Moldova: opportunities for digital transformation in focus in dialogue with development partners

Moldova’s interim Prime Minister, Aureliu Ciocoi, and the UNDP resident representative in Moldova, Dima Al-Khatib, have launched and co-chaired the Dialogue of Digital Transformation Development Partners in the Republic of Moldova. The discussion brought together representatives of several government institutions and international partners such as the European Union, the EBRD, and USAID.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the high level of importance of digital availability globally and in each individual country. In our response to new challenges, digital transformation remains one of the highest priorities. The Republic of Moldova is a country with all the necessary conditions needed for a rapid and impactful digital transformation,” said the interim Prime Minister, outlining the progress made in digitising public services and developing e-Gov platforms. He also mentioned the contribution of the ICT sector of over 7% to GDP and internet coverage of about 98% of the localities in the country.

Given that the Digital Agenda for Moldova 2020 has recently been finalised, there is an urgent need for a vision on digital transformation to move forward in this area. Thus, the Partners’ Dialogue is an important platform for high-level discussions and coordination between government and donors in the field of inclusive and sustainable digital transformation. “We appreciate the support of development partners in various areas of Moldova’s Digital Transformation: support for the eGov Agency, increasing the competitiveness of the Moldovan ICT sector, improving the education system and digital literacy, making the Republic of Moldova keep track of digitalisation,”said the acting Prime Minister.

The discussions on this platform will help to synchronise agendas and efforts, identify areas for intervention and build capacity in the next few months to prepare for the development of a new strategy for the digital transformation of society. The Digital Economy Roadmap, the digital governance transformation agenda and the policy framework for digitisation in education are currently being prepared. “We need a strengthened effort and the support of our partners in this regard. The Government remains committed to supporting the dialogue on the development of the political framework and will use this important format for a common vision of the development of a prosperous digital Moldova,” said the head of government, adding that the accelerated digitisation of the whole society will create new business models and opportunities for digital progress in various fields. 

During the first meeting, the UNDP Digital Readiness Assessment by Country was presented. The document provides an overview of the capabilities and opportunities of the Republic of Moldova to accelerate the digital transformation. The participants in the dialogue agreed on the elaboration of a roadmap setting out the preparatory stage necessary for the development of the Digital Agenda of Moldova for the next 7-10 years.

Press release