‘Al-Mutairi’ inaugurates digital photo archive at ‘Information Ministry’

The Minister of Information and Culture, and Minister of State for Youth Affairs, Abdulrahman Al-Mutairi, inaugurated the Ministry of Information’s digital photo archive on Wednesday, 29th January. The archive holds approximately 3 million historical photographs of the State of Kuwait across various fields.
The Acting Director of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry, Jamal Al-Badaih, told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) that the opening of the digital archive aligns with the ministry’s digital transformation strategy. It aims to enhance infrastructure, ensure the sustainability of Kuwait’s historical legacy, and protect it from damage, while preserving the original paper photos and negative film strips.
Al-Badaih noted that the project, which began six months ago, involved re-sorting, archiving, and converting old photos into digital format. Around 35 employees from the ministry participated in the effort, and approximately 600,000 photos have been digitized so far. Meanwhile, work is ongoing to complete the remaining photos.
The photos in the archive date back to 1958, with an index created to facilitate easy searching for any image. The system also ensures the proper storage, preservation, and backup of the photos.