Dr. Mohammed A. Al Amer

Dr. Al Amer was appointed In June 2008 by a Royal Decree for a four-year term as the Chairman of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). His tenure as the chairman was renewed in 2012 by a Royal Decree. The TRA is an independent statutory body, and its duties and powers include protecting the interests of subscribers and users, and promoting effective and fair competition among established and new licensed telecom operators.

In March 2014, a Royal Decree also appointed Dr. Al Amer for a four-year term as the Chairman of the National Space Science Agency (NSSA), where he served until his passing away in 2020.

Mohammed A. Al Amer (PhD) was the ex-President of the Central Informatics Organization (CIO), that contributes to enhancing the quality of life for Bahraini citizens through comprehensive, secure, accurate and timely information and services. CIO became part of iGA after its merger with the e-Government Agency (eGA).

Ever since his graduation as a Systems Engineer, he progressively assembled a broad spectrum of skills and experience in a number of technology and business areas. He was instrumental in the introduction of many nation-wide initiatives such as the Central Population Register (CPR), the Government Data Network (GDN), the National Smart Card project and the Bahrain e-Government Strategy, much of it are interrelated.

In the space field context, Dr. Al Amer being the President of CIO, assumed the Chair of the National GIS Committee (NGISC) that was established in 2004 by a Resolution from H.R.H. the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Committee was comprised of senior government and private organizations officials with a mandate to oversee the establishment of the Bahrain Spatial Data Infrastructure (BSDI), the National Geographic Information Database, and to develop integrated GIS systems. The Committee developed the E-Wayleave clearance system that provides an expedited clearance processing system for large and medium excavation utility projects that previously needed approvals from several service agencies to start any excavation project that could take up to several months and now takes five days at the most. The Wayleave project provides a complete electronic solution for the concerned service entities such as Electricity and Water Authority, Ministry of Works, Telecommunications Regulatory Authority, Bahrain Telecom Company (BATELCO), Tatweer Petroleum, and other public and private entities. The whole GIS system relies on very high-quality satellite images acquired through commercial satellite providers.

On the social responsibility front, Dr. Al Amer served the longest term (1994-2002) as the President of the Bahrain Information Technology Society (BITS), a non-profit professional organization with main objectives of promoting the computer and IT profession in Bahrain, and to improving IT literacy of the general public. He was also elected in January 2018 as the Chairman of the newly established Bahrain Smart City Society with an aim to contribute to building on smart and inclusive Society for our beloved nation.