The theme of the Forum, "Electronic Portals: A Future Look", is a topic the eGovernment Authority is intimately familiar with. The eGovernment National Portal (Bahrain.bh), launched in November 2008, was a landmark event, being the first of the four main service delivery channels in the eGovernment strategy, the other three being the mobile gateway, common service centers, and national contact center.

The story of the National Portal was chronicled by CEO of the eGovernment Authority Mr. Mohammed Al Qaed during the Forum's opening ceremony, including major milestones and challenges faced before and after the Portal's launch, as well as expounding on the importance of such portals to eCommerce to bolstering the economies of nations across the globe.

"Well-developed comprehensive electronic national portals are a significant factor in the progress of nations when it comes to simplifying processes, increasing efficiency across society, and facilitating and developing business and commerce." he said. "Such portals are a key reason why nations such as the United States and Singapore sit amongst the top countries in important UN rankings reports such as eReadiness and business friendliness."

"The Kingdom of Bahrain, guided by Vision 2030, is setting the necessary groundwork to progress and become a player in the regional and international scene through the various eGovernment programs and initiatives," he continued. "The eGovernment National Portal will be a major contributing factor in this regard. We have recently completed upgrading the Portal's infrastructure platform to accommodate its growing number of visitors and integrated eServices the ministries plan on launching through the site."

According to Al Qaed, electronic national electronic portals help shift the focus to the end users, thereby elevating the level of service and added value presented to them. In addition, they present a convenient one-stop-shop to access all government services and information for users, and even enables direct interaction between the public and government ministries and departments.

"Furthermore," he added, "electronic portals help overcome common problems such as bureaucracy, waste, and pollution, and form one of the keystones in building a modern and efficient knowledge economy that attracts foreign direct investments and creates jobs, leading to economic sustainability."

In addition to Al Qaed, Head of eService Delivery at the eGovernment Authority Mr. Mohammed Abdulaziz gave an in-depth presentation during the Forum's first session, using the eGovernment National Portal (Bahrain.bh) to illustrate the important role partnerships can play in creating world-class electronic portals that offer the best added value and quality standards to end users.

The presentation, entitled "Effective Partnerships in eServices", revolved around the role of public-private partnerships and the eGovernment Authority's experience in this regard. The presentation included case studies of current partnerships between the eGovernment Authority and various private sector enterprises, and how these joint efforts optimize eService delivery to citizens, residents, visitors, and businessmen. The presentation also touched on the positive overall effect these partnerships have on the national economy as a whole, as they help to attract foreign direct investments and create high-level jobs for citizens, in accordance with Vision 2030.

Several lively panel discussions are on the agenda of the two-day conference covering a wide array of topics of interest related to electronics portals. Expert panelists from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman are set deliberate various issues of shared interest such as national electronic portal readiness, data privacy and security, and knowledge and best practice exchange to come up with a series of recommendations at the end of the event.

The eGovernment National Portal offers 24-hour access to 107 government eServices to citizens, residents, visitors, and businesses, out of 200 identified in the eGovernment strategy for 2007-2010.

-Ends-

About eGovernment Authority Bahrain
The eGovernment Authority (eGA) was established by Royal Decree No. (69) in August 2007. Reporting to the Cabinet, the eGA aims to coordinate and execute e-government initiatives in line with the strategies, plans, and programs set by the Supreme Committee for Information Communication Technology (SCICT), headed by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister.

The eGA's role entails everything from proposing overall policies and appropriate legislations to the SCICT for approval to overseeing the execution of the approved SCICT programs. This includes suggesting required IT programs, facilitating communications and services between all government entities, opening new e-channels for e-government services, and offering technical and knowledge-based support to the ministries and other government entities.

Currently, the eGA is working on executing the plans contained within Bahrain's e-government strategy to achieve the ambitious Bahraini e-initiatives, as well as offering 200 basic governmental services electronically via various communication channels within 3 years to all citizens, residents, and businesses of Bahrain.

The eGA formed up of 4 directorates: Directorate of Policies and BPR, Directorate of Service Delivery and Channel Enhancement, Directorate of Marketing and Awareness and Directorate of Human and Financial Resources and Capacity Building.

For further information please contact:
Lulwa S. Ebrahim
eGovernment Authority
Kingdom of Bahrain
Tel +973 17 388380
Fax: +973 17 388338
Email: lebrahim@ega.gov.bh 

© Press Release 2009

 

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