Projects & Initiatives

The "National Correspondence System" is an official platform that acts as an intermediary between government entities. The system aims to provide a unified governmental system that helps accelerate and simplify the exchange, tracking, retrieval, and secure archiving of correspondence between government entities. It also offers flexibility for internal correspondence among employees within the same organization, facilitating government communication and improving the quality of services provided to citizens and residents.
This contributes to reducing the time and effort required, while enhancing the speed of government decision-making, ultimately improving performance and productivity. Additionally, the system helps reduce operational costs related to resources such as paper, printers, and delivery services.

The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) launched the Bahrain National Enterprise Architecture (NEA) which aims at shaping a strategic framework, establishing a uniformed infrastructure, databases, policies, standards and information systems across all ministries and government agencies placed under the same banner, and streamlining procedures and gaining easy access to services and avoiding duplication of efforts, and thereby reducing the global cost to implement the ITC projects with a core focus on quality assurance and electronic systems in the government sector through a uniform framework for project management and aligning such services to various channels such as the National Portal (bahrain.bh), eGovernment Apps Store, and the Government Services Contact Center 80008001.
The Project has contributed in enhancing levels of performance and efficiency of the ICT departments in several ministries and government agencies, accelerating the exchange of information between government entities, streamlining and eliminating regulatory red tape barriers, reducing the time lag to carry out several government transactions.
The National Enterprise Architecture (NEA) gained an exceptional international recognition by winning the UNPSAs for the best performance in eGovernment under the category of “Advances Government Knowledge Management” and received the eWorld Forum Award for the Best Innovative Initiative in eGovernment.

The Integrated Workflow Management System "Zajel" is one of the key innovative projects that aims at creating a secured environment for eCommunication, in order to ensure that both the executive and legislative authorities are linked to each other with a core focus on enhancing efficiency of executive, legislative and supervisory operations assigned to such entities. Zajel will automate and speed up the decision making process across several national entities with a view to developing aspects of information transfer, facilitating channels of communication within a safer information environment, maintaining security and confidentiality of shared information, as well as adding swiftness and effectiveness of such correspondences.

The project is intended to improve automation of information exchange among national entities by networking them electronically, provide a simplified and integrated interface, offer a secure email environment, as Zajel contains several layers of protection that ensure the confidentiality of correspondence according to user groups and nature  of documents sent, make it possible to send/receive correspondence in real time, save information, and search it through advanced archiving systems, make it possible to receive notifications of process progress and/or delays, Increase efficiency of work processes and Reduce administrative costs and paperwork.

The e-messaging national project (Zajel) has recently won the United Nations Public Service Award (UNPSA) 2012 for the Integrated Workflow Management System (IWMS) under the category of "Advances Government Knowledge Management"ز

The eMeeting++ System was introduced as a technical solution that replaces the board pack utilized in traditional meetings with a user-friendly cloud-based application that allows users to receive meeting updates and agendas along with relevant files on their Smart Devices.
Alternatively, the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) is currently working towards making it a cloud-based system to support the concept of shared services within the government. The cloud-base introduces a ‘Session Recoding’ feature in addition to the below features; taking into consideration data security and protection in transmitting between various components - in a safe, secure manner.

The main features of the eMeeting++ system are:

• Review the information pack for upcoming meetings as well as easily view or add annotations
• Check the schedule of the next meeting
• Access past meetings’ information packs
• Add shared and private notes
• Access documents anywhere
• Secure information, even in the event of misplacing the directors’ iPads
• Add annotations in the meeting files using freehand drawings, numerous shapes or sticky notes
• Instant messaging with other meeting attendees
• Completely or Arabized? – offering layout from right-to-left so as to suit the Arabic language
• Anonymous voting
• Accessible on varied mobile platforms; such as iOS and Android

The Commercial Registration Portal (Sijilat) is an advanced electronic platform which streamlines business-related transactions with government entities in the Kingdom of Bahrain. It allows investors to submit applications round the clock, seven days a week, without the need to visit an investor center or any other relevant authority. Applicants will receive automatic email and text notifications to help them keep track of their requests.

