Luanda - The President of Estonia, Alar Karis, on Friday in Luanda encouraged the Angolan Executive to invest in the digital area for the diversification of the economy and the country's development.
When speaking at the Executive Seminar on Digital Government, the Estonian Head of State said that the more transparent and digital society is, the stronger democracy will be and there will be less corruption, where human rights and the privacy of human beings are protected.
According to President Alar Karis, artificial intelligence is appropriate and the use of data is extremely important, as it helps with public sector services and creates new policies to benefit the population.
“I feel proud to share our experience and knowledge. In our country we can do everything online. We started with these projects in 2005 and currently 50% of voters in the elections have done so online”, he highlighted.
He recalled that cooperation between the two countries was revitalized after the visit of the Minister of State and head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, in April 2023, during which a memorandum of understanding was signed to share related experience with digitalization, a fact that will help to develop new sectors of the Angolan economy through the creation of businesses and ecosystems.
“President João Lourenço decided to use digitalization as a way to diversify your economy and you will be successful, as we are open to helping you”, he highlighted.
On the occasion, Estonia's general ambassador to Africa, Daniel Erik, made it known that in his country the drafting of laws and other diplomas has been done online together with the various ministries, as well as meetings at Government level.
According to the diplomat, who spoke about the “Experience and Frameworks of Estonian Digital Governance”, digital signature has contributed to safeguarding around two to three percent of GDP annually.
“These are intelligent solutions that help eliminate bureaucracy, facilitating access to government services. In Estonia, opening a business doesn't take two or three hours. We eliminate all bureaucracy and make business easy, everything done online to make citizens’ lives easier,” he added.
In turn, the director general of the Institute for Administrative Modernization (IMA), Meick Afonso, presented the digital transition agenda for public administration in Angola until 2027, which foresees structural reforms to modernize the State.
According to the official, the program aims to digitally transform public administration, focusing on results for citizens and companies, simplifying processes, preparing and training human capital and attracting more investment.
“We intend to change the value chain, so the vision for our digital transition is to move from a pit model to a model in which citizens are the center of attention,” he concluded.
On the sidelines of the seminar, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on digital governance and administrative modernization.
The protocol's signatories were the general director of IMA, Meick Afonso, and the CEO of Digital Nation of Estonia, Siim Sikkut.
The event was attended by the Minister of State and head of the Civil House of the President of the Republic, Adão de Almeida, among other entities.
The President of the Republic of Estonia arrived in Luanda on Thursday, for a 48-hour official visit to Angola, at the invitation of the Head of State, João Lourenço, as part of strengthening cooperative relations between the two countries.
During his stay in the country, Alar Karis met with his Angolan counterpart, João Lourenço, and visited the Dr. António Agostinho Neto Memorial, where he laid a wreath of flowers in the sarcophagus in honor of the Founder of the Nation.
Angola and Estonia established bilateral cooperation relations in 1991, after the dismemberment of the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), in the year in which this European country proclaimed its independence. MCN/ADR/DOJ
