The MoU was signed by eGovernment Authority Strategy Business Process Reengineering and Enterprise Partnership Director Nezar Maroof on behalf of eGovernment Authority CEO Mohammed Ali AlQaed and KOTRA’s Vice President Jong Kyung Kim.
Under this memorandum, eGA will stay in correspondence with KOTRA to exchange expertise and visits as well as keep abreast with the latest trends of ICT and eGovernment services especially that Korea is a world leader in eGovernment readiness – according to the United Nations eGovernment Survey. The Korean agency will also coordinate with eGA to devise the optimum IT solutions offered by leading Korean companies by means of arranging business trips.
In turn, eGA will provide KOTRA with all the latest developments of projects, tenders and investment opportunities available through the authority’s projects in ICT, eServices and process re-engineering. This is to take place through the creation of massive data base that will provide accurate information for local and potential investors; meanwhile, KOTRA will contact companies and investors in South Korea in order to showcase the opportunities available in the Kingdom.
AlQaed declared that signing this agreement with KOTRA is a result of His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Al Khalifa, Crown Prince and Deputy Supreme Commander and First Deputy Prime Minister’s visit to the Republic of South Korea in May last year; where he conducted a series of successful meetings with executives from Korean companies. HRH Prince Salman commended the coordination between Bahrain eGovernment Authority and relevant Korean bodies in order to benefit from international expertise in the fields of ICT, knowledge and capacity building.
AlQaed said that signing this agreement with KOTRA reflects one of the key objectives of the National eGovernment Strategy 2016 which involves the increase of partnerships with the private sector as well as raising the level of readiness within the ICT field by adopting two annual initiatives in the eGovernment sector through global partnerships. He also added that the initiative reflects the effective ties between Bahrain and South Korea. Such ties will open-up new horizons for cooperation between both countries; in particular that South Korea has an advanced experience, ranked top by the United Nations in the area of delivery of eServices. He also highlighted the authority’s desire to promote cooperation and acquire benefits from Korea’s expertise in this field.
“We are keen to benefit from the private sector’s capabilities in the ICT field, and strive within the framework of the national initiatives to strengthen and maximize the effectiveness of the national economy to ensure the promotion of enhanced partnerships between the public and private sectors, create an appropriate competitive environment for investments in line with the goals of Bahrain Economic Vision 2030,” AlQaed, said.
eGA had previously cooperated with South Korea and signed an agreement to execute a Commercial License System Development Project (eInvestor) with Korean LG CNS on the sidelines of the visit made by His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Al Khalifa, Crown prince and Deputy Supreme Commander.
On the other hand, the authority also participated in October at the Global Forum on eGovernment 2012 which was hosted by the Republic of South Korea under the theme ‘Smart eGovernment for a Better Future’. During the forum, AlQaed made field visits to a number of Korean institutions for more background information about Korea’s experience and explore ways of better cooperation between the two parties.
Based on this memorandum a steering committee will be formed to discuss channels of cooperation and coordination between the two parties as well as set a strategy to promote joint cooperation and maintain continuous communication between both countries in the ICT sector.