Sijilat empowers investors by providing access to guidelines and procedures related to Commercial Registrations (CRs) in Bahrain, allowing them to apply for new CRs, modify them, and search for information related to CR and agency records.

History of Sijilat

2006: Launch of E-investor System

• Focused on individual CR management services

• Incorporated the eKey
• Electronic connection with licensed entities for CRs-related transactions
• ‘Profile’ service introduced as a guide for various business services

• Adoption of international standard industrial classification of all economic activities (ISIC4)
• Service for issuing CRs without a license in just 93 seconds

•  Revamped user interface
•  Automated guide service
•  User dashboard for viewing all CRs
•  Added additional licensing entities related to CRs including:
• National Bureau for Revenue (NBR)
• Supreme Council for Environment (SCE)
• Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunication (MTT)
• National Health Regulatory Authority (NHRA) 

The enhanced Sijilat 3.0 was introduced to support entrepreneurship and investment in the Kingdom by centralizing eServices that directly facilitate the extraction and management of CRs by investors or their representatives. Some services have been revamped to enhance access to commercial services and improve customer satisfaction. The updated system offers the following additional features and services:

• The website interface offers enhanced usability for both computers and mobile devices, simplifying usage and accessibility. It also allows for easier electronic transaction tracking, with the steps required to access services being reduced by 50%, and the steps needed to complete services have been reduced by 60%.
• A service for ‘Request for Printing Certificates/Extracts/Letters’ has been introduced, enabling investors to effortlessly extract certificates and CR data electronically.
• A control panel for applicants has been added to facilitate transaction and CR monitoring.
• New tools to assist investors include cost and timeframe calculators and a feature allowing users to compare different business activities.
• Provide templates for required documents to streamline the application process based on company and transaction type.
• Instructional videos have been made available for all services provided through the system.

The National Appointments System and the "Mawaeed" app was launched in collaboration with the Ministry of Interior. This unified platform allows users to book appointments for government service centers that require in-person attendance. It is one of the winning ideas from the second edition of the Government Innovation Competition (Fikra).

"Mawaeed" is a key pillar in the Kingdom’s government eServices ecosystem. The app supports both Arabic and English, offering users the ability to view a list of government entities and their services, making it easy to book and manage appointments anytime, anywhere. Additionally, the app features notifications to confirm appointments and remind users of their scheduled times. It also allows users to view the required documents for each service to ensure they are prepared before visiting service centers, enhancing the user experience and making it smoother and more efficient. Furthermore, the app enables government entities to receive instant feedback from users. After completing an appointment and service, users receive an SMS on their registered phone number, allowing them to evaluate the center through the National Suggestions and Complaints System (Tawasul).

The Information & eGovernment Authority is committed to delivering a unified and secure platform for government service payments, ensuring that users can perform transactions with the highest standards of security and privacy protection. Through this platform, user information is safeguarded, and payment processes are streamlined for enhanced safety and efficiency.

The National Payment Aggregator plays a key role in supporting a wide range of national and strategic projects across various sectors and government entities, enabling convenient and efficient payment solutions for citizens and businesses alike.

The project to automate the birth & death archive aims to enhance operational efficiency and improve the quality of services provided by the government to citizens and residents.
The project relies on a digital archiving system that ensures the secure storage of documents in digital format, helping to protect them from damage or loss.
This initiative is part of the National Birth & Death Registration Program, in accordance with Decree-Law No. 7 of 2019 regarding the regulation of birth and death registration. Article 4 of this law transferred the responsibility for birth and death registration to the Information & eGovernment Authority, to improve and develop these processes.

