e-Governance Academy contributes to development of e-services in Kyrgyzstan

The e-Governance Academy has commenced preparatory work for development of e-services in the Kyrgyz Republic. As a result of cooperation between the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the e-Governance Academy, the organizational, legal and technical preparations will have been made for Kyrgyzstan to adopt a data exchange system along the same lines as the X-Road by this time next year. Moreover, four government agencies will have been connected and the first e-services will have been tested by the same time.

The Kyrgyz Republic is the third country the e-Governance Academy is assisting in the introduction of the kind of centralized e-governance system that will enable the provision of e-services. Such a system has already been implemented in Palestine and one is currently being introduced in Namibia. On the Estonian side, the parties involved in the preparation and development of the data exchange system are the e-Governance Academy and local technology companies.

Arvo Ott, the CEO of the e-Governance Academy, says that what is needed first and foremost is to provide the Kyrgyz agency overseeing the e-field with the organizational and legal capacity and know-how to coordinate the development of e-governance in the country. “Stage one in the project is drawing up documents, holding meetings and training people, as well as passing on the required technological competence to our Kyrgyz partners,” he explained. “Only after that can we talk about coming up with IT solutions and e-services, once we’re sure someone’s in place who’ll take responsibility for their sustainable development and knows how to go about it.”

Ott says that he has encountered situations in other countries where the technical solutions that are developed do not find use because there is no central figure responsible for them or anyone to direct their development. “We’re advising and training employees from the Central Coordination Unit and Implementation Centre for e-governance of the government of the Kyrgyz Republic so that development continues after our working group leaves,” he said.

Further activities will lead to the creation of the legal framework required for the adoption of a data exchange layer, the drafting of the necessary action plans and documents describing IT architecture and the training of a development and maintenance team and other senior public officials. Up to four state agencies will then be linked to the data exchange system and initial e-services will be developed that will guarantee the sustainable operating of the system in fulfilling everyday tasks of the state.

Creation of the data exchange layer forming the basis of e-governance in the Kyrgyz Republic is supported by USAID and the Estonian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to the value of 600,000 euros.

The e-Governance Academy is an independent centre for the development and analysis of the information society that was founded in 2002 with the support of the Estonian government, the United Nations Development Programme and the Estonian Institute for Open Society Research. It produces and disseminates knowledge of e-governance, e-democracy and national cyber security and showcases Estonia’s e-state solutions around the world.

Additional information:

Arvo Ott

Member of the Management Board

Project Manager

e-Governance Academy

+ 372 508 8901