Kyrgyzstan received $50 million to implement Digital CASA project almost three years ago. It hasn’t started yet. The World Bank was even going to withdraw funds.
An Adviser to the President Pavel Khripunov told in an interview with 24.kg news agency why the project was not abandoned, why it is needed and who is helping in the digitalization of Kyrgyzstan.
— Why does the republic need Digital CASA?
— It is a key infrastructure project to date. Thanks to it, it will be possible to connect more than 4,000 points across the country to broadband Internet. These are mainly social facilities that are somehow connected with the provision of public services. The project is very important for the state, because it allows residents of the republic to get access to the Internet. It means to get public services, education, access to telemedicine. It will become one of the supporting links in the digitalization of the country as a whole.
— What is its fate today? The World Bank was going to withdraw the project.
— The President of the country Sadyr Japarov gave me an instruction to prepare the project for revival and launch it. I have had a large number of negotiations with the World Bank.
The result was that the World Bank agreed to extend the project in Kyrgyzstan.
You may remember that it has four components — construction of the communication line itself, supply of equipment, writing of a Digital Code and holding of an information campaign to promote (inform all interested parties) the constructed communication line.
— Which one has been already implemented or is it all under discussion?
— Competition for the first component was declared invalid, because the participants offered too high price. We once again held negotiations and convinced the World Bank to allocate additional $7 million for implementation of the first component. The Project Implementation Office is now preparing to re-publish the tender procedure before the end of this week and then determine the winner for the first component. The Ministry of Digital Development will conclude an implementation contract with the winner.
As for the second component, work is underway on assessment of applications, which we plan to complete in the near future, and we will determine the winner. As for the third one, the winner is determined — this is an international consortium that develops the necessary draft documents. The developed documents are under consideration by the Ministry of Digital Development. I hope that the Ministry of Digital Development will promptly review the developed documents and launch the process further in accordance with the current legislation of the Kyrgyz Republic.
The Ministry of Digital Development needs to significantly step up the work on the digitalization of the republic. The President of the country has set tough deadlines for all digitalization projects that are under the special control of the Presidential Executive Office.
We will start implementing the last component only after we complete the first one.
— Modern technologies and the entire digitalization process require a single document that regulates this area to appear. The president personally instructed to develop it. We will be the first country in the region to create the Digital Code. The document will regulate all relations between the citizen, the state, private and legal entities.
— Who else, besides the World Bank, is helping to implement the project of digitalization of the republic?
— A lot of work has been done with Korea Telecom, the largest Asian holding company. They are interested in work in the republic, so the corporation is considering opening some institutions in the country. In addition, it acts as a donor company. At the expense of its resources, it plans to launch two educational centers in the republic.
— What are these centers? Who and what will be taught?
— These educational centers will train IT specialists. As planned, they will work on the basis of the updated Tunduk system. Korea Telecom is ready not only to finance opening of the centers, but also order the development of their information systems from their graduates.
— Who else is a partner in project on digitalization of Kyrgyzstan?
— First of all, this is Russia through its institutions — the Russian Export Center. The Eurasian Development Bank participates in it. We are also negotiating with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The EBRD is also interested in implementation of digitalization projects on a grant basis (construction of state data processing centers).
I think that the presence of different institutions will allow us to resolve all financial difficulties that exist in terms of the implementation of digitalization projects.
Pavel Khripunov
In fact, Digital CASA is one of the elements in the project of digitalization of Kyrgyzstan. There are factors that strongly influence us — this is the global political situation in general. It led to blocking of some financial flows. The part of the aid that was approved will now be transformed. I think that this work will be completed in the near future and the process will go on.
Implementation of all infrastructural and legislative projects makes it possible to form a competitive, digital, regional cluster in the republic. The digital cluster will create a need for development and production of a certain type of equipment and components at the enterprises of the Kyrgyz Republic, create additional jobs for young professionals who will graduate from educational centers.
As a result, this will lead to the growth of the country’s economy and an increase in the quality and standard of living of citizens (due to the provision of digital services).
These ambitious tasks set by the President Sadyr Japarov for the Ministry of Digitalization require from all officials to significantly and qualitatively change their approaches to work, establish well-coordinated work, and coordinate the activities of all ministries and departments of the republic on digitalization issues. Carefully control the spending of the state budget, using information systems of a new generation with elements of forecasting and artificial intelligence, which will provide the Cabinet of Ministers of our country with analytics and management tools.
