Prishtina, October 11, 2024
Today, the Prime Minister of the Republic of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, attended the opening of the 13th edition of KOSICT under the theme “Decipher the Future”, an event that from this edition onwards integrates KOSICT into OctoberTech, organized in collaboration with the private sector to enhance the remarkable potential of Kosovo’s ICT industry.
In his opening remarks, Prime Minister Kurti described KOSICT as one of the essential events in Kosovo’s digital journey, which brings together brilliant minds from our country, the region, and beyond to discuss, debate, and advance the opportunities that technology brings to our society.
The Prime Minister stated that digital transformation is a priority on the Government’s agenda, and therefore efforts have been continuously made to make services more efficient and accessible. A key digital development is the introduction of eKosova in 2021.
As of today, 195 e-services can be accessed solely through this digital portal, offering our citizens a means to access public services swiftly and conveniently. “Whether it’s obtaining a civil status certificate, renewing vehicle registration, or requesting a property certificate, eKosova has simplified the way we provide services,” stated Prime Minister Kurti.
The Prime Minister announced the establishment of Integrated Service Centers to ensure that all citizens can use electronic services, allowing even those who cannot access digital services independently to benefit with the assistance of government staff.
Another major initiative was also considered the implementation of the national eID system, which is expected to be launched soon, through which secure electronic identification and authentication services will be offered. To ensure the safety of our digital services and systems, Prime Minister Kurti mentioned that earlier this year we inaugurated the State Training Center for Cybersecurity within the Kosovo Security Forces.
He also singled out the Innovation and Training Park in Prizren and TechPark Prishtina as the two key pillars of Kosovo’s innovation landscape that the Government has directly backed. These spaces are designed to foster collaboration and creativity, providing startups and entrepreneurs with the infrastructure and tools they need to turn their ideas into reality.
Finally, the Prime Minister expressed his pride that all these transformative efforts by the Government meet the expectations and aspirations of our society, thus he called for harnessing the positive potential of technology to improve life, create opportunities, and build a more inclusive and sustainable world.
In the course of the visit, the prime minister had the chance to closely examine the technology initiatives crafted by children as part of the KOSICT program.
Prime Minister Kurti’s complete speech:
Dear Minister of Economy, Artane Rizvanolli,
Dear Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora, Liza Gashi,
Dear management of STIKK, chairman Sadiku, and director Çavolli,
Dear guests and members of the ICT community,
Let me start by saying that I was particularly fond of the carpet, which is not a red carpet but it is a chessboard like carpet with binary opposition looking very digital.
It is a great pleasure to be here today at the opening of the 13th edition of KOSICT. This event has already become an essential part of Kosova’s digital journey, bringing together brilliant minds from our country, the region and beyond to discuss, debate, and drive forward the incredible possibilities that technology brings to our society. And we are delighted that starting from this edition, KOSICT is a part of a broader OctoberTech initative that we are undertaking together with the private sector to support the tremendous potential of the ICT industry in Kosova.
This year’s theme, “Decode the Future,” speaks directly to the moment we are in. The future, driven by technological innovation, is unfolding before us faster than ever before. Our response to this challenge, by addressing all the changes and opportunities that come with it, will shape the future of our economy and the future of our entire society.
The digital future is not just about technology for its own sake. It is about making services more efficient and accessible, improving lives, and creating opportunities. That’s why digital transformation is a very high priority on our government agenda.
One of the key developments in our digital ecosystem has been the launch of eKosova in 2021. Today, 195 electronic services are available through this single digital window, providing our citizens with a means to access public services quickly and conveniently. Whether it is obtaining a civil status certificate, renewing a vehicle registration, or requesting a property certificate, eKosova has simplified the way we deliver services. This is the future we want to continue building: a future where citizens no longer have to stand in long lines but can access what they need with just a few clicks.
Digital transformation in the government is not just about adding more electronic services—it is also about fundamentally improving processes and making them more citizen-centric. That is why we are introducing the life event approach to service delivery, which aims to change the way citizens interact with public administration. The first category of services that we are piloting based on this approach focuses on the life event of a birth of a child.
Another major initiative is the implementation of the National eID system, which is about to be launched soon. This system will provide secured electronic identification and authentication services, allowing citizens to sign documents electronically, and use the EU-compliant digital wallet. This is more than just a technical upgrade—it is about building trust in digital services and providing a critical enabler for the future of digital Kosova.
Inclusivity is key in our vision of governance. We are working on establishing Integrated Service Centers to ensure that even those who are not able to use digital services on their own, can still benefit from them with the help of government employees. The first of these centers will be in Prishtina, and we are excited to see how this initiative will make services more accessible to all categories in society.
Security is also paramount in the digital world. Earlier this year, we inaugurated the State Cybersecurity Training Center at the Kosova Security Forces, and in the coming days, we will be announcing open positions at the new Cyber Security Agency. These initiatives are part of our broader cyber security strategy, aimed at building a robust national cybersecurity infrastructure to protect our digital services and systems from threats.
Digital transformation and cyber security require an environment that fosters economic cooperation and collaboration and commerce and culture at the national and international level. On the one hand, our partnerships with the World Bank, USAID, the European Union, GIZ, and the UNDP have been instrumental in providing the resources and expertise needed to support our vision, and aligning our policies with global best practices. On the other hand, working closely with the private sector, civil sector and academia provides access to the collective knowledge and innovation capacities available within our country.
We are happy to see the rise of multiple platforms within our innovation ecosystem. The Innovation and Training Park in Prizren, and the TechPark Prishtina, which looks more beautiful than ever, this inspiring venue that we are here today, are two key pillars of Kosova’s innovation landscape that the government has been directly supporting. These spaces are designed to foster collaboration and creativity, providing startups and entrepreneurs with the infrastructure and tools they need to turn their ideas into our reality.
We are proud that these transformative efforts are aligned with the expectations and aspirations of our society. eKosova today has more than 954,000 registered users, and we are seeing a substantial increase in the use of digital services. The number of service transactions through eKosova doubled in just one year: from 1.92 million in 2022 to 3.84 million service transactions in 2023. This shows that our citizens are embracing online services, and it further encourages us to proceed with our digital transformation initiatives.
Dear participants, dear friends,
In this era of technological revolution, we often hear the phrase, “the future is no longer a distant horizon.” However, that doesn’t make it any more predictable. As we engage in decoding this future, let’s continue our efforts to harness the positive potential of technology to improve lives, create opportunities, and build a more inclusive, prosperous, and sustainable world.
Thank you, and I wish you all a productive and inspiring KOSICT!
Last modified: October 14, 2024