Supreme committee for information and communication technology agrees to establishing company to oversee national call center project
Committee reviews preparations for Bahrain International eGoverment Forum 2009
Number of eServices reaches 78 and will be offered via mobile phones in 2 months
Bahrain to host Cisco’s international conference
The Supreme Committee of Information and Communication Technology (SCICT) held its 25th meeting at Qudaibiah Palace on Tuesday, 7th of April, 2009. The session was presided over by H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of SCICT, and attended by the esteemed members of the Committee.
The meeting started by approving a series of important proposals, including establishing a new company, equally owned by the Government of Bahrain and a large international company, for the planned National Call Center, one of the milestones of the eGovernment strategy. The call center will enable the general public to access all the government eServices through a single easy-to-remember number (with the exception of emergency services), as well as offering customer technical support services.
The National Call Center number will not only offer high quality government services and create jobs for Bahraini nationals, but will also help establish Bahrain as a leader in the area of call centers in the region and contribute to the diversity of the national economy, as well as attracting international companies in the services sector, in accordance with the Bahrain Vision 2030.
In addition, the SCICT approved a proposal to establish 15 common service centers throughout the Kingdom which will offer government eServices which will allow citizens and residents alike to conduct their governmental procedures through self-service electronic kiosks (eKiosks) free of charge. The first batch of these centers will be ready within 2 months, in cooperation with Bahrain Post.
Moreover, the Committee approved an initiative which will standardize the storage process and policies of government data to protect it from any outside security threats, which will ensure that government affairs continue in the event of any emergency.
The progress of the Bahrain International eGovernment Forum 2009 was also reviewed by the Committee. The event, scheduled to be held from the 25th to 27th of May at the Bahrain International Exhibition Center under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of SCICT, will host a large number of international speakers from the United Nations, World Summit Awards, GCC and Arab countries, EU, and international companies who will share the experiences of the world’s leading eGovernment nations, as well as the eGovernment programs being implemented in the GCC.
Also, the SCICT reviewed a number of reports about the latest achievements since the last meeting, which include the launch of 6 new eServices, bringing the total number of eServices offered on the National Portal (www.bahrain.bh) to 78, with 10 more coming with the next month.
Since the launch of the eGovernment strategy, the number of visitors to the National Portal reached 11,983,783 visitors, with 75,256 transactions conducted via the site totaling BD 4,703,587.
The Committee also reviewed a report about organizing Networkers, the Cisco Systems Inc.’s international conference, in Bahrain next year. The conference is the company’s main international event, and the most important in the ICT sector in terms of both number and quality of attendees. The conference will also host the technical innovation excellence awards.
This event which is expected to be attended by approximately 2,000 senior ICT officials from around the region, will elevate Bahrain’s status internationally as a prime destination for education, and establish Bahrain as a regional hub for ICT.
The Committee will meet again next month to continue monitoring the progress of its recommendations and plans.
