Bhutan's digital transformation, Vietnam's AI agreements, and Women in GovTech 2024
Edition #98 GovInsider's Women in GovTech this year covers 100+ leaders in the space, while elsewhere Malaysia stakes its claim as a digital government pioneer...
In our previous roundup, we focused on UN Week in New York, where digital government was a major theme in the Summit of the Future. We looked at the latest UN E-Gov Index, and news coming out of the new global digital compact and the Digital Public Infrastructure conference in Cairo.
This week, we are again thinking about digital government leadership, but with a special focus on GovInsider’s Women in GovTech 2024. In its eighth edition of the series, the outlet has covered more than a hundred stories across 24 countries of the women paving the way in the field of digital government, from ministers to product developers to researchers.
Our main stories this week:
Vietnam signs agreement with Nvidia to establish AI research and data centers
Meet the Women in GovTech 2024
As a reminder, we have recently begun to expand our digital government coverage away from just Substack and onto Linkedin, Twitter and Instagram. For original content, audience engagement, and roundups of all our pieces, feel free to follow us over on those channels. Also check out our sister newsletter, interweave.africa.
Vietnam signs agreement with Nvidia to establish AI research and data centers – Sebastian Strangio, The Diplomat
Vietnam and Nvidia have partnered to establish an AI R&D center, expanding Vietnam’s AI capabilities and solidifying its position as a regional tech hub.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized AI’s importance in driving economic growth, innovation, and Vietnam’s green energy transition.
The agreement includes expanding Viettel Group’s AI data center and Nvidia’s acquisition of VinBrain, signaling confidence in Vietnam’s AI potential.
Meet the Women in GovTech 2024 - GovInsider
GovInsider has launched its eighth edition of Women in GovTech 2024, featuring a record-breaking 100 inspiring women in government technology from 23 countries across four continents.
The comprehensive report showcases diverse perspectives from Ministers, product developers, researchers, and other professionals across domains such as smart city development, healthcare, cybersecurity, tech policy, and digital government transformation.
This year's report also includes insights on artificial intelligence in the public sector, with leaders sharing their views on AI implementation and national large language model development.
GovTech News in Brief
Indonesia: prioritizing public service reform and digital integration - Samaya Dharmaraj, OpenGovAsia
Indonesia’s president has issued new directives to modernize the country’s public service through the use of technology and a simplified bureaucracy.
Our Take: Despite a major hack earlier this year, Indonesia is strident to make the most out of digital transformation of its government. The Indonesian digital identity verification system is now on pace to process just under 16 billion verifications annually. More recently, Indonesia has partnered with Singapore to advance AI and human-centered technology, particularly around capacity building and community engagement.
Senate in favor of digital signature collection for Swiss votes - Swissinfo.ch
Switzerland's Senate has backed a motion to digitize signature collection for initiatives and referendums, following a forged signature scandal in autumn 2024, with Federal Chancellor Viktor Rossi supporting electronic signature testing as a next step.
Our Take: Elsewhere this week, Switzerland has unveiled a comprehensive technical framework for its national electronic identity (eID) system and Federal Electronic Wallet initiative, adopting decentralized standards and planning a phased implementation from Q1 2025.
Australia: New digital standards enhance access to government services - Alita Sharon, OpenGovAsia
Starting January 1st 2025, Australia will implement three new digital standards for government websites - focusing on digital inclusion, simplified access, and performance - as part of the Digital Transformation Agency's broader initiative to enhance accessibility and ensure consistent, high-quality user experiences across government digital services.
Digital assets power Bhutan’s national development - Si Ying Thian, GovInsider
Bhutan has leveraged its energy surplus to become a major player in cryptocurrency mining, using the profits to fund public services and national development, while also pioneering digital government initiatives such as a decentralized national identity platform and the use of emerging technologies like AI and blockchain.
Our Take: Our interview last year with Jigme Tenzing, Acting Secretary of GovTech Bhutan, covered some of Bhutan’s innovations such as its national identity platform. This latest piece suggests the country is continuing to go from strength to strength, with a digital government leadership that outstrips the country’s size.
Cyprus introduces the Digital Citizen mobile digital ID app - Paypers
Cyprus has launched a “Digital Citizen” program, introducing the IDMe.cy digital ID system to streamline government and private sector services, with plans to issue 100,000 digital IDs by 2026 in line with the EU’s eIDAS 2.0 regulation.
Our Take: Developed in partnership with Microsoft, the app also contains an AI assistant which is the Cypriot’s government first GenAI initiative for public services.
Malaysia’s Anwar urges ‘extraordinary speed’ in AI adoption to drive digital economy - Joseph Sipalan, SCMP
Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has warned that the country risks falling behind its peers without accelerated AI adoption, emphasizing its potential to contribute 25% to the economy by 2025 as it opens a national AI office.
Our Take: While public concerns about data privacy and cybersecurity persist, Malaysia's push for AI adoption underscores its vital role in boosting economic growth and solidifying the country's position as a regional digital leader. Elsewhere this week, the country unveiled a new “single door” initiative and AI-diagnostic tool to improve its healthcare ecosystem.
SIE fund launches 'Smart Silver' program to enhance Digital Skills for elders in Hong Kong - Bastille Post
The launch of the "Smart Silver" Digital Inclusion Program for Elders is part of a broader Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship Development Fund (SIE Fund) that allocates $100 million in digital trainings for elderly people aged 60 or above.
Hanoi unveils core data center to propel digital transformation - Samaya Dharmaraj, OpenGovAsia
Hanoi has inaugurated a new data center that hopes to reduce operational costs and help transition the Vietnamese capital into a smart city, with over 300 government services already onboarded onto the data center.
UK Government to invest £1 billion in cloud migration - Dev Kundaliya, Computing
The UK government has awarded a £1 billion contract under the G-Cloud 14 framework to accelerate cloud adoption across the public sector, supporting digital transformation while addressing concerns about vendor lock-in and IT migration complexities. The total cost of the G-Cloud 14 project is now £6.5bn.