6th Bahrain Smart Cities Summit kicks off
By Fatima Al Najem
Manama, May 16 (BNA): Wael bin Nasser Al Mubarak, Minister of Municipalities Affairs and Agriculture, today inaugurated the sixth edition of the Bahrain Smart Cities Summit 2023.
The event witnessed the participation of government and private agencies in Bahrain and international expert companies in the field of technology, sustainability, and smart cities.
The two-days summit will host 40 speakers and experts in 10 panel sessions, and about 250 representatives of government agencies and private sector institutions concerned with transforming sustainable smart cities into a tangible reality.
The minister affirmed that the summit in its sixth edition and its exhibition reinforce the commitment of the Kingdom to innovation and digital transformation in the urban sector.
He highlighted the opportunities available to enhance interaction and cooperation between the public and private sectors, and to provide an environment for learning and effective exchange of knowledge in the field of smart cities.
Minister Al Mubarak stressed that the summit will benefit the Kingdom, as global expertise can be combined with leading local experiences in this field, which will positively reflect on the urban development process in the country.
The panel sessions will address important topics, including smart buildings, digital twinning, as well as smart and sustainable agricultural technologies.
The Summit will also feature the presentation of government agencies’ initiatives in smart cities, in addition to artificial intelligence applications in smart cities.
"We have worked during the past period to develop an integrated waste management strategy that relies on sustainable energy and works to treat and reduce waste, as it presents proposals for measures that will be implemented in the Kingdom, especially since the strategy was developed for 25 years, with the aim of improving the waste situation locally," Municipalities Affairs Minister said.
He said that the ministry has also developed a set of initiatives that will optimise the utilization of natural resources such as water through sustainable solutions and smart applications, the most important of which is water harvesting and reuse, in addition to smart applications in the field of crop irrigation.
The minister indicated that the ministry is adopting sustainability standards using renewable energy in projects such as gardens and walkways, highlighting the the use renewable energy lighting and the generation of electricity for projects through solar cells.
Al Mubarak pointed out to the one of the most important initiatives implemented by the Ministry, which is the National Afforestation Strategy, which aims to achieve environmental sustainability and reach zero neutrality.
In terms of digital transformation and the adoption of artificial intelligence to develop the municipal services provided, Minister Al Mubarak said: "We have worked to continue improving the level of services we provide to the citizens, residents and investors alike, in line with Bahrain's Economic Vision 2030, and within the efforts aimed at supporting all development paths by adopting The latest technologies and artificial intelligence in the field of digital transformation through the development of the electronic municipal services that we provide."
The minister confirmed that the aim of using the AI is to facilitate the cycle of procedures necessary to complete the various transactions related to the business and services of the ministry, in a way that saves time and effort for service recipients and service providers.
"In order to improve the role of oversight and inspection, smart applications have been introduced that will raise the efficiency of oversight and inspection. The ministry is also developing the parks system through applications specialised in public facilities and walkways, which enable citizens and visitors to view all available projects, services and facilities available in them."
