An annual e-government forum will be officially opened tonight at the Isa Cultural Centre and National Library, in Juffair, Bahrain.

The Bahrain International e-Government Forum 2011 is organised by the eGovernment Authority under the patronage of Deputy Prime Minister and Supreme Committee for Information and Communication Technology (ICT) chairman Shaikh Mohammed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa.

It will continue at the Gulf Hotel's Gulf Convention Centre tomorrow and Wednesday.

The fourth annual forum is supported by the Bahrain Society of Engineers, Bahrain Internet Society and the Bahrain branch of the Project Management Institute. It will feature the participation of several hundred local, regional and global public sector senior officials, experts and decision makers in the field of ICT.

Running alongside the forum is the Bahrain IT Expo 2011, which is open to ICT service providers.

The two-day Expo is open free to the public between 10am and 6pm tomorrow and Wednesday and will feature more than 50 exhibitors.

Tonight's launch at 6.45pm will be followed by the announcement of the winners of this year's e-Government Excellence Award.

The award aims to encourage excellence in ICT and promote national electronic projects, with entrants being evaluated by ICT specialists.

The event is expected to attract over 800 people including technology societies, media representatives and international e-government experts. - TradeArabia News Service