ESTDEV's contract with GIZ helps to increase GovStack partner engagement

According to the cooperation agreement, ESTDEV will be the lead implementing partner for Estonia's participation in the GovStack initiative from May 1st this year until the project’s end on June 30, 2025.

"GovStack is essentially a toolbox for building e-government. It supports governments by offering a blueprint of a digital service landscape. This landsape includes all of the layers of the GovStack approach – from Building Blocks to Use Cases. Our goal for the next year is to take the possibilities offered by GovStack one step further with our good partners from Germany, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and Digital Impact Alliance. This is definitely a suitable role and opportunity for Estonia as one of GovStack’s founders," said Andres Ääremaa, ESTDEV’s programme manager for Digital Transformation.

The Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs will contribute 100,000 euros and GIZ 400,000 euros to the project, though ESTDEV will manage the entire budget.

GovStack—a joint initiative from Estonia, Germany, the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Digital Alliance (DIAL)—enables countries to kick-start their digital transformation journey. Sustainable, cost-effective modular solutions for building an e-state, known as building blocks, can be adapted, implemented and scaled according to a country's needs. By adopting GovStack solutions, governments can reduce the cost of digital services and applications and save the time and resources typically spent on development.

"Digitisation of public services is a complex process with many variables. To simplify this process, GovStack has developed specifications, training tools and a testbed that governments can use to develop their own e-government architecture and e-governance interoperability framework. This toolkit covers the entire e-governance framework and reduces everyone's expenses," Ääremaa said.

The  GovStack Initiative has already developed 12 building blocks, 14 reference use cases, and 3 guidelines that can be used to build a functioning e-government. These building block specifications, known as GovSpecs, provide a transparent product ecosystem, allowing governments to simplify their procurement processes for digital solutions.

As one of the founding members of the GovStack Initiative, Estonia has contributed to the development of the GovStack brand and its global recognition as a trusted partner. Estonia has established a community of experts, companies, and volunteers in the information and communications technology (ICT) industry who have contributed expertise and resources to developing GovStack's core components. Furthermore, ESTDEV is also an implementing partner in the European D4D (Digital for Development) activities, the "Digital Governance and Cybersecurity Initiative" (IDGC), co-financed by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supports the "Digital Government Strategy and Services" action area for selected countries in the Horn of Africa.