahrain Open Data Portal, which has won the Best Open Data Initiative at the fifth GCC eGovernment Awards.

Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) chief executive Mohammed Ali Al Qaed congratulated and thanked the team behind the portal, data.gov. bh, which adheres to global best practices and United Nations standards for open data.

The team’s endeavors included developing infrastructure and databases and updating the portal with statistics, culminating in the establishment of 387 government databases and over two million records, contributed by 34 government entities.

The portal is designed to empower decision-makers, investors, researchers, and citizens by providing them with accessible, useful, and valuable information. Al Qaed also congratulated and thanked the team behind the National Suggestions and Complaints System (Tawasul) for their efforts and for receiving a Certificate of Excellence in the Best Digital Community eParticipation category, reaching the final stage of the award which saw strong competition from a range of GCC digital projects.

He commended these achievements, which are the result of the iGA teams’ dedicated efforts to develop the portal—one of the key digital initiatives supporting the Kingdom’s digital transformation and its enhancement of government services.

Al Qaed expressed his gratitude to the senior leadership and government for their support of information and communication technology (ICT), driven by a vision that focuses on advancing technology and digital transformation across the Kingdom’s key sectors.

He also congratulated Minister of Interior and Ministerial Committee for Information and Communication Technology (MCICT) chairman General Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, acknowledging his crucial role in guiding and overseeing the iGA’s national initiatives and ongoing project development.

These efforts were pivotal in the recent launch of the revamped Bahrain Open Data Portal, a significant accomplishment for the Gulf region. Al Qaed reaffirmed the commitment to further enhancing the portal and all national systems and projects, to improve user experience.

Al Qaed highlighted the portal’s role in promoting transparency, encouraging eParticipation and innovation, and disseminating government data. He invited everyone to utilise the portal’s extensive features, which allow for the sharing and distribution of government information in accessible formats, free of charge, and in accordance with established guidelines to meet the diverse needs of stakeholders and specialists.