Sweden’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Energy, Business and Industry, has said government commitment to business innovation is a vital part of the country’s digitalization leadership ambitions.

In a related press release, the Swedish government said it is committed to a more offensive national technology agenda through purposeful and long-term investments in light of increasing global competitiveness. The government said Vinnova is set to invest a minimum of SEK 300 million during 2023 and at least SEK 500 million per year from 2024-2027.

Source: https://lnkd.in/drbTaN7h

Suriname carries out public expenditure reform with IDB $20 million loan. This program is expected to improve the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of public expenditure management systems such as public investment, public procurement, public financial management and audit and control.

In the area of public investment, the program aims to improve the growth contribution of capital spending in line with policy goals, while maintaining fiscal and debt sustainability. This will include a stronger regulatory framework, modern tools for the public investment cycle, and training of public investment officials.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dycPpC4p

The Sri Lankan President’s 2024 Budget speech outlines plans for a “new growth model…based on a digitalised social market economy.” The plan also mentions effectiveness, equitability and green growth as key aspects of this new model. Digitalisation and digital connectivity are critical for economic development.

The Government plans to allocate just Rs. 3 billion or 1.4% of total expenditures to digital and digitalisation efforts in 2024, with the aim of growing into a $ 15 billion digital economy by 2030.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dFQ6KKmS

It is crucial to the survival and promotion of the European tech industry to reach an ambitious and balanced compromise with the AI Act, and to deploy a productive and clear use for businesses in the future implementation of the Data Act.

These two new legislative frameworks illustrate how the new stage of digitalisation is transversal and multilevel. A merely sectorial development and use of digital technologies by public and private organisations has been overcome thanks to the emergence of AI, distributed cloud infrastructure, 5G (and in the future 6G), blockchain trust architectures or digital systems for energy management.

Source: https://lnkd.in/d8xRtW8G

Africa represents one of the most attractive expansion opportunities available to multinational tech companies today. The continent has a population of more than 1.4 billion, and more than half that number is currently excluded from the digital economy.

Equinix aims to support digital growth in South Africa that’s why it has already invested $350 million to help improve digital infrastructure in Africa, with an additional $390 million in new projects announced for the next five years. This includes new data center in Johannesburg, JN1, scheduled to open in mid-2024.

Source: https://lnkd.in/g-6uhAvy

Somalian Prime Minister Hamza Abdi Barre said that for more than three decades, Somalia’s digital identity system remained stagnant, untouched by the major technological changes sweeping the globe. That standstill will come to an end.

Digital identity systems, often referred to as eID, are the bedrock of Somalia’s new digital services. The government says they empower citizens to exercise their liberties and businesses to operate efficiently. Through this system, the government reaffirms its endeavor to ensure that Somali citizens enjoy equal rights with regard to the participation of all national commitments.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dxfVxNHH

The Solomon Islands Government through the Ministry for Communication and Aviation (MCA) announced the county’s third Inclusive Digital Economy Score during a consultation session at the Heritage Park Hotel in Honiara.

More than 70 principal digital economy stakeholders from the government, private sector, and academia were involved in the deliberations. This was the third year that the Solomon Islands measures their Inclusive Digital Economy Score, IDES, as it was among the first four countries in the world to pilot the IDES in 2020. The IDES measures the nation’s progress across four main pillars: infrastructure, policy & regulation, skills, and innovation.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dP5-A7HA

The National Digital Skills Strategy of the Slovak Republic and the Action Plan 2023-2026 (NSDZaAP) was adopted by Government of the Slovak Republic the in December 2022.

The objectives of the NSDZaAP are based on Slovakia’s visions as defined in the National Strategy Papers, as well as strategic documents at EU level, DESI, and on-going interviews with Commission representatives within the recently established institution of the National Coordinators for Digital Education and Skills. The development of the Strategy has benefited from existing analyses carried out by partners and state and international institutions over the past few years.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dBgx8erT

In January 2023, the Minister of ICT Mohamed Rahman Swarray announced that the World Bank would support their country’s 5-year digital transformation project with US$50 million. The project will notably guarantee access to broadband connection and improve digital skills and digital government services.

The digital transformation project was being in line with the government’s ambition to digitally connect all Sierra Leoneans. It became a crucial project for the government as digital transformation continued to accelerate on the continent since 2020.

Source: https://lnkd.in/dGsrENw6

The Seychelles Ports Authority (SPA) is digitalising its services with the launch of a Management Information System (PVMIS) with the aim to make them more efficient and faster.

The project is expected to be fully operational by January 2024 and the final details will be worked on in the coming months. The whole project will be trialed before the full launch so that the issues raised can be addressed. The PVMIS is a centralized information system where all the forms, such as at the departure port before the boats can go about their business, can be filled out earlier and in real-time.