A look at Kurdistan's IT Department

[RodinRojhilat KURDISTAN]

A look at Kurdistan's IT Department


The Kurdistan Information Technology Department discusses their IT
vision with representatives of KRG entities. GLOBE PHOTO/Qassim
Khidhir
By Qassim Khidhir
The Kurdish Globe

Long-term IT goals of the government cover broad spectrum of IT

The Kurdistan Region Information Technology Department works to
computerize Kurdistan Regional
Government entities.

Until now in Kurdistan Region, if a ministry wanted to deliver a
letter to another ministry, it did so manually. That's because
government establishments in Kurdistan Region are not on a
computerized network.

In 2007, the Kurdistan Regional Government laid the foundation for the
first Information Technology Training Center in Erbil city. It was
funded and built by the Korea International Cooperation Agency
following the former KRG Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani's request to
the Korean government to support IT in Kurdistan.

Last week, with the aim of understanding more about the business needs
and strategic objectivities of the individual entities within KRG and
their own views on how technology can support the delivery of their
visions, the IT department held a two-day workshop. Representatives of
the ministries discussed the vision of IT according to the needs of
their ministries.

"Here in Kurdistan we still don't understand what information security
means," said Ibrahim Rostam, inspector in the Ministry of Labor and
Social Affairs. "We need a network to connect all the ministries
together and connect each of the ministries to its branches," said
Rostam. He also said that his ministry needs a good IT system to share
its information with the citizens.

Improving effectiveness and transparency in government, reducing
routine, sharing information with citizens, information security, and
helping investors get information and data easily were the most
important visions the representatives suggested.

KRG representatives remarked that some of the ministries do not have
IT departments, and moreover, in many of the ministries, there are no
well-trained or skilled IT employees. "We want to create the right
process in order to make a better future for the people," said Botan
Mahmud Othman, head of the IT Department.

Othman told The Kurdish Globe that IT alone cannot do anything. "We
need support from the government." He added that government officials
are very keen on developing IT within the government structure. In
order to draw on the experience of other governments and organizations
to ensure that our ambitions are realistic, said Othman, the IT
Department has brought in IT experts from the UK, Scotland, Bahrain,
Geneva, and Northern Ireland to Kurdistan Region. He also mentioned
that Price Waterhouse Coopers is partnering with the Kurdistan IT
Department.

The IT Department currently is implementing its first phase, which is
writing a draft about vision, mission, and objects of information
technology of Kurdistan Region.

And the IT's long-term plan and goal is to develop common information
and communications technology, support economic development, modernize
public administration and service delivery through electronic
government, and enhance KRG's technology capacity.



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