Arab eContent Award winners announced

Manama: Bahrain has embraced the idea of enhancing eContent to keep abreast of the latest developments and create a knowledge-driven economy, Shaikh Mohammad Bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the Supreme Committee for Information and Communications Technology (SCICT), has said.

Such a drive requires supporting the development of a stimulating environment that acts as a catalyst to promote creativity and engagement of youth in all areas of scientific advancements, including developing and designing eContent, as well as putting a significant imprint of our identity on the international technology map, Shaikh Mohammad said as he honoured the winners of the Arab eContent Awards 2013 and Bahrain eContent Awards 2013.

The event was organised by the Bahrain Internet Society (BIS), in cooperation with the eGovernment Authority (eGA) and the World Summit Award (WSA).

Winning participants in local competitions had thoroughly been assessed at the Middle East level in compliance with the same WSA international standards, supervised by the WSA board, he said.

Shaikh Mohammad added that Information and Communications Technology (ICT) has taken centre stage as one of the critical issues in the sphere of knowledge, with the promotion of the free flow of information and ideas, providing a platform for increased competition among nations and scientists.

The future for youth is heavily dependent on technology as information and technology will be shaping the future of the emerging generation, which requires a new all-embracing vision to make youth the true architects of our societies, he said.

Transportation Minister Kamal Bin Ahmad said that Bahrain recognised the significance and close correlation between awards and a view to enrich the Arab eContent as a strategic value for the present and the future.

He said that although the Arabic language was ranked sixth in the world in terms of propagation, and almost 360 million Arabic users are connected via the internet, the volume of Arab eContent on the net is only 3 per cent, according to the report of the Arab Information and Communications Technologies Organisation (AICTO).

“Such cruel facts require that the figures must be recognised as an alarm bell due to the drop in Arabic content and should serve as an incentive to remove barriers that hamper the maximisation of the eContent available at present for Arabic-speaking users on the internet,” he said. “This can be achieved by devoting particular attention to every development prospect on the Arab and international levels, including fostering and enhancing innovation intended for a knowledge generation.”