Panama: on its way to becoming a Digital Hub
Mohammad J Sear
Digital Gov. & Public Sector Consulting Leader, Middle East and Africa (MENA) at EY
Panama has been making significant progress towards becoming a Digital Hub in the last few years. It has established itself as an excellent gateway to Latin America and the rest of the world.?
According to the World Bank and the World Economic Forum, Panama ranks second place in terms of ease of doing business in Latin America and 86th worldwide, thanks to its forward-looking government and its successful efforts towards digital transformation.
The National Authority for Government Innovation (Autoridad Nacional para la Innovación Gubernamental), otherwise known as AIG, has had a massive role in digitalisation. It was established in October 2009 as the e-government agency in charge of designing, implementing and managing the digital agenda.?
According to the website, AIG aims to improve public services by turning the government into a world-class competitive institution. For this purpose, it uses information and communication technologies accessible to the population, increasing efficiency and simplifying processes.
Various e-government initiatives and plans since 2000
The Internet for All (Internet Para Todos, IPT) project is one of the most prominent initiatives geared towards increasing internet penetration rates by providing free broadband internet across the nation.?
This project is administered by AIG and is part of the strategies of modernising the infrastructure. To that end, more than 11,000 Wi-Fi hotspots were installed by early 2010, covering 86% of the population.
The Panamanian government's other initiatives include modernising public procurement, aimed at more transparent and efficient resource management through Panamá Compra, an e-procurement platform.
As part of Digital Agenda 2020, it recently launched the Panama Digital Hub with hopes of turning the country into an international centre for digital innovation. It is a public policy intended to make Panama the most competitive country in Latin America in terms of knowledge and technology. Also, it is part of the "Strategy for the Development of the ICT Sector 2025" and has four human talent pillars, physical and social infrastructure, financial resources, and legal, regulatory framework.
Moreover, to combat the Covid-19, the government introduced the "Solidary Panama" (Panamá Solidario) Plan. It was a temporary emergency and social assistance plan which consisted of cash allowances and bags of food for people in need where they used identity cards as debit cards.
The Strategic Plan of the Government 2019-2024 sets forth strategic objectives, goals and instruments that will guide the country towards full digitalisation. It also establishes areas for public-private cooperation and forms a basis for bilateral collaboration between Panama and other countries. This plan's critical area of focus is creating more effective ways to modernise government services to benefit citizens, entrepreneurs, and businesses alike.?
An important focus on open government data
Panama has shown a huge commitment to leadership in terms of the accountability and transparency of government. With that in mind, in 2013 it was created the National Authority of Transparency and Access to Information (Autoridad Nacional de Transparencia y Acceso a la Información) or ANTAI.
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Thus, its open government data policy framework is supported by the work of ANTAI but also by a director-level appointment within the AIG that focuses on the open data strategy.
Moreover, in 2019, Panama adopted a personal data protection law. It established the legal framework for interoperability and the development of data centres for public and private enterprises.?
People are increasingly concerned about how their data can be exploited and misused. In light of this, they have high expectations of how governments should handle their personal information. So, the Panamanian Government commitments to increase citizen participation, government accountability and transparency are noteworthy.
Where should Panama focus on the future?
According to recommendations from OECD, Panama needs to further strengthen its governance. To pursue this goal, Panama should prioritise a strategic shift in the digital government framework toward efforts that will bolster the nation's digital maturity and help encourage broader involvement from various stakeholders.
Panama needs to build institutional capacities by developing a procurement policy for information and communication technologies. It should focus on implementing an e-government infrastructure that helps strengthen the country's ongoing efforts towards a coherent and sustainable digital government.
Finally, both government officials and citizens need skills training to understand what's possible with technology in terms of public services delivery and engagement.
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