Published
10/30/2024, 12:31The number of digital public services in Central Asia is growing, especially in business licensing. Azamat Burzhuev, former head of the digitalisation department of the Presidential Administration of the Kyrgyz Republic, talked about this during the PLAS-Forum Digital Kazakhstan.
According to him, this is a positive trend that reduces corruption risks. However, a large number of services does not always indicate a high level of digitalisation but may indicate a developed bureaucracy.
Burzhuev cited Kazakhstan's car re-registration service as an example of successful digitalisation, noting the importance of government and business collaboration. However, he also pointed out the difficulties with the digitalisation of the process of biometrics submission by foreign citizens in Kazakhstan, calling on the Ministry of Finance to pay attention to this issue.
The expert spoke about the experience of Kyrgyzstan, where automated digital services, such as a digital birth certificate, are being introduced. He emphasised the importance of accounting for the needs of citizens when developing services, citing as an example the request to add the exact time of birth to the certificate.
"Fintech companies should become key government partners in the public services development. Digital documents and services should be actively integrated into Fintech platforms. Citizens should receive ‘super services’ with additional services through Fintech platforms,’ he said.
The expert highlighted two approaches to the services' digitalisation: automated, based on the system's understanding of the context, and semi-automated - old processes digitisation. He emphasised the importance of choosing the first approach for public services' effective development.
Burzhuev is convinced that the future lies in the usage of artificial intelligence and big data. Public services should become proactive and offer themselves, rather than waiting for a request from a citizen. As an example, he cited a chatbot that, knowing the date of a wedding anniversary, would offer the user a gift and a ready text of congratulations.
Burzhuev concluded by noting the growing importance of digital identity. He predicts that digital documents will become more important than paper documents in the coming years and calls for active collaboration between government and business in this area. When asked about the prospects of EGOV as a service, the expert said that businesses can develop digital services faster and more efficiently than the state, therefore EGOV should be on the platform of business.
