The annual Bahrain International eGovernment Forum this year will be the biggest ever, said a senior official.

More than 500 delegates are expected to take part in the fifth edition of event at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain Hotel and Spa from April 9 to 11, eGovernment Authority (EGA) chief executive officer Mohammad Al Qaed added.

Addressing a Press conference at the Moevenpick Hotel, he said this year's event aims to explore the cutting-edge development concepts in the field of information and communication technology (ICT).

"This will enable experts to share experiences and expertise, in addition to developing ICT in Bahrain across various sectors."

He said the forum will also seek to act as a trigger for public and private sector as well as non-governmental organisations and look at providing solutions for their ICT needs.

"This, in turn, will contribute to their development and help in supporting Bahrain's economy."

The event, under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology president Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, is organised by the EGA in co-ordination with the Bahrain Society of Engineers (BSE), the Bahrain Internet Society (BIS) and Project Management Institute - Arabian Gulf Chapter.

BSE president and executive committee chairman Majeed Al Gassab said the event will be an important platform for local and international ICT experts to gather.

"The forum will provide an ideal environment to exchange information, experiences and expertise in the field of ICT and will create investment opportunities to develop technology in Bahrain in line with Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030."

Technical committee chairman and BIS president Nawaf Abdulrahman said the forum will address the latest developments in technology with focus on a variety of key topics and programmes. "These relate to eGovernment, eParticipation, eInnovations, open data, mobility and smart cities."

He said speakers from Korea, Belgium, Estonia, the UK, Japan, Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Poland, the Netherlands, the US, Germany and Colombia will attend.

Sponsorship and exhibition committee chairman Ahmed Naeemi said Tamkeen are the strategic partners of the event while it is sponsored by the Interior Ministry, Ernst & Young, Shura Council, Almoayyed Computers, Affno Middle East, Microsoft, Batelco, GBM-IBM, STS Jordan, Zain Bahrain, Bapco, the Electricity and Water Authority and Silah Gulf.

While the forum will open on April 9, the accompanying IT expo will open for the public on April 10 and 11. During the event's opening ceremony on April 9, the winners of the eGovernment Excellence Awards 2012 will also be announced.

Shaikh Mohammed will present the awards. – TradeArabia News Service