On April 13, at the International Forum «Russia – Africa: digital technologies as a driver of state development and international cooperation» the Deputy Executive Director of Innopraktika Anastasia Pavlenko introduced the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Programme, a project intending to enhance the digital sector and e-Governance in African countries by sharing the experience and proficiencies in this area.
In response to the global trend and the growing demand for e-Government development, African countries have made significant progress in this area. Nevertheless, there are still a plethora of obstacles on their path towards the digital future.
The issues and hardships emerging in the process of digital transformation are being overcome by sharing experience and investing in knowledge. Projects supporting the development of ICT sector and digitalisation in Africa are being lately implemented by a variety of countries.
➤ In 2020, the European Union launched the AU-EU Digital for Development Hub (D4D Hub) largely backed by the Estonian experience. Among other initiatives are e-Governance Academy (eGA) and several organisations set up by China, France, and Germany in order to analyse the development of the digital sector in African countries.
The concept of the Russian e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Programme for Africa was primarily presented in April 2022 at an international conference at the HSE University in the presence of some African ambassadors. In December it was re-introduced to the public at a roundtable Russia-Africa: digital transformation of public administration.
Source: HSE Center for African Studies
The declared aim of the e-Governance Knowledge Sharing Programme is to promote connections between African institutions and Russian counterparts as well as to enhance the e-Governance, digital sector and its regulatory frameworks in African countries. It also intends to make African countries acquainted with IT solutions available in the market.
The knowledge exchange format is suggested to allow all participants sharing their experience of e-Government development, including that of the reforms, overcoming barriers and counteractions. The emphasis is put on the provision of an enabling environment for sharing the successful cases of sovereign e-Governance.
Offline and online educational and training activities in the field of digital transformation were announced within the project. The knowledge sharing for civil servants and legislators will be provided by both Russian and African experts. One of such events is announced to be held in Autumn 2023 in Saint Petersburg. The Programme also involves developing an online platform with analytics on e-Governance in African countries and global trends in the sector – the e-Governance Knowledge Hub.
Author:
Daria Sukhova