Digital Governance Dialogues

Organizers 

The Portuguese-speaking African Countries (PALOP) face common challenges related to digital infrastructure, technical training, and digital inclusion, making this group of countries particularly relevant for coordinated cooperation efforts. The project “Digital Governance Dialogues: Capacity Development and Cooperation in Digital Governance Capacities in the PALOP” aims to enhance digital governance capabilities in Portuguese-speaking African countries, based on their specific contexts and needs, on both the supply side (government institutions) and the demand side (the population's use of services).

The project also aims to promote knowledge-sharing on this topic among the PALOP and with other reference countries, supporting the development of inclusive and effective digital governances across Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa.

To achieve this, the activities will involve all PALOP (Angola, Cabo Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, and São Tomé and Príncipe), as well as other Portuguese-speaking countries (Brazil and Portugal), and recognised actors and organizations in the field. Activities will be carried out over a three-year period (2025 to 2027), with 2 to 4 webinars and 1 to 2 in-person workshops per year hosted in PALOP countries. Mechanisms may also be established to measure digital governance progress in these countries, including the development of observatories and national digital governance strategies after the technical training. 

Objectives

• Strengthen capacities for the design, implementation and evaluation of policies and programmes for the use of information and communication technologies (ICT) in the public sector
• Focus on digital governance actions on both the supply and demand sides in PALOP member countries
• Facilitate exchange and mutual learning in digital governance between countries
• Promote common indicators and criteria for monitoring digital governance
• Support the drafting of national documents on digital governance in PALOP countries
   

Activities

• Preparation and mapping of each country’s national context
• Thematic webinars with specialists and PALOP representatives
• In-person workshops on digital governance for public managers and decision-makers in PALOP government organizations
• Technical assistance and support for the design of national digital governance measurement and monitoring projects, for countries that choose to pursue such initiatives post-workshop
   

Webinars
Webinars will be held in Portuguese with the possibility of simultaneous translation in the case of international participants. They intend to:

• Bring together topics, challenges and experiences in digital governance, with the participation of internationally recognised experts to share their initiatives and promote dialogue with PALOP countries
• Have the participation of experts and dissemination of local initiatives in PALOP countries

Workshops
In-person workshops will also be conducted in Portuguese, with the possibility of simultaneous translation for external guests. They will:

• Provide technical support to PALOP countries in strengthening their digital governance capabilities
• Have thematic and practical sessions tailored to each country's interests, needs and priorities
   

Meeting Topics
The topics of virtual meetings may vary and will be defined jointly based on the expertise of project partners and the needs of Portuguese-speaking African countries. Possible webinar topics include:

• Artificial Intelligence and other emerging technologies in the public sector
• Cybersecurity
• Designing and monitoring digital governance strategies
• Digital governance and international agendas (SDGs, Global Digital Compact, etc.)
• Digital governance measurement (supply and demand sides)
• Digital Public Infrastructures (DPIs)
• Environment and digital governance
• Meaningful connectivity
• Technologies for public policies in education and health