Launching the Basrah Councils Web Portal
Three Nahiya councils from Al Basrah province, in partnership with the Arab ICT Organization - IJMA3, officially launched web sites on April 21st, 2010, establishing their new presence on the Internet. These community web portals allow the councils in Nashwa, Umm Qasr, and Safwan, to harness technology as a tool to communicate more effectively with their constituencies about available services, local news and community activities.
This pilot project allows each council to manage a section, in both Arabic and English languages, specific to their council. During the last two months, members of the council have undergone basic computer training and learned how to manage and update their web sites. Each council will have the flexibility for unique content, tailored to the needs of their communities. Some of the information already on the site includes descriptions of projects that they have completed, lists of members of the councils, general information and news about the communities, and photo galleries. It is hoped that this project will expand to include other councils in the future.
As part of the USAID-funded CAP-Community Action Program, the Basrah Nahiya Assistance project seeks to provide the local councils (Nahiyas) in Basrah with ICT resources and requisite skills that will enable them to better communicate among each other and with the local communities to better serve their needs. This project will develop and implement an ICT strategy for the Nahiyas that will help them to better manage both the obligations placed on them by the central government and the needs of the local community. In addition, it will help improve communication and knowledge sharing among the various Nahiyas in Basrah district through this portal. The portal is working in two Languages: Arabic and English.
The development of the portal started on the 1st of January 2010, and can be accessed through the following link:
http://www.basrahcouncils.org/