Turkmenistan moves towards e-government

Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov has decreed the introduction of e-government in the country, allowing more government programmes and agencies to work on the internet. Berdymukhamedov first voiced the idea in April 2010, instructing Turkmen specialists “to study international experience in the relevant area.” He followed that by establishing an IT unit to guide e-government implementation. “The e-government project is important not only for systematizing the government agencies’ activities, but for the social-political development of the society on the whole,” Berdymukhamedov said in a speech at a Turkmenistan-UNDP conference on establishing e-government and information technologies. “Our goal is to introduce computerization in every sphere of activities and provide accessibility of the technology for the people.” Turkmenistan is currently discussing implementation and support for the e-government project with the UNDP.

---