The Ministry of Informational Technologies and Communications is involved in all aspects of Moldova’s development, given the increasing importance of ICT to every economic sector. It is also playing a major role in stimulating the country’s GDP growth since ICT is a key driver of the Moldovan economy.
As Pavel Filip, Minister of Informational Technologies and Communications, points out, “Our ministry is the government agency dealing with ICT in Moldova. This ministry’s mission is to develop, manage and implement strategies and policies regarding ICT in Moldova and to make sure that the government has the information resources it needs. We are very involved in developing projects, including ones with EU participation.”
Moldova has already liberalised its ICT sector, and further liberalisation is planned. The ministry is currently completing an ICT development strategy for 2011 to 2014 which covers all aspects of Moldova’s ICT activities.
Focus on e-government
Implementing more e- government services is a priority in the new strategy. “We have already invested some €1.4 million in new e-government services as part of a €14 million support package from the World Bank. We are very ambitious concerning our e-governance development. The €14 million project is just the beginning,” Minister Filip explains. Moldova launched its Government Electronic Transformation project in 2010, becoming the first country to take part in the World Bank’s Government Electronic Transformation initiative.
Minister Pavel Filip explains that the ministry aims to ensure that Moldova’s public services are as transparent as possible, which will help to boost local and foreign investors’ confidence in Moldova. “Implementing e-government is the government’s major priority as it constitutes one of the solutions for efficient and accessible administration of different areas. Our ministry is playing a decisive role in this Pavel Filip, Minister of Informational Technologies and Communications effort,” he says. The ministry is co sponsoring the Moldova ICT Summit/Moldova eGov Summit, which will be held in May this year.
Moldova will continue to enhance its regional ICT links, according to Minister Pavel Filip. He says, “We now have fibre optic connections with other countries, which is a big improvement over what we had previously.”
The Ministry of Information Technology and Communication has launched a broadband development programme for 2010 to 2013 and is in discussions with Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard concerning additional projects in Moldova. Minister Pavel Filip concludes, “We have devoted a huge effort to liberalising the ICT sector, which has created many new attractions for investors.”
