Bahrain’s Cabinet Affairs Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology member Shaikh Ahmed bin Ateyatala Al Khalifa and e-Government Authority (eGA) chief executive officer Mohammed Al Qaed yesterday launched the mobile portal for e-Government services designed, built and maintained by Affno.

The launch took place at a Press conference at the Ritz-Carlton Bahrain, ahead of the Bahrain International e-Government Forum 2009 to be held at the Bahrain International Exhibition Centre from tomorrow until Wednesday under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister of Bahrain Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, who is also chairman of the supreme committee.

Affno Mobile Portal Manager and Affno Mobile Messaging Manager products have been deployed in this project. These products have been highly customised in line with Bahrain e-Government Authority’s specific requirements. The eGA will offer 200 basic services through the e-Government mobile portal.

Shaikh Ahmed said that, by offering e-Government services through multiple easy-to-access delivery channels, everyone is included, regardless of education, income, gender, age or nationality, with the aim to achieve quality and integration with a focus on customer satisfaction. “These must also be of the highest quality standards and effectiveness to facilitate transparency, efficiency and economic growth”, he added.

Shaikh Ahmed also pointed out that according to the latest figures, mobile penetration in Bahrain stands at 119 per cent, which is considered to be very high. “We have ensured that we offer e-services to people through this popular channel which they are very familiar with so that they gain maximum ease of use and benefit. The mobile portal would allow anyone with a mobile phone to communicate with all government entities and avail of their services”, he added.

The initial phase of the mobile portal will include 11 basic government services, with 39 more to be rolled out by year's end, taking the total to 50. The key services include enquiries regarding electricity bills and traffic contraventions, daily price index, flight information, school examination results and registration of complaints to government bodies.

Mr Al Qaed said the launch of the two channels was another step towards facilitating public access to government services. "These channels are innovative methods to benefit from government services and deliver them to our customer base which bridges the gap between government and the general public, in line with Vision 2030."