A look at Kurdistan's IT Department

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.