Procurement worth $26.5mln discussed at ICTGC in Bahrain

PHOTO

Bahrain - Strategic procurement requests valued at about BD10 million ($26.5 million) were discussed at the 63rd Information and Communication Technology Governance Committee (ICTGC) virtual meeting in Bahrain. The meeting was chaired by Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed.

Items on the agenda included a Ministry of Finance and National Economy project focusing on building modern systems and applications using Low-Code platforms. The Low-Code platforms rely on user-friendly interfaces, compared to traditional programming which depends on complex programming languages and lengthy development processes.

Low-Code technologies offer several advantages, such as not requiring a large number of specialised programmers and significantly accelerating development processes. They also facilitate change and updates in systems and applications. Additionally, these technologies are compatible with modern development environments based on cloud computing. The committee commended the Ministry for its proactive steps in adopting advanced technologies and encouraging innovation in the field of information technology.

iGA’s eKey System

The committee also discussed a complete revamp project for iGA’s eKey System, which aims to enhance unified access system for eServices, improve verification mechanisms, and ensure higher levels of security. To achieve these objectives, the project relies on the latest standards and best practices in information security field, including the eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication, and trusted services) regulations adopted by the European Union.

The committee also addressed the development project of the Acquisition and Compensation System at the Ministry of Municipalities and Agriculture. This project seeks to streamline compensation procedures for owned lands. It is part of the Unified Platform for Digital Transformation for Municipal Services programme.

In addition, the Committee covered several procurement requests related to upgrading Information Technology (IT) services at other government entities and reviewed implemented decisions from previous meetings.

Also in attendance were Ministry of Education Undersecretary for Policies, Strategies, and Performance, Nawal Al Khater; iGA Deputy CE of Operations and Governance, Dr Khalid Ahmed Almutawa; Ministry of Health Assistant Undersecretary for Public Health, Dr Ijlal Faisal Ali Al-Alawi; Ministry of Finance and National Economy Director of Financial Systems Development, Abdullah Ahmed Dhaif; Economic Development Board (EDB) Director of Corporate Services, Linda Mohammed Janahi; University of Bahrain Dean of the College of Information Technology, Dr Hessa Jassim Al Junaid; and Director of Services & Information Technology at Office of the Prime Minister, Ahmed Abdulnabi Al Qayem. Dr Ali Al-Soufi, the Information Technology Advisor, and the supporting team of the Information and Communications Technology Governance Committee were also present.