Bahrain’s eGovernment Authority has announced the launch of the Government Apps Store, a unified window that consists of all government applications for an integrated mobile phone portfolio.

The launch was announced by Minister of Transportation Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed during the inauguration of the 'MEET ICT 2013' conference today (December 10) at the Bahrain International Exhibition and Convention Centre.

A number of high level officials are taking part in the summit which runs till December 12. The event involves Bahrain International Technology Exhibition (BITEX), debates along with roundtable discussions.

Speaking at the launch, Kamal bin Ahmed said, "The ICT has reached a stage of development with a core focus on excellence by supporting initiatives to develop knowledge essentials – based society supplemented by  modern communication networks and qualified workforce, in addition to exchange of expertise."
 
He said conferences sucha s the Meet ICT are one of the facets of the private sector’s major part in the development process; partnering with the public sector to ensure the transition from an information society to a knowledge-based society.

“We as officials should work on promoting the private sector to contribute as part of the ambitious framework adopted by the National eGovernment Strategy 2016 which has as its primary objectives of raising the levels of competence, fostering participation and active cooperation between stakeholders, as well as sponsoring innovation and entrepreneurship,” he remarked.

“We seek to be transformed into a smart society based on efficient and effective performance with a core focus on raising the level of knowledge-based services by ideally using information technology and the grounds for our optimism is the notable developments and indicators that imply safety and integrity of our directions,” he added.

Certified global reports about ICT indicators show that milestone achievements have been made by Bahrain in this industry. International Telecommunication Union’s (ITU) has identified Bahrain as one of the most dynamic countries in ICT.

Measuring the Information Society (MIS) report issued this year ranks Bahrain third in the Arab region and eighth as the highest in terms of the ICT Development Index (IDI).

Bahrain Technology Companies Society (BTECH) chairman Ubaydli Al Ubaydli stressed the vital role of entrepreneurs in the development of the economic growth in their countries, pointing out entrepreneurs’ key role in diversifying sources of income, creating new job opportunities and horizontally distributing the production process rather than being concentrated in cosmopolitan cities.

In another development, Ubaydli announced the launch of a first-of-its-type of “Entrepreneurs Gateway”in the region. It is a joint collaboration effort by Unido, BTECH, Gulf Future Business, Southern Governorate and Al Nadeem IT Company, said the top official.  

Elaborating on the new features of the entrepreneurial gateway, Ubaydli said the portal is distinguished in terms of the collective efforts exerted by a number of stakeholders to develop the idea and establish the infrastructure of the portal and then launch the required services.

Kamal later honoured the sponsors and partners who have contributed to the success of the event which was held in parallel with BITEX.

The three-day conference and exhibition gathers ICT institutions and companies to have the opportunity to showcase their relevant activities and services.

The expo will be a meeting venue to communicate and interact with various local, regional and global organizations as well as experts such as the eGovernment Authority.

The Bahrain eGA eService Delivery and channel enhancement director Ahmed Buhazza will be presenting a paper tomorrow (December 11) on the mobile technologies and modern trends moving towards mobile services with the aim of promoting transition towards smart government.

The annual conference’s fourth edition talks about ICT Arabic strategies intended for sustainable development in the Arab world - with the participation of local and international professionals and experts in this field.

Bitex displays all technical support for companies specialized in the ICT industry and offers the opportunity to be familiar with this market’s trends – allowing direct communication with international corporations operating in this area.-TradeArabia News Service