eGovernment Authority in Bahrain speaks at Gulf eCommerce Forum 2009

The theme of the Forum, 'Electronic Portals: A Future Look', is a topic the eGovernment Authority is intimately familiar with. The eGovernment National Portal (Bahrain.bh), launched in November 2008, was a landmark event, being the first of the four main service delivery channels in the eGovernment strategy, the other three being the mobile gateway, common service centers, and national contact center.

The story of the National Portal was chronicled by CEO of the eGovernment Authority Mr. Mohammed Al Qaed during the Forum's opening ceremony, including major milestones and challenges faced before and after the Portal's launch, as well as expounding on the importance of such portals to eCommerce to bolstering the economies of nations across the globe.

"Well-developed comprehensive electronic national portals are a significant factor in the progress of nations when it comes to simplifying processes, increasing efficiency across society, and facilitating and developing business and commerce." he said. "Such portals are a key reason why nations such as the United States and Singapore sit amongst the top countries in important UN rankings reports such as eReadiness and business friendliness."

"The Kingdom of Bahrain, guided by Vision 2030, is setting the necessary groundwork to progress and become a player in the regional and international scene through the various eGovernment programs and initiatives," he continued. "The eGovernment National Portal will be a major contributing factor in this regard. We have recently completed upgrading the Portal's infrastructure platform to accommodate its growing number of visitors and integrated eServices the ministries plan on launching through the site."

According to Al Qaed, electronic national electronic portals help shift the focus to the end users, thereby elevating the level of service and added value presented to them. In addition, they present a convenient one-stop-shop to access all government services and information for users, and even enables direct interaction between the public and government ministries and departments.

"Furthermore," he added, "electronic portals help overcome common problems such as bureaucracy, waste, and pollution, and form one of the keystones in building a modern and efficient knowledge economy that attracts foreign direct investments and creates jobs, leading to economic sustainability."

In addition to Al Qaed, Head of eService Delivery at the eGovernment Authority Mr. Mohammed Abdulaziz gave an in-depth presentation during the Forum's first session, using the eGovernment National Portal (Bahrain.bh) to illustrate the important role partnerships can play in creating world-class electronic portals that offer the best added value and quality standards to end users.

The presentation, entitled 'Effective Partnerships in eServices', revolved around the role of public-private partnerships and the eGovernment Authority's experience in this regard. The presentation included case studies of current partnerships between the eGovernment Authority and various private sector enterprises, and how these joint efforts optimize eService delivery to citizens, residents, visitors, and businessmen. The presentation also touched on the positive overall effect these partnerships have on the national economy as a whole, as they help to attract foreign direct investments and create high-level jobs for citizens, in accordance with Vision 2030.

Several lively panel discussions are on the agenda of the two-day conference covering a wide array of topics of interest related to electronics portals. Expert panelists from Bahrain, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Oman are set deliberate various issues of shared interest such as national electronic portal readiness, data privacy and security, and knowledge and best practice exchange to come up with a series of recommendations at the end of the event.

The eGovernment National Portal offers 24-hour access to 107 government eServices to citizens, residents, visitors, and businesses, out of 200 identified in the eGovernment strategy for 2007-2010.