Conversation for the development of the GovTech industry: this happened at the GovTech 2020 Webinar.

In Latin America, the GovTech ecosystem promises to revolutionize the way in which government services are provided for the benefit of citizens. This industry has the potential to drive economic development in the region and improve the relationship between government and society. 

The Colombian company Nuvu, dedicated to developing technological solutions, wanted to generate a discussion on the level of importance of technology in government management in Latin America, with the intervention of guests from the private and public sector in the GovTech 2020 webinar, held on November 26 at 10:00 am.

The event had close to 300 attendees, who connected through digital platforms to analyze the opinions of the panelists, highly knowledgeable in the GovTech industry.

Hugo Estrada Nieto, CEO of IWE consultants, expert in strategy, business development and venture investment, moderated the talk and had as guests:

• Andrés Barrantes, CEO of Nuvu. 
• Enrique Zapata, leader of Digital Innovation of the State at the Development Bank of Latin America, CAF.
• Alejandro Falla, Artificial Intelligence advisor for the Information Directorate of the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic.
• Hoslander Saenz, head of the Information Unit - DIARI in the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic of Colombia.
  

Challenges for public and private institutions to grow

One of the first key points to understand this industry is to analyze that it is not about technology, but about solving problems through technology with innovative alternatives. 

With this point clear, it is necessary to identify that governments have 2 key problems: the first is public administration, and the second is public policy issues. The latter includes elements such as transparency, financial inclusion and security, to name a few. GovTech development can contribute to finding solutions to these types of issues, which include collaboration between government, private sector and technology. 

Regarding the challenges that this industry faces in order to grow in the region, several conclusions were reached during the GovTech 2020 webinar. Initially, companies must design platforms that respond to the needs of each government and for this, it is necessary that the work teams are made up of high-level professionals who think about the needs of users. 

Considering that, according to Enrique Zapata, 20% of startups in the region are classified as GovTech, it is necessary to strengthen and coordinate the two pillars that initially make up the GovTech structure: the government and the enterprises or startups. 

In the case of the government, the suggested path is to undertake national GovTech strategies that are accompanied by public resources earmarked for this industry and provide the support it needs to grow. In the case of entrepreneurs or startups, there are two recommendations; first, to understand the needs of the end customer and, second, to establish collectives or associations that allow them to have a stronger voice to strengthen communication with the government.

In addition, a debate was opened about the use of citizens' data to protect their privacy. According to the panelists, to reinforce this segment, anonymity of information is a key point. In addition, the reinforcement of the use of current security mechanisms and the selection of qualified personnel are the weapons that can increase citizens' trust in technology. 

In general, this space served to find in Latin America a prosperous territory to build a path to develop the GovTech ecosystem, one that fits the different characteristics that make up and highlight the region. 

If you want to watch the webinar, in this link you can find the interesting discussion that was generated around 5 questions that delimited the conversation: Webinar GovTech: Technologies that improve government management.