The e-Governance Academy established a subsidiary in Jamaica

According to Hannes Astok, CEO of the e-Governance Academy, the small countries of the Caribbean are very interested in the development of e-governance and the Estonian experience in this field.

“So far, we have cooperated with 11 countries and they all see Estonia’s digital development as an example for them. Given the size of these countries, this is understandable. With the support of our subsidiary, we strengthen our presence in the Caribbean, Central and South America, and make Estonia’s experience and knowledge more accessible to other countries. Operating in the same economic space also simplifies communication with the governments and organisations in that region,” explained Astok.

The main challenges for the Caribbean and Central America are the lack of an organisation leading the development of e-governance, inadequate digitalisation of data, the lack of electronic identity, and poor private sector involvement, he added.

“This is where the experience of the Estonian state as well as companies can be of support in creating the basis for the further development of public services,” Astok noted.

Currently, the e-Governance Academy shares Estonia’s experience and e-governance knowledge to the Jamaican government and some organisations in Cuba. It also advises the Dominica government on creating an e-governance strategy. In the past, the development of e-governance has been advised in Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Aruba, the Bahamas, Barbados, the Cayman Islands, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago.

The e-Governance Academy for the Caribbean is the second subsidiary of the e-Government Academy. Since 2020, the Digital Governance Academy Asia-Pacific (D-GAP), a subsidiary of Mitsubishi Research and Consulting in Japan, provides e-government training, research, and consulting to governments in Asia and the Pacific.