Strategic procurement requests valued at approximately BD10million were discussed at the 63rd Information and Communication TechnologyGovernance Committee (ICTGC) virtual meeting, chaired by Information &eGovernment Authority (iGA) Chief Executive, Mohammed Ali Al Qaed.

Al Qaed welcomed the attendees and thanked them for theirongoing efforts and contributions. Items on the agenda included a Ministry ofFinance and National Economy project focusing on building modern systems andapplications using Low-Code platforms. The Low-Code platforms rely onuser-friendly interfaces, compared to traditional programming which depends oncomplex programming languages and lengthy development processes. Low-Codetechnologies offer several advantages, such as not requiring a large number of specializedprogrammers and significantly accelerating development processes. They alsofacilitate change and updates in systems and applications. Additionally, thesetechnologies are compatible with modern development environments based on cloudcomputing. The committee commended the Ministry for its proactive steps inadopting advanced technologies and encouraging innovation in the field ofinformation technology.

The committee also discussed a complete revamp project for iGA’s eKey System,which aims to enhance unified access system for eServices, improve verificationmechanisms, and ensure higher levels of security. To achieve these objectives,the project relies on the latest standards and best practices in informationsecurity field, including the eIDAS (electronic identification, authentication,and trusted services) regulations adopted by the European Union.
The committee also addressed the development project of the Acquisition andCompensation System at the Ministry of Municipalities and Agriculture. Thisproject seeks to streamline compensation procedures for owned lands. It is partof the Unified Platform for Digital Transformation for Municipal Servicesprogram.

In addition, the Committee covered several procurement requests related toupgrading Information Technology (IT) services at other government entities andreviewed implemented decisions from previous meetings.

Also in attendance were Ministry of Education Undersecretary for Policies,Strategies, and Performance, Nawal Al Khater; iGA Deputy CE of Operations andGovernance, Dr. Khalid Ahmed Almutawa; Ministry of Health AssistantUndersecretary for Public Health, Dr. Ijlal Faisal Ali Al-Alawi; Ministry ofFinance and National Economy Director of Financial Systems Development,Abdullah Ahmed Dhaif; Economic Development Board (EDB) Director of CorporateServices, Linda Mohammed Janahi; University of Bahrain Dean of the College ofInformation Technology, Dr. Hessa Jassim Al Junaid; and Director of Services& Information Technology at Office of the Prime Minister, Ahmed AbdulnabiAl Qayem. Dr. Ali Al-Soufi, the Information Technology Advisor, and thesupporting team of the Information and Communications Technology GovernanceCommittee were also present.