COUNTRY FOCUS : BAHRAIN
Bahrain has one of the fastest growing startup ecosystems with a CAGR of 46 %, a young technology-savvy workforce with almost 60 % under the age of 30 , a 28 % more cost effective workplace than the rest of GCC as estimated by KPMG , and the Information & eGovernment Authority focussed on reducing government expenditure by scaling e-citizen services to more than 500 through its national portal .
Setting the pace in GC national transformati
Skyline view of Manama , Bahrain ’ s capital
Bahrain was recently ranked fifth worldwide and third in the Arab world in the 2024 ICT Development Index issued by the International Telecommunication Union . The Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications remains dedicated to further advancing this vital sector . This achievement reflects Bahrain ' s efforts to advance the telecommunications and ICT sector through the objectives outlined in the Sixth National Telecommunications Plan for 2023-2026 .
KPMG estimated that Bahrain was 28 % more costeffective than the GCC average in terms of direct ICT operations costs due to cheaper workforce , rental space and Internet , not to mention its pool of digital talent . Telecoms , line rental , IT infrastructure and utilities were considered . Indirect costs such as education , residential utilities and domestic help were the lowest in the GCC , at 24 % below the regional average , according to Oxford Business Group .
According to the Ministry of Finance and National Economy , the transport and communications sectors contributed 6.8 % to real GDP in 2022 , and experienced growth of 4.5 % that year . Growth drivers included Bahrain ’ s cost-efficiency advantage over its GCC peers , according to a report released by global consultancy KPMG in August 2022 .
Bahrain ’ s ICT market is expected to grow from $ 4.3bn in 2021 to $ 6.3bn in 2026 , representing a CAGR of 8.1 %, according to data analytics firm GlobalData .
The Information & eGovernment Authority , iGA is the government entity responsible for spearheading digital transformation in Bahrain . Its roles include developing
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