Page 67 - SAMENA Trends - Jan-Mar 2024

REGIONAL & MEMBERS UPDATES SAMENA TRENDS

iGA Chief Executive: Bahrain Achieves Significant Strides in Governance &

Operations in 2023

With the development of the government data lake, infrastructure,
and cloud services, it witnessed significant improvements,
streamlining the creation of performance indicators and
automated data analysis, thereby strengthening government
decision-making, and advancing smart government objectives
through data-driven insights. This system was recently used to
support the Real Estate Regulatory Authority’s National Real Estate
DataBank (Aqari), and Tamkeen’s national skills' portal (Kawader).
Al Qaed highlighted the completion of user files and data backups,
a significant iGA achievement that benefited 76 governmental and
semi-governmental entities through Microsoft's cloud computing
system, enhancing data security and ensuring more convenient
access. This project improved government efficiency and mitigated
risks associated with data loss. Additionally, over 300 government
websites were integrated into the GDN, resulting in faster, more
secure information exchange, with the integration level upgraded
from second to third tier. Geographic information systems
achievements included more than 50 improved electronic services
on the Benayat and Planning platforms and new user-friendly
services, highlighting iGA’s dedication to creating innovative
solutions that meet citizens' and residents' needs. The iGA also
launched the Botanical Atlas project to study vegetation maps
and classify types of agricultural crops through satellite images
and field surveys. To bolster the kingdom's digital transformation,

The Information & eGovernment Authority’s (iGA) operational and
governance achievements for 2023 were revealed by Mohammed
Ali Al Qaed, iGA Chief Executive, in line with Bahrain’s vision for
digital transformation and the enhancement of its Information
and Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructure, these
achievements were carried with the support of General Shaikh
Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, the Minister of Interior and Chairman
of the Ministerial Committee for Information and Communication
Technology (MCICT). Al Qaed emphasized the most significant
accomplishments, notably improvements to the eKey system
which involved substantial updates, expanding its capacity to
be able to support 20 million annual authentications and 84,000
new users. Beyond capacity enhancement, these efforts covered
infrastructure improvements and heightened security measures,
ensuring a safer user experience while accessing government
eServices. Al Qaed confirmed the deployment of an updated and
more efficient system to enhance customer service, improve
response times, and monitor more than 80 systems and websites.
This more efficiently monitors the Government Data Network and
data centers through the integration of advanced technologies
such as the Cisco ThousandEyes network monitoring system
with the iGA’s Cloud, ensuring higher quality services. These
improvements strengthen the Kingdom's technical infrastructure,
ensuring business continuity and readiness for future challenges.

67 JANUARY-MARCH 2024