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May 10, 2004
Bridging Bahrain's Digital Divide
Waheed Al Balushi of the Bahrain Internet Society gave an overview of the state of ICTs in the Persian Gulf kingdom of Bahrain. It's one of the smallest countries in the world, but has one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the Arab world, and serves as the leading financial services hub in the Gulf region. Less than a million people live in Bahrain -- just over 700,000 people -- and more than half of the population uses mobile phones. Bahrain has a high literacy rate, with large youth population - 60% of Bahrainis are 25 years old or younger. About 22% of Bahrainis use the Internet, second only to the U.A.E. in the Arab world.
King Hamad of Bahrain has launched his Project for Future Schools, a new initiative to bring computers and ICT curriculum to all Bahraini schools. Al Balushi's organization, the Bahrain Internet Society, is working to raise public awareness on the Internet, and promotes the goal of all Bahrainis having safe and reliable access to Internet services and content. "People will spend money buying a car, but they think twice before buying a computer," he said. Many Bahrainis remain afraid of Internet technology, so much needs to be done to demonstrate how it can be used in socially and culturally relevant ways.
With the Ministry of Commerce, they've launched the Bahrain eContent Award this past week. "This award aim to encourage e-content and e-creativity in Bahrain," Al Balushi explained, saying the initiative is modeled after the UN World Summit Award held last year.
Posted by acarvin at May 10, 2004 10:12 PM
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