Cloud computing is concerned with IT operations of an organization in the cloud. Cost effectiveness, efficiency, scalability, high availability, on-demand nature of resources and elasticity are pivotal reasons why organizations would like to migrate to cloud computing. Out of the many available options in the market, Amazon Web Services (AWS) stands as the most mature service provider in this business space. AWS is also named as a Leader in Gartner’s Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) Magic Quadrant for the seventh consecutive year. Cloud computing is the next big trend in the IT operations of any organization, no matter how big or small, public or private, involved in day-to-day business or mission critical applications – all can benefit from cloud computing.

The role of the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) is to head the cloud project for the Government of Bahrain and assist in conceptualizing, plannig, developing, and form the building blocks to operate it efficiently for all governmental entities. 

For more information, please visit bahrain.bh.

Tasareeh is considered as a unified central online system that manages project applications and infrastructure work in Bahrain. It has been internally implemented amongst ministries together with with private and public entities whom receive automatic and unified applications for road and drilling licenses serving medium and large projects in an aim to facilitate the process of issuing these licenses promptly during a short period of time. It also eliminates the need to visit the concerned parties to complete these transactions.

This online system allows for the issuance of building permits for all types of projects in the Kingdom, whether they are for investment, residential, industrial, commercial, or other purposes. It enables licensed engineering offices to submit building permit applications and enquire about their statuses, acquire consultation services from government entities specialized in building permits, pay building permit fees, and conduct other related transactions. Benayat streamlines the process for applicants, allowing them to receive all the information they need to prepare the documentation, schematics, and blueprints that are required when submitting applications. All requirements and legislations related to building permits are available on online.

The eKey system allows the eServices users to login in a single, simple and secure manner by verifying the identities of individuals for citizens and residents of the Kingdom of Bahrain and citizens of the Cooperation Council countries who hold a GCC identity card, in order to facilitate the process of quick and secure access and ensure privacy without the need to enter data and personal number several times for all government services offered online. The system also enables government entities to provide a unified system for accessing their offered services through various channels such as smart device apps and websites.

The “Technical Development Program” was launched, collaboration with the Ministry of Labor as one of the strategic projects that aims to refine the skills of young Bahraini university graduates and job seekers with technical specializations from those between the ages of 21 to 30 years who are registered in the unemployment insurance system to be human capital and distinguished and experienced national cadres in line with the requirements of the labour market and make them the best choice in employment.

This is in line with the Economic Recovery Plan and the Fiscal Balance Program of Bahrain's Vision 2030, aimed at supporting unemployed individuals and recent graduates in the ICT sector. The project aims to help achieve sustainability, fairness, and competitiveness in both the public and private sectors and to optimize government spending by reducing costs, terminating unnecessary external IT contracts, and creating job opportunities for qualified Bahrainis.

The National Suggestion & Complaint system “Tawasul” is one of the essential eChannels that enables citizens and residents to submit their suggestions, comments, and complaints to the government entities within the Kingdom of Bahrain; available on “Tawasul”, easily at any time and anywhere.
The system registers and addresses all queries by directly sending submissions to the central office which comprises of highly-experienced teams of the relevant government entities participating in the system. The system will provide users with a tracking number that will enable them to track the progress of their submission.

The Qudurat training program was launched based on the need of educating citizens on computer knowledge. The Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) has noted this as part of its eGovernment National Strategy - by taking the responsibility of providing free training classes for the citizens of the Kingdom. Launched in 2009 under the name ‘eCitizen’ and later renamed to Qudurat, the free-of-charge program was initiated to fill the computer literacy gap, and encourage citizens to benefit from the online services offered on Bahrain.bh.
One of the programs’ success key factors was the collaboration of various government organizations such as Ministry of Social Development and Ministery of Youth and Sport Affairs. Another form of collaboration took place with the association of various NGOs such as Al Hekma Society for the Retirees, Awal Women's Society, and Friendship Society for the Blinds. In addition, the program was enrolled in 2014 Royal Police Academy Summer Camp.