Manama, October 27 (BNA) The winners of the prestigious 2021 eGovernment Excellence Award were announced at a ceremony held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Media Committee. and communication technology.
The event, organized by the Information and eGovernment Authority, was held at the Gulf Convention Center in the Gulf Hotel, in the presence of ministers and senior ICT officials from the public and private sectors.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum stressed that the award is one of the most important national initiatives stemming from the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and with the support of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Adopting and investing in advanced technologies in the fields, and accelerating the digital transformation of the government.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed said: “This vision has resulted in a strong ICT sector with an advanced global standing, built on solid foundations and a technical infrastructure capable of keeping pace with global developments and accommodating national initiatives such as these awards.”
He said that the e-Government Excellence Award is a national wealth because of the interest and participation it enjoys from the participating groups and institutions, which led to its continued success. He expressed his appreciation to His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, for his supervision of the work of the Information and e-Government Authority.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed added that although the eleventh edition of the award came under very difficult circumstances imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, the award helped enhance the spirit of challenge and determination among public and private entities, which encouraged their pursuit of excellence. This prompted them to invest more in ICT and develop their systems, and provided the Bahraini entities participating in the award with an incentive to raise their levels of creativity and initiative. He expressed his hope that government and private agencies, as well as individuals, will continue their high level of participation in the award in the coming years, as partners in the development process in Bahrain.
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed also expressed his appreciation to the CEO of the Information and e-Government Authority Muhammad Ali Al-Qaed, the employees of the Information and e-Government Authority, members of the jury, organizers and everyone who contributed to the award. He congratulated the winners and wished them luck.
Among the public sector categories, the Ministry of Interior won the award for the best integrated services for individuals or companies for the geographical security system in the main control room (999), while the Ministry of Works won the award for the best e-government – government service. Internal follow-up system for municipal affairs and urban planning.
For the first time since the award was launched, three entities were jointly selected for the Best Practices category in the Community e-Participation category. The Ministry of Works, Municipalities Affairs and Urban Planning won it for its social media channels for works affairs, the Ministry of Interior (Southern Governorate) for the virtual council project, and Customs Affairs of the Ministry of Interior for its comprehensive activities for community participation.
The award for the best website went to the official website of the Ministry of Health www.moh.gov.bh, and the award for the best application for smart devices went to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Affairs for eShabab.
In the private sector, the best e-services winners were the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance (BIBF) for its MyClass and Bahrain Airport Services (BAS) for Shaheen’s service. Benefit won the Best Smartphone App award for BenefitPay.
In the category of Best Electronic Concept for Individuals, the winners were Shaima Al Meer and Fatima Murad for the 360o Boulevard project, Abdulaziz Al Mawda for the Litigants Chatbot, and Sheikha Munira bint Mohammed Al Khalifa for Gov4Good. While Yasser Abdul Jalil Ali Al Sharif and Muhammad Abdul Razzaq Al Mahmoud won the e-citizen award, which is given to citizens who used government e-services on a large scale and paid the highest amount through e-payment services within one year.
The leader gave a presentation on digital transformation and global trends, which the award has tracked over the years. He expressed his appreciation to His Highness Sheikh Mohammed for his sponsorship and support for the award since its inception. He also congratulated the winners for their outstanding contributions and ideas, and provided an overview of the award and its role in highlighting the pioneering initiatives in the field of information and communication technology in Bahrain. With the support of His Excellency Lieutenant-General Sheikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Minister of Interior, the award was an important part of Bahrain’s national ICT infrastructure and an annual showcase for creativity and innovation. The Leader highlighted the cooperation between the public and private sectors in implementing various digital transformation projects and their positive effects.
A short film about the awards was shown, which included a review of the award process, the positive results achieved, and the efforts of the jury in evaluating the applicants.
NS