BAKU, Azerbaijan, June 18. Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies met with the World Bank’s Vice President for Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence, to discuss cooperation on digital transformation, artificial intelligence, and the development of the country’s digital economy.
This was reflected in the statement by the Ministry of Digital Technologies of Uzbekistan, following the meeting between Uzbekistan’s Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov, with the Sangbu Kim, the World Bank’s Vice President for Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence.
Ahead of the talks, the World Bank delegation was briefed on Uzbekistan’s recent progress in digitalization, including the activities of IT Park, growth of the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, efforts to increase IT service exports, support for startups, and initiatives aimed at attracting international technology companies to the country.
The delegation was also introduced to the work of Uzinfocom, Uzbekistan’s state IT integrator, including projects focused on the digitalization of public services, the expansion of e-government platforms, and the adoption of digital technologies and artificial intelligence in public administration.
During the meeting, the parties discussed ways to promote inclusive growth in Uzbekistan’s digital economy, expand digital infrastructure, create new jobs, and accelerate digital transformation across various sectors.
The discussions also focused on initiatives to increase access to high-quality, well-paid digital jobs for young people, particularly in the regions, through training in digital skills and foreign languages and broader investments in human capital development.
"Particular attention was given to the country’s achievements in digital government. The parties noted Uzbekistan’s progress in the GovTech Maturity Index, where the country climbed 73 positions to rank 9th globally, and discussed prospects for continued cooperation to further advance reforms in the digital and telecom sectors to further and strengthen Uzbekistan’s standing in international rankings, and support impact across the sector and the economy at large." the statement said.
The parties also reviewed ongoing efforts to expand the country’s data center infrastructure to meet growing demand for digital services and discussed prospects for deeper cooperation in artificial intelligence, digital government, digital infrastructure, and digital job creation.
