Greece's doomscrolling cure, Goa's tourism portal, and human-centered digitization in Montenegro

Edition #100 Meanwhile Thailand sets out its digital government stall - and Albania its budget - as administrations look ahead to the New Year

Happy New Year! In our previous roundup, we explored Bhutan’s innovative use of digital assets for national development and Vietnam’s AI partnership with Nvidia, positioning itself as a regional tech hub.

This week, we are thinking about how governments are leveraging technology to enhance citizen engagement, from Beijing’s forum on responding to public complaints to attempts to develop human-centered government in Montenegro and Moldova.

Our main stories this week:

• Greece develops an app to help parents manage children’s screen time

• Beijing focuses on improving urban governance with a citizen-centered approach

• Kyiv launches the world’s second GovTech center to drive global digital innovation

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.

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Losing your kids to doom scrolling? Greece is building a government app for that - Voice of America

The Greek government has announced a new app - to be launched in March - aimed at safeguarding children under 15 from excessive internet use.

• The “Kids Wallet” application will be rolled out as an official national tool for verifying the age of internet users through digital identification.

• Additionally, the app will use algorithms to monitor usage, with parents taking ownership of browsing controls.

• The government hopes to have the app preinstalled on smartphones sold in Greece by the end of 2025.

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Beijing forum on swift responses to public complaints opens, focusing on people-centered modern urban governance - Bi Ran, CGTN

Last month, Beijing hosted the “Swift Response to Public Complaints” conference with over 700 participants to discuss how urban governance can be responsive to residents’ needs in the age of megacities.

• Beijing implemented a new set of reforms in 2019 that were designed to address urban governance complaints.

• To date, Beijing says it has processed >150m complaints, more than 70,000 per day – with a resolution rate of 97%.

• The implementation of the “12345” hotline in Beijing and other cities as a one-stop-shop for all citizen needs has proven useful in centralizing all resources for urban governance.

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The world’s second GovTech Center has opened in Kyiv. What areas of work will it focus on? - Igor Vishnevski, Dev.ua

Ukraine has opened the world’s second Global GovTech Center (GGTC) in Kyiv, focusing on fostering innovation, enhancing digital governance, and accelerating public sector transformation through collaboration with global partners and cutting-edge technologies.

• The GGTC will prioritize innovation in digital government by tracking trends, piloting technologies, and training public sector leaders in emerging technologies like AI and blockchain.

• The GGTC is part of the World Economic Forum’s Fourth Industrial Revolution Network and aims to position Ukraine as a leader in digital transformation globally.

Our Take: The opening of the GGTC in Kyiv underscores Ukraine’s commitment to advancing digital governance and innovation, complementing initiatives like the new administrative service centers in Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk oblasts. Together, these efforts highlight how strategic partnerships and cutting-edge technologies can transform public services, making them more inclusive and accessible, even in challenging contexts.

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GovTech News in Brief

Digital payments are changing Nepal - Krishana Prasain, The Kathmandu Post

Digital services are revolutionizing payments in Nepal, but last mile delivery remains tricky, reports Prasain.

Tamara Srzentic - Women in GovTech 2024 - Yogesh Hirdaramani, GovInsider

The former Minister of Public Administration in Montenegro outlines how to leverage human-centered leadership and digital transformation to address systemic challenges, foster inclusivity, and strengthen democracy.

Moldova’s EVO App wins “Public Sector Digital Transformation” award at Emerging Europe Awards 2024 - Tatiana Cazacu, Chemonics Moldova

Moldova’s flagship digital government platform EVO beat out regional digital government powerhouses Ukraine and Estonia to win the public digital transformation award at Emerging Europe 2024.

Ukrainian IT companies have created the GovTech Alliance - Odessa Journal

Ukraine has established the GovTech Alliance (GTA UA), uniting IT companies, the government, and international partners to drive state digitalization, foster innovation, and export Ukrainian digital solutions globally.

Digital transformation: Thailand’s nine key initiatives for 2025 - Samaya Dharmaraj, OpenGov Asia

Thailand has announced its digital priorities for the year, to be delivered by agencies as diverse as the meteorological department to the National Statistics Office.

Our Take: It will no doubt be a big year for Thai digitalization, with the government also gearing up for a full-scale cloud shift by next year.

Government of Goa unveils brand new LetsGoa Portal for a seamless travel experience - DMC Finder

The local government in Goa has launched LetsGoa, a digital tourism platform that provides real-time updates and bookings for tourists, as well as enhancing the state’s tourism infrastructure with initiatives like free WiFi hotspots and improved mobile connectivity.

South Korea launches mobile ID card trial program across nine regions - ID Tech Wire

South Korea has launched a mobile ID card trial, allowing users to put their national ID card into a digitally native format. The mobile ID is designed to streamline identity verification for online services.

Indonesia’s data-driven approach to family planning - Samaya Dharmaraj, OpenGov Asia

An integration of drugs supply chain and family information systems will allow the Indonesian government to more closely validate and track data on contraceptive stocks.

Malaysia’s digital transformation: collaboration shaping smarter cities - Alita Sharon, OpenGov Asia

Telekom Malaysia’s enterprise arm has partnered with local councils in Melaka to provide smart urban solutions, advanced water management, and enhanced public safety, positioning the state as a model for smart city development.

Germany launches digital platform for national visa applications - Arberie Shabani, Schengen News

Germany has just launched a Consular Services Portal, connecting the backend of 167 different offices and embassies, allowing prospective visa applicants a more streamlined and digital process.

Albania - budget funds for "e-government" increase by 443% in 6 years - CNA

Albania’s government has noted a 443% increase in e-government services over the past 6 years, with the ~400m euros spent over the period only lagging behind the categories of road, maritime, and water transport for total government investment.