Bahrain has ranked 1st globally in multiple subindices within Metas’ (Facebook) Inclusive Internet Index conducted by Economist Impact. The kingdom came first in national female e-inclusion policies, female digital skills training and Stem education, open data policies, and privacy regulations.
The Inclusive Internet Index 2022 measures whether the internet is accessible and affordable in each country and how much it enables social and economic mobility.
It assesses the performance of 100 countries in four indicators of inclusion: availability (usage, infrastructure and quality), readiness (literacy, safety and policy), affordability (price and competitive environment), and relevance (local and relevant content).
Equal opportunities
Dalal Buhejji, Executive Director of Investment Origination at the Bahrain Economic Development Board (EDB) said: “Bahrain continues to focus on creating equal opportunities within the tech and innovation sector, as well as leading on female tech-inclusion with initiatives like Women in FinTech led by the Supreme Council of Women.
“Prioritising IoT and ICT comes naturally to us due to the kingdom’s availability of talent, best-value operating costs, and its forward-thinking regulators - coupled with the infrastructure that drew companies such as Citi to set up their Global Tech Hub in Bahrain.”
Bahrain was recently ranked first in the GCC for the availability of advanced computer programming talent in Information and Computer Technology (ICT), according to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Report 2020.
Sector strategy
Telecommunications, ICT and digital economy are considered vital sectors under the kingdom’s Economic Recovery Plan. The sector strategy aims to establish a world-class digital infrastructure by attracting big-tech companies, and making Bahrain a regional digital innovation hub.
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