The Kingdom of Bahrain Assumes the Presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization

The Kingdom of Bahrain assumes the Presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization 

• Bahrain officially appointed to the Presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization 
• His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications to become Chairman of the Council of the DCO 

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, x February 2023 – The Kingdom of Bahrain has officially been appointed to the Presidency of the Digital Cooperation Organization (DCO), the global, multilateral organization dedicated to accelerating the inclusive growth of the digital economy to create digital prosperity for all.  

His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Kingdom of Bahrain, will become the new Chairman of the Council of the DCO. 

As represented by the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications (MTT), Bahrain will oversee the strategic direction of the DCO for the coming year and support the ongoing execution of the key initiatives and programs that have been launched by the DCO. 

The Kingdom of Bahrain has strong ambitions to be a regional leader in the digital economy and has implemented a number of projects and initiatives to create the foundation for digital growth. The government of Bahrain has developed a robust regulatory environment, including personal data protection, data jurisdiction, intellectual property and eTransaction laws to support the Kingdom’s digital economy. The country ranked in the Very High scoring category of the 2022 United Nation’s E-Government Development Index (EGDI) 2022. 

Bahrain has also developed advanced FinTech policies, and its FinTech Bay is one of the leading centers for innovation in financial technology for MENA region. Amazon Web Services also chose Bahrain as the home of their new hyperscale Cloud Region, their first in the Middle East and North Africa. 

His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, commented on the ascension of Bahrain to the Presidency: “The Kingdom of Bahrain is honoured to have been elected to the prestigious role of Presidency of the DCO. Bahrain has put great focus on developing the regulatory framework, policies, and infrastructure that have enabled the Kingdom to establish an efficient and attractive digital ecosystem for businesses. Bahrain is ready to share its expertise and best practices with the Member States of the DCO, to enhance the mission of empowering all nations to build digital economies that drive growth and development.” 

H.E Deemah AlYahya, Secretary-General of the DCO welcomed the appointment of Bahrain to the DCO Presidency and of H.E. Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi to Chairman of the DCO Council: “We are very pleased to announce that the Kingdom of Bahrain has been ratified to the Presidency of the DCO for 2023. The leadership of the Kingdom of Bahrain has long understood the potential of technology to advance economic growth, and the necessity of using policy and regulation to enable the framework for the digital economy to flourish and grow. Bahrain was one of the founding nations of the DCO, and now, under the Presidency of Bahrain and the wise Chairmanship of His Excellency Mohamed bin Thamer Al Kaabi, we look forward to making great progress towards our goal of digital prosperity for all in 2023.” 

The ascension of Bahrain to the Presidency of the DCO was ratified during the second DCO General Assembly which took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on 5th of February. The General Assembly, the first-ever in-person meeting of all of the DCO nations, brought together Member States, along with Observer Partners and other stakeholders, in a forum for dialogue, knowledge sharing and cooperation on building effective and inclusive digital economies. As the holder of the Presidency, Bahrain will host the next General Assembly. 

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