Mohammed Ali Al Qaed, Chief Executive of Bahrain’s Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA), attended the 27th meeting of the GCC eGovernment Executive Committee held in Kuwait, alongside Dr. Khalid Ahmed Almutawa, iGA Deputy Chief Executive for Operations and Governance, and senior eGovernment officials from GCC states.
The committee reviewed progress reports from the GCC General Secretariat on eGovernment strategic initiatives and discussed Kuwait’s preparations to host the 2025 GCC Digital Government Award, encouraging active participation from member states.
In a move reflecting evolving digital priorities, the committee approved renaming itself the “Digital Government Executive Committee” and upgrading its working groups into specialised technical committees to better align with future digital transformation needs.
Key agenda items included reviewing the Joint eServices Team’s network performance report, approving regular reporting to enhance operational efficiency, and evaluating recommendations from the Unified Software and Hardware Procurement Team. The committee also considered Bahrain’s report on technology company licensing models, endorsing negotiations to optimize licence costs for greater economic benefit.
Focusing on emerging technologies, the committee endorsed the development of a unified GCC AI strategic guide, with Bahrain leading its implementation under the broader eGovernment framework. It further reviewed plans from the Digital Trust Services Team on adopting digital certificates to secure government digital transactions.
Several AI initiatives were discussed, including Oman’s proposals for an AI applications framework in public services and an AI-driven climate forecasting and disaster management system. These were recommended for ministerial committee approval.
The meeting reaffirmed ongoing institutional efforts and technical collaboration across various digital transformation areas. It also prepared for the ninth GCC Digital Transformation Ministerial Committee meeting by reviewing prior minutes and decisions.
Bahrain’s active participation highlights its commitment to fostering Gulf regional integration in digital transformation, promoting knowledge exchange, and elevating government eServices quality across GCC countries.
