eGA is celebrating 20 years of championing digital societies
e-Governance Academy is celebrating its 20th trip around the sun this year. And what a journey it has been – two decades of advising governments worldwide on how to reap the benefits of digital development. In 2023, eGA enters its third decade stronger, more resilient, and bigger than ever.
Our figures speak for themselves – we have successfully implemented 300 projects in two decades, in cooperation with 280 organizations in 141 countries. eGA teams deserve a pat on the back for their remarkable success in assisting the governments of Benin, the Faroe Islands, Georgia, Moldova, Kyrgyzstan and Ukraine in leading their countries´ digital transformation. We have even left a digital footprint in the Kingdom of Tonga – our most distant undertaking.
By far our biggest cooperation takes place in Ukraine. The overall donor support to eGA implemented activities in Ukraine amounts to €51 million between 2014-2023. „We are proud that eGA experts have contributed a lot to building the foundation of Ukraine’s digital society. Throughout the last years, when societies faced pandemic, natural disasters and war in Europe, we can witness how crucial digital services are for coping with the worst crises. Ukraine’s digitalization and accessible online services have helped the society to function under war conditions,” highlights Hannes Astok, Executive Director of e-Governance Academy.
Smarter technologies need smarter people
The rapid development of new technologies is continuing. More complex information systems require smarter officials to govern and manage them. In order to support governments in training their employees, eGA has shared digital transformation best practices with more than 9000 leaders and experts within 20 years. Every year eGA hosts 40 delegations in Estonia and provides demand-based seminars and workshops in different countries. Capacity building is a crucial building-block of any digital transformation project. Because only the continuous development of digital competences in every sphere of life will make societies competitive and ultimately more prosperous.
Countries are becoming strategic about cybersecurity
Over the past 20 years, cybersecurity has grown from being merely a technical task of IT personnel to being at the core of business continuity and an integral part of national and international security. eGA team members have worked jointly with 40 different governments offering cybersecurity expertise and practical solutions in strategic, organisational, regulative and technical aspects to strengthen national cyber resilience. Moreover, the NCSI (ncsi.ega.ee) , a global live index, works as a capacity-builing tool for cybersecurity experts and managers to prevent cyber threats and manage cyber incidents.
Not for people, but together with people
For two decades, eGA has inspired governments across the planet to make their work more digital, transparent, and inclusive. Therefore, we are convinced that digital democracy and citizens’ engagement deserve as much attention as digital services. Our e-democracy experts have helped more than 30 organizations to empower citizens and engage them in the decision-making process. For example, Moldova has implemented a platform for reporting corruption cases and two municipalities in Georgia are using participatory budgenting. In Estonia, perhaps the most digitized society in the world, eGA experts have contributed to the creation and implementation of i-voting best practices as well as introduced and launched participatory budgeting for making governance more inclusive. As a result, i-voting has become one of the most trusted method of voting among parties and voters. Today more than 46% of voters prefer i-voting. Participatory budgeting is also attracting an increasing amount of followers – more than 20 municipalities have launched participatory budgeting in Estonia.
Expertize matters
eGA staff consists of 75 experts and staff members to ensure the availability of leading global expertise for all our partners. More than 300 e-governance experts are engaged in eGA’s global competency network. All of them have unique hands-on experience developing e-government solutions and a lengthy track record in public sector change management.
This in-depth knowledge and practice offers a holistic approach to digital transformation. This is the key ingredient that makes it possible to assist organizations in developing their strategies, roadmaps and digital skills to enhance and implement digital solutions. Like a one-stop-shop. “I think the dream that the founders of e-Governance Academy had 20 years ago has become true – to become a leading, global digital transformation centre of excellence. It has been a learning-by-doing process. One that I’m very proud of,” Hannes Astok says. “We believe that together we can make the world a better place for everyone!”