The Tajik authorities have begun discussing the issue of creation of the electronic government (e-government) again.
For the first time, the issue of creation of the electronic government was raised in Tajikistan in 2003 when the national strategy of information and communications technologies for development of Tajikistan was developed.
In 2011, Tajikistan adopted the concept of formation of the electronic government in Tajikistan. The concept is designed for 2012-2020.
In 2017, the government drafted the law on public services. But this law has not yet been adopted.
The electronic government is also mentioned in the National Development Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the Period to 2030.
But actually, nobody deals with this issue.
Electronic Government (also known as e-gov, digital government, online government or in a certain context transformational government) refers to government’s use of information and communication technology (ICT) to exchange information and services with citizens, businesses, and other arms of government. e-Government may be applied by legislature, judiciary, or administration, in order to improve internal efficiency, the delivery of public services, or processes of democratic governance. The primary delivery models are Government-to-Citizen or Government-to-Customer (G2C), Government-to-Business (G2B) and Government-to-Government (G2G). The most important anticipated benefits of e-government include improved efficiency, convenience, and better accessibility of public services.
Recently, the Government has ordered the Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MoEDT) to develop the digital economy concept and introduce digital technologies in socioeconomic sectors.
Sifat Innotech Invest Company, which is engaged in development of innovation projects and introduction of high-tech solutions to promote further development of the country’s economy, has reportedly been involved in the development of the digital transformation of the country.
The company has already concluded contracts with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies, the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of Population, the Dushanbe Administration and some other government bodies.
Two working groups (one managing and another one technical) for development of the concept of the digital economy of Tajikistan were set up in February this year. Public associations have also been involved in the development of the concept of digitalization of the country’s economy.
Digital Economy refers to an economy that is based on digital technologies. The digital economy is also sometimes called the Internet Economy, the New Economy, or Web Economy. Increasingly, the “digital economy” is intertwined with the traditional economy making a clear delineation harder.
Meanwhile, the internet in Tajikistan is not just bad now — it is also quite expensive. Last month, Speedtest Global Index ranked Tajikistan 114th in the world for mobile speeds and 114th for fixed broadband speeds.
Besides, Tajikistan ranks 122nd in terms of mobile Internet speed (10.44 megabits per second) and 110th in terms of wired Internet speed (18.05 megabits per second).
For comparison, Kazakhstan ranks 84th in terms of mobile Internet speed (19.2 Mbps) and 62nd in terms of wired Internet speed (36.08 Mbps).
In Tajikistan, the Internet penetration rate is 33 percent and the mobile Internet penetration rate is 18 percent.
In Kazakhstan, these indicators are 77 percent and 33 percent respectively.
Moreover, Tajikistan suffers from shortages of electricity during the winter that reduces the spread of e-government in the country to zero.
Sifat Innotech Invest Company Director, Ms. Manizha Muhammad, however, believes that all projects “that will be implemented in the country do
