On 5^th of April, FICIL Data & Digital Transformation work group leader Edvīns Elferts (KPMG) participated in panel discussion “Goals, priorities and obstacles for digital change” at Riga Castle. The event “A well-governed and citizen-friendly digital Latvia” was hosted by the President of Latvia.

Mr. Elferts together with the Minister of Environmental Protection and Regional Development Māris Sprindžuks, Deputy Head of Department at Ministry of Finance Kristīne Ancāne and Auditor General at the State Audit Office Roberts Irklis discussed the current progress of digital development, further challenges and answered questions from the audience relating to these topics.

During the discussion Edvīns Elferts shared private sector insights for digitalisation processes of large corporations and emphasised the need to designate a state-level Chief Information Officer (CIO) that would be responsible for overseeing digital transformation in Latvia. Moreover, the work group leader reminded that digitalisation should be centered around maximising the user experience while ensuring that the strategy is clear and implementable. It is also necessary to establish a centralized data governance framework and avoid fearing greater automatisation, including at public sector institutions.

 

When it comes to data and digital transformation, FICIL recommends designating a state level CIO office with an explicit and concrete horizontal mandate, creating a better capacity/structure to onboard a centralised Centre of Excellence that can provide support to public sector institutions, establish a centralised data governance framework, and create a clear legal framework for all data and data-usage. You can read the rationale for recommendations here.

 You can watch the full discussion at the link here.