Bahrain has allocated BD45 million ($118.6 million) to fund ongoing information communication technology (ICT) projects for ministries and government organisations, said a top official.

e-Government Authority (eGA) chief executive Mohammed Al Qaed revealed the figure after opening the sixth Bahrain International e-Government Forum and Exhibition, according to a report in the Gulf Daily News, our sister publication.

More than 800 delegates from around the world are attending the three-day event, taking place at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa.

Al Qaed also announced the launch of an e-services search engine which he said would be a "major addition" to eGA services.

"Such a search engine would normally cost around $1 million (BD377,000) to build and set up and take six months but we have done it in-house in two months," he said.

Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa said Bahrain's expertise in e-Government has been recognised around the world.

"We have had this forum for the sixth year in a row and have attracted the maximum number of 800 delegates this year," he said.

"This shows the popularity of the event, which is seen as a chance by experts in the field to gain from the experience of participants."

Shaikh Mohammed also inaugurated the Bahrain IT Expo and honoured recipients of the e-Government Excellence Awards.

Information technology expert from the US Robert Tercek, who is one of the creators of interactive entertainment content in the area of television, telecommunications and software, spoke at the event.

It has been organised by the eGA in collaboration with Bahrain Internet Society and Project Management Institute - Arabian Gulf Chapter. – TradeArabia News Service