Union Cabinet approves MoU with Kenya on digital solutions at population scale

New Delhi [India]: The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday approved a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signed on December 5 last year with Kenya in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation.
The MoU will come into effect from the date of signature of the parties and shall remain in force for a period of 3 years.

The MoU was signed between India through the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and the Government of the Republic of Kenya through the Ministry of Information, Communications and Digital Economy on cooperation in the field of sharing successful digital solutions implemented at population scale for digital transformation.

The MoU intends to promote closer cooperation and exchange of experiences and digital technologies-based solutions in the implementation of digital transformational initiatives in both countries.

Both B2G and G2G (Business-to-Government) and G2G (Government-to-Government) bilateral Cooperation in the field of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) will be enhanced, the government said.
MoU envisages improved collaboration leading to employment opportunities in the field of IT.

MeitY is collaborating with a number of countries and multilateral agencies to foster bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the ICT domain. Over the period, MeitY has entered into MoUs/MoCs/Agreements with its counterpart organisations/agencies from various countries to promote cooperation and exchange of information in the ICT domain.

This is in consonance with the various initiatives taken by the Government of India such as Digital India, Atmanirbhar Bharat, Make in India etc. to transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.

In this changing paradigm, there is an imminent need for exploring business opportunities, sharing best practices and attracting investments in the digital sector with the objective of enhancing mutual cooperation.

Over the last few years, India has demonstrated its leadership in the implementation of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) and has successfully provided delivery of services to the public even during the COVID pandemic.

As a result, many countries have evinced interest in learning from India’s experiences and entering into MoUs with India, the government said on Thursday.

India Stack Solutions are DPIs developed and implemented by India at a population scale to provide access and delivery of public services.

It aims to enhance connectivity, promote digital inclusion, and enable seamless access to public service. It further said that these are built on open technologies, are interoperable and are designed to harness industry and community participation which fosters innovative and inclusive solutions.

However, each country has unique needs and challenges in building DPI, although the basic functionality is similar, allowing for global cooperation.