Minister of Digital Technologies Sherzod Shermatov held a meeting with Sangbu Kim, Vice President for Digital Technologies and Artificial Intelligence at the World Bank.

Prior to the meeting, the delegation was presented with the latest achievements in Uzbekistan’s digital transformation agenda. In particular, information was provided on the activities of IT Park, the development of the country’s ICT ecosystem, efforts to increase IT services exports, support for startups, and initiatives aimed at attracting international technology companies to enter Uzbek market.

The delegation was also introduced to the activities of Uzinfocom, to ongoing projects oof Uzinfocom focused on the digitalization of public services, the enhancement of e-government services, and the broader adoption of digital technologies and AI in public administration.

During the meeting, the parties discussed the development of Uzbekistan’s digital economy in an inclusive way, efforts and opportunities to expand sion of digital infrastructure, creation of new jobs, and accelerateion of digital transformation processes across various sectors.

The participants also exchanged views on initiatives aimed at creating more and better paid high-paying employment opportunities for young people, including in regions of Uzbekistan, equipping them with modern digital and foreign languages skills, and further strengthening of 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.

In addition, information was shared on ongoing efforts to develop the country’s data center infrastructure, expand existing capacities, and meet the growing demand for digital services.

The parties also reviewed discussed opportunities to further expand cooperation in the fields of digital jobs creation, digital technologies, artificial intelligence, digital government, and digital infrastructure development.