The Vice President of Ghana, Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, held bilateral talks with Estonian President Alar Karis and Prime Minister Kaja Kallas in the capital Tallinn, on Wednesday, January 24, 2024.
Dr. Bawumia’s three-day working visit to Estonia aims to explore the country’s digital advancements, as Estonia is widely recognized as one of the most digitally advanced nations in the world.
Upon arriving in Tallinn, the Vice President immediately engaged in meetings with President Karis and Prime Minister Kallas.
During these discussions, the Estonian hosts highlighted how their long-standing investment in digitalization has led to significant economic transformation.
Dr. Bawumia also shared Ghana’s digitalization journey over the past seven years, emphasizing the positive impact it has had on combating corruption, improving citizen convenience, and increasing government revenue.
Interestingly, both Estonia’s digitalization initiative, known as e-Estonia, and Ghana’s digitalization efforts share striking similarities. Both nations have built their digitization frameworks on the foundation of digital national identity cards. Additionally, they have implemented digital address systems and online government services. Estonia labels its system e-Government, while Ghana uses the platform Ghana.Gov. Both countries have also seen notable advancements in financial inclusion, with increased usage of online banking and mobile money transactions.
Later in the day, Dr. Bawumia met with officials from the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications.
The Ghanaian delegation, led by Dr. Bawumia, engaged in extensive discussions with the Estonian officials, led by Luukas Ilves, Undersecretary for Digital Transformation and Government CIO. These discussions focused on the impact of digitalization on economic transformation.
Estonian officials shared their experiences and insights on how digitalization has positively affected various aspects of their economy, including job creation, service delivery, and taxation.
Dr. Bawumia reciprocated by detailing Ghana’s progress in digitalizing government services to enhance efficiency, combat corruption, and boost government revenue generation.
The second leg of Dr. Bawumia’s working visit to Estonia will continue on Thursday, January 25. The Vice President aims to further explore Estonia’s digital advancements and identify potential areas of collaboration between the two nations.
By Vincent Kubi