Riyadh, Nov. 16 (BNA): The Information and e-Government Authority, representing the Kingdom of Bahrain, participated in the Digital Government Forum 2022, a leading event covering digital topics, which was held in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The event was organized by the Digital Government Authority (DGA) in Saudi Arabia and was attended by ministers, senior officials and digital government practitioners from the region and across the world.
The event was held under the slogan “Towards a Promising Horizon”, and showcased the latest achievements made by digital governments. The event aims to help strengthen communications, provide a platform for exchanging information on digital transformation, encourage the study of challenges, and develop partnerships between Arab countries in the field of digital governance. In addition, the forum focused on promising investment opportunities in the digital sector, which will highlight government efforts, enhance beneficiary experience and government efficiency, accelerate digital transformation, and improve the quality of life for the public. It will also help increase competitiveness through digital services and promote a culture of innovation and excellence in adopting emerging technologies.
The CEO of the Information and eGovernment Authority, Muhammad Ali Al Qaed, was one of the speakers in one of the forum sessions, entitled “The Future of Digital Governments”. He highlighted the experience of the digital government in Bahrain, stressing that the support of the Kingdom’s supreme leadership has enabled the readiness of high-quality information and communication technology infrastructure and electronic channels that helped provide many government services via the Internet to citizens and residents. It also allowed the creation of new systems that support electronic integration between government organizations, providing technology-supportive policies such as digital and cloud-first policies, and encouraging the deployment of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and development. From government platforms such as the Merchant App, Benayat, and Al Sejilat, which have fostered digital innovation and supported entrepreneurship and data governance. All of these achievements have played a major role in enabling Bahrain to combat the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is also in line with the objectives of the Communications, Information Technology and Digital Economy Sector Strategy (2022-2026), which is part of the economic recovery plan.
Al-Qaed said that the key to digital transformation is the creation of a unified digital identity for institutions and individuals in the Kingdom. Bahrain is keen to take advantage of the applications of biometric technologies, such as eye and face recognition. It has also taken steps towards national data governance, which ensures the availability of accurate and reliable data, and has deployed artificial intelligence in decision-making.
He added that the Kingdom is committed to transferring knowledge and experience with other countries, especially when it comes to exchanging data. He cited some examples, including Bahrain and Saudi Arabia sharing vaccination details of their citizens and residents during the pandemic. He spoke about the importance of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), which works to enhance cooperation through entrepreneurship, innovation, business growth and employment in a shared digital economy. He also referred to the efforts of international organizations such as the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in promoting digital transformation through the exchange of information and expertise.
On the sidelines of the forum, a number of activities were held, including the meeting of the e-government executive committee of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, the announcement of the results of the digital transformation report for the year 2022, the launch of the new digital government offers, and a ceremony honoring the winners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Digital Government Award.
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