Manama, Jan. 13 (BNA) Minister of Transport and Communications Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed affirmed that the telecom sector strategy 2022-2026, telecommunications, information technology and digital economy is a fundamental pillar in the economic recovery plan and will contribute to achieving the comprehensive Kingdom. Economic growth and development.
The minister explained that the economic recovery plan provides for the development of the information and communication technology sector in the Kingdom. He stressed that the development of the sector is in line with the various initiatives put forward to achieve the comprehensive development goals of the Kingdom under the leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa.
He added that the ICT sector continues to receive support from the government, headed by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and Prime Minister Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, as part of Bahrain’s comprehensive economic vision 2030.
The Minister of Transport and Communications has set the main objectives of the 2022-2026 ICT strategy and the digital economy. He explained that the strategic objectives focus on improving the Kingdom’s overall global position in the e-participation index of the United Nations e-government survey. The minister added that the strategy will also create a world-class digital infrastructure, by developing cybersecurity standards, and attracting major technology companies, to become a regional center for digital innovation.
Kamal bin Ahmed stressed that the newly launched ICT strategy and digital economy will pave the way for increasing the efficiency of government services through electronic transformation, digitization of documents, the transition to electronic payments and the expansion of the use of artificial intelligence, all while strengthening the public. private partnerships. He highlighted the main pillars of the strategy, which include developing communications infrastructure, supporting the digital economy, enhancing e-governance, and developing digital capabilities.
The minister explained that there is a set of key performance indicators to measure the success of implementing the strategy by 2026. He explained that the Kingdom aims to increase the number of start-ups in the communications and information technology sector by 20%, and to automate 200 additional government services. Increasing national employment in the sector by 35 percent, and training at least 20,000 citizens in cybersecurity.
For his part, the Executive Director of the Information and e-Government Authority, Muhammad Ali Al-Qaed, explained the main role that the Information and e-Government Authority plays in achieving the goals of the launched strategy.
The Leader confirmed that the Information and eGovernment Authority will work to enhance e-governance through various initiatives.
He detailed the entity’s plans to implement digitization initiatives, develop electronic key services, launch unified applications, develop data portals, improve public electronic systems, and adopt the latest technologies in conducting census surveys.
He also explained how the Information and eGovernment Authority will help support the movement of the digital economy through the development of digitization policies.
Sheikh Salman bin Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, CEO of the National Cyber Security Center, affirmed the center’s commitment to achieving the objectives of the communications and information technology strategy.
Sheikh Salman explained the role of the center in enhancing cyber security to create secure platforms for e-governance.
He said that the center will launch the national cybersecurity strategy, to provide the necessary tools and directives to achieve the specific goals related to cybersecurity and data protection.
Speaking during the conference, the CEO of the Labor Fund (Tamkeen), Hussein Mohamed Ragab, stressed the importance of capacity building and investing in human capital to reach the strategy’s goals.
He said that Tamkeen will continue to support opportunities to hone the skills of Bahraini citizens in this field by launching specialized programs, developing partnerships with the private sector, promoting research and innovation, while introducing new relevant concepts into the current curricula and increasing the number of graduates. In the field.
Nibras Muhammad Ali Talib, Assistant Undersecretary for Commercial Registration and Companies at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Tourism, explained the role of digitization in overall economic development.
He focused on the national e-commerce strategy launched by the ministry in 2019, which includes several initiatives to develop and support the sector.
Taleb explained that the strategy aims to make the Kingdom a regional center for e-commerce.
He mentioned several initiatives that were launched, including the electronic commercial center and the introduction of the electronic market in the commercial activity registration system.
FKN