Digital Transformation to Aid Latin American Governments in Fight against COVID-19

CAF—development bank of Latin America—and Panama’s Government Innovation Authority (AIG), held a forum called “Digital Resilience in Times of COVID-19,” where government representatives from Colombia, Spain, Panama, Peru and Uruguay shared their success stories with the use of digital solutions as key tools to cope with the COVID-19 crisis.

Carlos Santiso, Director of Digital Innovation of the State at CAF, discussed the major challenges and opportunities faced by countries of the region through digital transformation and the so-called “state reset.” “We are witnessing an acceleration of an agenda that was already being advanced by governments of the region, but due to the pandemic, everything changed. What used to be important has now become essential.” He stressed that digital transformation is a major enabler for the new social, fiscal and productivity pact.

Furthermore, Luis Oliva, general administrator of Panama’s Government Innovation Authority (AIG), highlighted the digital innovations put forward by the national government to cope with the emergency caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, through the implementation of platforms for immediate response to the population in terms of identity, healthcare, prevention, banking, economic aid and education.

The forum also featured the representative of the Digital Government Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Peru, Marushka Chocobar Reyes, who made reference to the activation of digital solutions such as websites, a mobile application called “Peru en tus manos” (Peru in your hands) for remote triage, and a national survey, which are tools that have allowed the Peruvian government to keep the people informed, avoiding the spread of so-called “fake news.” He also stressed the importance of building people’s digital trust and a digital citizenship, placing digital tools at the service of the people and the productive sector.

In additionVictor Muñoz, presidential advisor for Economic Affairs and Digital Transformation of Colombia, shared his country’s experience in developing three tools: the website Coronaviruscolombia, the Coronapp mobile app, which can be used from a mobile device at no cost of data (zero rating) and has already eleven million downloads, and the “Solidarity Income” program for money transfers through which vulnerable families receive grants for the purchase of basic goods. He was emphatic in stating that the digital economy will be pivotal to the recovery stage.

During this remarks, Pablo Orefice, director of the digital health initiative Salud.uy, of Uruguay’s E-Governance and Information Society Agency (AGESIC), noted the national strategy developed between the public and private sectors to work comprehensively with the aim of returning to the “new normal.” He also analyzed the need to develop digital tools based on equality, and ensure continuity of such digital services.

Spain presented its experience with the implementation of four innovative solutions to cope with the crisis: strategic decisions based on information, massification of the use of digital services provided by the public administration (digital administration), reinforcing cybersecurity and remote work. The presentation was made by Adolfo García Sánchez, Area Head of the Secretary of State for Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence, who also emphasized the importance of ensuring digital rights in an ethical context.

CAF representative in Panama Lucia Meza stressed that progress in digitization plays a pivotal role in dealing with the emergency and also expanding the impacts of infrastructure investment and improving efficiency in the coverage and quality of basic services, with results such as closing the inequality gap and transparency in government procedures.

”At CAF, we wish to express our solidarity in the face of the difficult situation that the world is experiencing due to the coronavirus pandemic, we offer advice for the efforts of governments of Ibero-America to address the health care crisis, and we urge all parties to work on the revival of our countries based on sustainability,” he added.

According to the experts, it is essential to devise a digital resilience plan, considering that our countries have currently a mid-level degree of digital development. They all agreed that more should be done to reduce the digital divide, and reinforce data-driven public management, while building trust among people.