Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa patronized the eGovernment Excellence Award ceremony. The celebration was attended by the Shura Council Chairman, the Deputy Premiers, ministers and invitees.

The Deputy Premier stressed the importance of continuity of the award which was launched in 2008 to reward and highlight the leading ICT initiatives undertaken by the Kingdom of Bahrain’s community. He said the award has been able in a short time to attract specialists and prompt innovation, creativity and competitiveness. He pointed out specificity of 2017 award which comprises seven categories and aims to optimize public services while reducing their cost, in line with the government’s trend to cut down expenditure.

The Deputy Prime Minister noted that the award is part of continuous efforts to create a knowledge society and keep abreast of the latest ICT innovations. He expressed happiness about honouring the winners of the award which, he said, has become a benchmark to measure quality and performance of e-services and improve the standard of the participants. He congratulated the winners, lauding their efforts to stand out. He thanked all the participants and organisers of the award, wishing all every success.

Five government institutions won the award. They are the Interior Ministry, the Justice, Islamic Affairs and Endowments Ministry, the Works, Municipality Affairs and Urban Planning Ministry, the Transportation and Telecommunications Ministry and the Health Ministry. Meanwhile, the award went to Takaful International from the private sector and in the individual category it was grabbed by Batul Yusef Sabat, Mazen Al Nuaimi and Fatima Al-Sayed Mustafa Al-Halay. In the “electronic citizen” category, it was clinched by Sayed Kadhim Mohsin and Abdulwahid Mohammed Faqih.

Chief Executive of the Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA) Mohammed Ali Al Qaed thanked the Deputy Premier for his unflinching support to the award and congratulated the winners on their achievements. He underlined the role of the government in backing the ICT sector in Bahrain which contributed to boosting the effectiveness of the sector’s infrastructure, optimizing services, supporting the knowledge-based economy, backing development projects and luring investments.

The iGA Chief Executive pointed out Bahrain’s advanced standing in the United Nations’ report on e-government over the past years thanks to continuous cooperation between various parties. He also emphasised the role of the eGovernment Excellence Award in encouraging innovation and creating a knowledge society. He expressed keenness on continuous positive participation in the award’s next editions to further stimulate innovation and improve services in the public and private sectors.

Source: Fana News