In support of the achievement of Kenya’s digital transformation goals, the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV) held a workshop on interoperability and human-centred e-government services in Kenya. Collaborators, including Kenya’s ICT Authority and Ministry of Information Communication and Digital Economy, came together to determine priorities and plan next steps.
The workshop is part of Team Europe Kenya Initiative to strengthen open and inclusive digital governance in Kenya.
“The goal of this workshop is to put into place the scope of our collaboration, looking into the development of an interoperability framework for government services that allows the sharing of data, and develops human-centric e-services while strengthening digital skills and capacities in the public sector,” stated Daniel Schaer, Estonian Ambassador-At-Large for Africa. “I believe it is essential that this collaboration results in practical and usable real-life solutions that clearly demonstrate the benefits of digital transformation to the citizens of Kenya.”
Opening the workshop, Michael Odhiambo, Director of Shared Services at the ICT Authority said: “We’re happy to work together with partners like ESTDEV to achieve the goals of our national Digital Masterplan.”
Siim Sikkut, Partner at Digital Nation and former CIO of the Government of Estonia, facilitated the conference saying: “Digital governance isn’t about technology – it’s about rethinking and changing the way we work. It’s a question of change management as much as building the infrastructure itself,” said Sikkut.
ESTDEV is looking forward to working closely with Kenya as they begin steps for the agreed-upon way forward. “Together with Germany and the EU, Estonia has a great opportunity to share its experience in developing digital solutions and expanding the adoption of digital services. This joint project opens up new opportunities for the Kenyan government to build a coherent and open digital society, increase transparency, and reduce bureaucracy,” said Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s Program Manager for Digital Development
The workshop builds upon the Kenya’s Digital Readiness Study, which was completed by GIZ, E-Governance Academy and ESTDEV in the summer of 2022. This study highlighted a lack of connection and communication between systems as the biggest challenge faced in Kenya’s digital transformation. The team also identified a need to increase the capacity of digital governance within institutions. Based on this study, the EU, GIZ, and ESTDEV have focused their partnership on four key areas: developing a framework for e-governance, piloting user-friendly e-services, promoting dialogue between government agencies, and training officials working in the public secto
The workshop was part of the Team Europe Initiative (TEI) on Human-Centred Digitalisation implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), through the Digital Transformation Center (DTC) & co-financed by Germany and EU. The official launch of TEI will take place on May 19th 2023.
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Estonian Centre for International Development is a government foundation that manages and implements Estonia’s participation in international development cooperation and humanitarian aid projects, with the aim of increasing Estonia’s contribution to global security and sustainable development.
