Governance Committee Discusses ICT Projects Procurements Worth Approximately BD3M and Reviews the Updated Open Data Policy

Biz Bahrain

01-05-2025

Chaired by the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, the Information and Communication Technology Governance Committee (ICTGC) held its 76th meeting virtually to review projects and purchase requests submitted by government entities, with an estimated total value of approximately 3 million Bahraini dinars.
At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Al Qaed welcomed the attendees and expressed his sincere gratitude to the committee members for their continuous efforts and contributions. The meeting addressed several key items on its agenda, including the Comprehensive Modernization of the Telephone Communication System in Government Hospitals, which will be implemented using Internet Protocol (IP) communication technologies through cloud services. This initiative is expected to reduce administrative and financial burdens by enabling remote management of the telephony system and leveraging cloud services, which will help reduce investment costs as well as long-term operational costs, while also facilitating and accelerating network expansion with more flexibility, which will play a crucial role in meeting business needs and responding to operational changes.
The committee also discussed a number of projects and purchase requests related to the continuous development and support of information systems across various entities. These included the Examination Monitoring and Control System at the University of Bahrain, the IT Service Management System at the iGA, and the Tax Data Analysis Platform at the National Revenue Authority.
Additionally, the committee reviewed the draft of the updated Open Data Policy. This policy reflects the government's commitment to enhancing transparency and accountability by making non-sensitive data available to the public. The policy aims to empower citizens, researchers, and entrepreneurs to access and utilize government data in innovative ways to enhance services and improve their quality.
Among the key proposed improvements to the updated policy were the mandatory provision of datasets in open, machine-readable, non-proprietary formats, which would facilitate open data reusability and processing capabilities. The committee also discussed enhancing metadata formats to improve the clarity and understanding of published data. Moreover, the committee proposed the establishment of a standardized process to receive public requests for new datasets or feedback on published data.
Other proposed improvements aim to strengthen the core principles of the policy and ensure its alignment with the latest international standards and best practices in open data, such as compliance with the global Open Data Inventory (ODIN) index for measuring official data transparency and quality, as well as aligning with the United Nations' eGovernment Development Index (EGDI). These efforts reflect the government's commitment to fostering a culture of openness, community engagement, and expanding the use of official data to drive innovation and support sustainable development.
At the end of the meeting, the committee reviewed the implementation of decisions made during previous meetings and followed up on the progress of ongoing tasks.
The meeting was chaired by iGA Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, and attended by Undersecretary of the Ministry of Education, Nawal Ibrahim Al Khater; iGA Deputy Chief Executive of Operations and Governance, Dr. Khalid Ahmed Almutawa; Ministry of Finance and National Economy Director of Financial Systems Development, Abdullah Ahmed Dhaif; Chief of Corporate Services at the Economic Development Board, Ms. Linda Mohammed Junaid; Prime Minister's Office Director of Services and Information Systems, Ahmed Abdulnabi Al Qayyim; Dean of the College of Information Technology at the University of Bahrain Dr. Hessa Jassim Al Junaid; IT Advisor Dr. Ali Mohammed Al Soufi; and the Committee's support team in attendance.