MANAMA: There has been a 55 per cent growth in the number of online transactions in 2016 when compared with 2015, according to data released by Information and eGovernment Authority (iGA).
Data also shows that the value of financial payments during the same period saw an increase of 32pc amounting to BD46 million across various channels.
These channels include the national portal (Bahrain.bh), eGovernment Apps Store (Bahrain.bh/apps), together with the eKiosks – this is according to the nature of each service and public trends in using services.
Such rise is due to the authority’s continuous efforts to implement its strategy concerned with the increase of users’ demands on online payments and eTransformation in phases of numerous services, develop them to suit the needs of the public and employ the best technology.
The method of paying fees of government services online represents a step amongst a studied mechanism for the authority to re-engineer services.
The authority succeeded in providing faster and easier ePayment services while ensuring security and privacy of users.
Today, eService beneficiaries have become more aware and confident in the ePayment services that are delivered via multiple online channels – avoiding them from visiting more than one government entity or website.
Their reliance, on these services, have been raised as an easy and fast mechanism which saves them time and effort; in addition to the public entities’ co-operation in transferring their services to become electronic along with their direction towards the dispense of numerous traditionally delivered services – such collaboration contributed in achieving this success with the highest levels of efficiency and speed.
The iGA statistics – related to accomplished payment transactions during 2016 in comparison with the previous year – indicated that approximately 648,000 ePayment transactions were conducted via the national portal (Bahrain.bh) with a total amount of BD43m.
Furthermore, several payment services via the portal achieved an increase in the number of transactions and payments such as the services Request for eBirth Certificates, Passport Renewal as well as Payment and Enquiry of Court Execution Ruling.
Such rise is due to the enhancements of the services and the impact of change management in achieving eTransformation within government services.
Payments have also been raised via the Sijilat services due to the continuous collaboration between the authority and Industry, Commerce and Tourism Ministry in promoting the reliance of businessmen on e-services.
The total number of visits to services available on the national portal has exceeded 3m and 40,000 visits – some of these services include the pre-employment health check-up appointments for foreign employees, payment of criminal orders, travel ban and passport renewal.
During the same period, more than 51,000 payment transactions were conducted online via applications available in the Bahrain eGovernment Apps Store with nearly BD3m (equivalent to three times the amounts paid through the apps during 2015).
Downloading apps has also increased by 6pc – most of which were for the apps student exam results, followed by traffic services and electricity and water services.
The total number of mobile applications users reached 4.5m – an increase that reaches about 21pc compared with 2015.
The list of the most frequently utilised apps was topped by the government employee app, student exam results app and traffic services app due to the services of interest to a large segment of the public.
In regards to the eKiosk, which have had developed features of payment services since the launch of the revamped eKiosks in May 2016, more than 6,000 payment transactions have been conducted through it – with a total amount of nearly BD83,000.
Most were of services like Request for eBirth Certificates and the service Issue Copies of Student Certificates – this is due to the closure of front offices to complete these services and making them available online – as encompassed within the change management project that aims at achieving eTransformation in government services.
The number of incoming calls to the National Contact Centre have also escalated to about 40pc, while live chats have also increased two-fold.
In relevance to incoming requests via the national suggestions and complaints system Tawasul, interaction rates increased by more than 95pc.
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