Tawfiq Al -Sibai
The Kingdom of Bahrain continues to strengthen its position at the global level through its studied and continuous efforts in developing smart cities, which was confirmed by the Bahrain Summit VIII Conference for Smart Cities 2025, which continued its work over April 15 and 16, 2025 in the presence of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa, Deputy Prime Minister, and with wide and distinguished participation of experts and local and international specialists. This conference was an important platform for presenting and discussing the future visions of the Kingdom of Bahrain in the field of smart and sustainable urban development, which comes in line with the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, may God preserve and preserve him, and a resolution from His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, may God protect him.
The Kingdom of Bahrain, represented by the capital, “Manama”, also registered its first participation in the IMD indicator for the smartest cities for the year 2025, to replace the 36th in the world out of 146 cities, and advanced on many regional and international capitals and cities, in a new qualitative achievement in terms of digital transformation and smart urban planning, which reflects the success of policies The Kingdom’s strategies aimed at developing advanced digital infrastructure and smart government services. This advanced arrangement indicates the Kingdom’s commitment to adopting advanced and sustainable techniques that contribute to enhancing the quality of life for its citizens and residents.
The conference highlighted Bahrain’s advanced vision that transcends the traditional concept of smart cities from the mere use of technology in infrastructure to adopting a comprehensive and balanced vision that puts people and his needs in the heart of the urban development process; Religion to the principles of sustainability, innovation and rational governance.
In the same context, Bahrain’s projects that were honored at the conference showed a clear distinction in the areas of artificial intelligence and sustainable technology, including the project of “the system of artificial intelligence and monitoring changes in smart cities” for the area of area and real estate registration, and the “first response” project of the Ministry of Interior, in addition to the “Orek of the Internet of Things and Smart City applications” From Eureka for Smart Living, the Kingdom was also distinguished by qualitative initiatives such as the project “Use of Recycled Demolition and Building Wires as a Creative for Road Construction” from the Ministry of Works, and the application of “My Government” from the Information and E -Government Authority, and the “renewable energy” project from the University of Technology – Bahrain.
There is no doubt that Bahrain’s success in achieving this advanced international position and its excellence in smart digital transformation and adopting sustainable solutions; It reflects the vital role of cooperation between the public and private sectors, which the participants in the conference praised, because of its positive impact in converting challenges into sustainable development opportunities that benefit the entire society.
These achievements summarize the story of the success of the Kingdom of Bahrain in its journey towards the future, and reflects an inspiring leadership vision that realizes that the real investment is in man first, and technology second. As the Kingdom continues to enhance its digital infrastructure and expand the horizons of urban innovation, it establishes its position as a global model for sustainable smart cities. With this renewed and ambitious spirit; Bahrain is progressing with confidence and creativity towards a prosperous future, achieving the aspirations of future generations in an urban, comprehensive and evolving environment.
