Digital Government Podcast

While governments worldwide keep evolving and adapting to new ways of rolling out public services, Ukraine – even faced with a full-scale military aggression – offers a compelling example of how savvy transformation processes can bring services closer to people. Here is where the Digital Competence Centre (DCC)/ Центр цифрових компетенцій steps in, as a hub for the development, standardisation, and optimisation of Ukraine’s public ...

There’s motion in the Caribbean region. The area is known for its constant movement of people, businesses, and services across national borders. Whether for work, trade, or social reasons, citizens routinely engage in cross-border exchanges. Interoperability, as a consequence, becomes a prerequisite and enabler of these (and further) exchanges.  

Rodney Taylor, Secretary-General of the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU), and H...

Once past the first point of emergency, integration into a new society is not limited to finding – as basic as the need is – only a safe place to live. It’s also about access to services, employment, and a sense of community, too. For many Ukrainians who relocated to Estonia following the full-scale war launched by Russia, digital skills can be the key to more easily addressing the needs of this new reality.  

The DEUCE project, led...

Digital transformation has long by now been a cornerstone of modern governance, reshaping how societies function and how services are delivered. How often, though, does the conversation evolve beyond efficiency gains and automation? 

In this special episode, Kristina Mänd, Programme Director of the e-Governance Conference 2025, joins us to explore:
🔹 How digital investments can contribute to long-term economic development
�...

It is no mystery that the search for IT professionals to join the public sector’s ranks has come to be a full-fledged quest. Yet, next to being a challenge to address, it opens up opportunities for organisational growth, and also – perhaps – a few ways to rethink work. 

On the table, there should be a real understanding of people’s wishes and expectations from work. Next to that, public administrations should considerately present p...

With cyber threats growing in sophistication and scale, organisations must rethink their strategies to safeguard digital assets and operational continuity. Security Operations Centers (SOCs) stand at the forefront of this effort, acting as centralised hubs where cybersecurity professionals monitor, manage, and mitigate threats. 

The rise in cyber threats – estimated to have grown by 25% annually over the past half-decade – has ampli...

The AI reckoning is here, and that’s not just based on announcements and latest releases from top corporate actors in the field. Artificial intelligence is rapidly reshaping how governments serve their citizens, making processes more efficient, policies more targeted, and economies more dynamic.  

Among experts, few understand this transformation better than Luukas Ilves, former Chief Information Officer of Estonia, and now Advisor ...

Awareness of the benefits of digital transformation is increasing in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), as it is collaboration with international entities to drive projects forward. Year by year, this is laying down pathways for a more connected and inclusive digital government, with tangible benefits for the population and the economic area as a whole. 

Miguel Porrúa, Lead Specialist on Digital Government at the Inter-American ...

It is a major step towards global digital integration, the one coming from Ukraine. The country recently launched its uResidency programme in September 2024. With that, the country aims to open up to international entrepreneurs who seek to establish and operate businesses in a vibrant digital economy. Without the need for physical presence – sound familiar?

Don’t call it an Estonian spin-off, though. Ukraine’s uResidency has its own...

Estonia’s e-Residency program turns ten years old, and we join in the celebrations with a deep dive into what’s been, so far, a very exciting path. As one of the international golden children of Estonia’s digital and global economic policy, the e-Residency program has changed, evolved, and grown. In the digital space, ten years are no short time.

From government start-up, to world-known solution for digital entrepreneurs and locatio...

As the fifth Tallinn Cyber Diplomacy Summer School currently taking place in Tallinn, attendees reflect on a year of diplomacy in cybersecurity. Some of them, too, having gone from participants to speakers. The program, organised annually, is designed to bridge theoretical understanding and hands-on experience in cyber diplomacy, and for Claudio Peguero and Alban Andreu, the Summer School has turned out to be a point of growth and ...

Can a group of Caribbean islands become the Estonia of the region, looked up to on digital transformation and service delivery? E. Jay Saunders thinks so – for both citizens and businesses. He is the former Deputy Premier and Minister of Finance, Investment, and Trade of the Turks and Caicos Islands. And at the 10th e-Governance Conference, by all rights took part in a panel on enlightened digital leadership.

In this episode, Saunde...

"2024 is the biggest election year in human history. Half of the world’s population – some 3.7 billion people – have the opportunity to vote this year across 72 countries.” So notes Merle Maigre, Head of Cybersecurity at e-Governance Academy, on host duties for this podcast episode on securing elections.“Voting is at the very heart of democracy, making it vital that we safeguard the integrity of elections.” October, being Cybe...

In Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is advancing fast in digital development. A series of initiatives in the last ten years significantly brought the country forward in increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. However, the transformation does not stop there.

With support from both the population and high-level decision-makers, digital leaders in the country have the opportunity (and full legitimacy) to look further a...

Digital advancements present us with numerous opportunities to move forward on the path toward more inclusive and democratic societies. That has been the case when tech-enabled social movements and civil society organisations to sprout, regroup, and act. However, the opposite holds true too – technology is agnostic, and supported by authoritarian or malicious intents, it can be used to threaten, surveil, and cancel out opposition.

D...

Costa Rica has one Minister for four domains – science, innovation, technology, and telecommunications. It is Paula Bogantes Zamora, who joined us on stage at the latest e-Governance Conference 2024 for a panel on leadership in driving digital transformation. 

Very fittingly so, as Costa Rica keeps advancing on its path towards effective and all-encompassing digital transformation. From healthcare to education, through digital ident...

Digital governance, done right, calls for leaders and changemakers to be versed in a variety of spheres and domains. Cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, diplomacy, relations with societal stakeholders. In a way, that was to be expected – digital development and technological advancements accelerated global and international integration, of both markets and general trends, in the past thirty years.

All themes Paul Timmers, Resear...

Putting digital transformation to work for the benefit of society means taking an extra step, to Lacina Koné. The CEO of Smart Africa supports the idea that on the way from digital buzz to business success, efficient digital government can be key in attracting and retaining top talent and investments. On the path towards a digital Africa, though, a mix of deep-rooted challenges and bold steps to take awaits. Dive in this briefing o...

Since years already, the Republic of Moldova has had to take measures to safeguard the integrity of its national cyberspace in the face of russian interference and aggression. In doing so, it has been supported by international partners and the European Union. But little would have been possible, without the effort and dedication of its civil servants.

It was our pleasure, then, to award the Ministry of Economic Development and Digi...