MINSK, 7 April (BelTA) – The Communications and Informatization Ministry has been vested with additional powers due to the active development of digital technologies. Belarus President Aleksandr Lukashenko signed relevant decree No.136 “On the state administration agency in the sphere of digital development and informatization” on 7 April, BelTA has learned.
The Communications and Informatization Ministry has been vested with new powers to manage digital development processes in Belarus, digital transformation of the state administration system and all branches of the national economy.
A digital development center will be established to oversee the practical side of digitization and accelerate it. It will provide assistance to government agencies and organizations with preparing and realizing digital development projects.
A digital development advanced research center will be established as well. It will work out proposals on draft digital development forecasts, indicators measuring the digital development of industries and regions. It will collect data to evaluate the effectiveness of realization of measures and projects stipulated by digital development programs. The digital development advanced research center will be in charge of organizational support for the expert evaluation of digital development projects with assistance of specialists of government agencies and organizations, resident companies of the Hi-Tech Park.
The presidential decree expands mechanisms of financial support of digital development processes and provides for the possibility of assimilation of already developed software. The signing and realization of contracts in the sphere of digital development will be simplified.
Historical background
The advisability of setting up a government agency in charge of digital development has been repeatedly discussed at conferences hosted by the head of state. The matter was raised for the first time at a conference involving top officials of the government, the Belarus President Administration, representatives of government agencies, leading education institutions, IT industry, and the Hi-Tech Park back in 2019.
Back then Aleksandr Turchin told reporters about a decision to set up a regulatory agency based on the Communications and Informatization Ministry by means of revising the ministry's functions and changing the ministry's title. The government was supposed to submit drafts of the relevant decisions for consideration of the head of state.
The matter was revisited much later. At a conference with top officials of the Council of Ministers on 13 January Aleksandr Lukashenko noted that the necessary basic infrastructure had been created in Belarus, including a well-developed data transfer network, reliable data storage and processing centers, and modern data protection solutions. “It seems it is not enough. Digital sphere should improve people's wealth via highly effective manufacturing in addition to raising living standards. More attention should be paid to the digitization of the real sector of the economy and ensuring the competitive ability of enterprises,” the Belarusian leader stated.
After the government conference Communications and Informatization Minister Konstantin Shulgan noted that the process of creation of a new digital development and communications ministry had approached the finish line.
The idea to create a digital development and informatization agency on the basis of the existing Communications and Informatization Ministry was revisited again at a government conference hosted by the head of state on 4 April. “We've postponed the matter until today in order to make a balanced decision. We have the relevant ministry. Creating a new body on the basis of the ministry instead of simple renaming is the idea. Back then we wondered whether we should go ahead with it, what benefits we will get if we rename and improve the existing body and give it additional powers. Whether we can do it within the framework of the existing legal base and what needs to be tweaked if necessary. Whether we should take these steps or not,” Aleksandr Lukashenko said as he heard out a report from the communications and informatization minister and the head of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus, who had been instructed to consider these matters “on the side”.
It was revealed after the meeting that the head of state had backed all the proposals except the idea to rename the ministry.
