India signs MOUs on digital transformation with Sierra Leone, Armenia, Antigua

India on Wednesday signed Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Sierra Leone, Antigua & Barbuda and Armenia regarding the sharing of successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation.

The MoUs intend to promote closer cooperation and exchange of experiences and digital technologies-based solutions in the implementation of digital transformational initiatives of both the country. The MoUs envisages improved collaboration leading to employment opportunities in the field of IT.

The MoUs shall come into effect from the date of signature and shall be remain in force for a period of 3 years.

According to an official statement, both G2G and B2B bilateral Cooperation in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) are expected to be enhanced. The activities contemplated in these MoUs would be financed through their administration’s regular operating allocations.

MeitY is collaborating with a number of countries and multilateral agencies for fostering bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the ICT domain. Over the period, MeitY has entered into MoUs/MoCs/Agreements with its counterpart organizations/ agencies from various countries to promote cooperation and exchange of information in the ICT domain.

This is in consonance with the various initiatives taken by Government of India such as Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India etc. to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy. In this changing paradigm, there is an imminent need for exploring business opportunities, sharing of best practices and attracting investments in the digital sector with the objective of enhancing mutual cooperation.

Over the last few years, India has demonstrated its leadership in implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and has successfully provided delivery of services to public even during COVID pandemic. As a result, many countries have evinced interest in learning from India’s experiences and entering into MoUs with India for learning from India’s experiences.

India Stack Solutions are DPls developed & implemented by India at population scale to provide access & delivery of public services It aims to provide meaningful connectivity, promote digital inclusion, and enable seamless access to public services. These are built on open technologies, are interoperable and are designed to harness industry and community participation which foster innovation. However, each country has unique needs and challenges in building DPI, although the basic functionality is similar, allowing for global cooperation.