e-Governance Academy (eGA, Estonian: ''E-riigi Akadeemia Sihtasutus'') is a non-profit foundation that assists public sector institutions worldwide in

digital transformation Digital transformation is the adoption of digital technology by an organization to digitize non-digital products, services or operations. The goal for its implementation is to increase value through innovation, invention, customer experience or e ...

. The organization was founded in 2002, by a joint initiative of the Government of

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, and t ...

, Open Society Institute (OSI), and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). eGA is an advisory observer to the Secure Identity Alliance (SIA), member of the Estonian Roundtable for Development Cooperation and partner of the Global Forum on Cyber Expertise (GFCE).

Board and experts

The foundation is governed by the Supervisory Board that includes researchers, top-level managers, and senior officials of Estonia and the European Union: Siim Raie, Paul Timmers, Andre Krull,

Margus Kolga Margus Kolga (born 1 May 1966) is an Estonian diplomat. He graduated from the University of Tartu's Faculty of History in 1992. After graduation, he joined the Ministry of Defence of Estonia, where until 1994 he served as a desk officer in the S ...

, and

Toomas Hendrik Ilves Toomas Hendrik Ilves (; born 26 December 1953) is an Estonian politician who served as the fourth president of Estonia from 2006 until 2016. Ilves worked as a diplomat and journalist, and he was the leader of the Social Democratic Party in the ...

, the fourth President of Estonia (2006-2016). eGA’s team includes former senior Estonian government decision-makers who have taken part in the creation of

e-Estonia e-Estonia refers to the digital society of Estonia, which facilitates its citizens' and residents' interactions with the state through the use of ICT solutions. Estonian e-services created under this initiative include e-Tax Board, e-Business, e- ...

Linnar Viik Linnar Viik (born 26 February 1965 in Tallinn) is an Estonian information technology scientist, entrepreneur and IT visionary. Currently he is a visiting lecturer at University of Tartu, Estonian Academy of Arts and Tallinn University, Partner ...

, Hannes Astok, Arvo Ott, Uuno Vallner,

Liia Hänni Liia Hänni (née Juulik; born 4 October 1946) is an Estonian astrophysicist, social activist and former politician who voted for the Estonian restoration of Independence. Education Born in Atla, Saare County, Liia Hänni graduated from Saar ...

Activities

So far, eGA has provided assistance and consultations to more than 130 countries around the world, including

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

Benin Benin ( , ; french: Bénin , ff, Benen), officially the Republic of Benin (french: République du Bénin), and formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, Burkina Faso to the nort ...

Mongolia Mongolia; Mongolian script: , , ; lit. "Mongol Nation" or "State of Mongolia" () is a landlocked country in East Asia, bordered by Russia to the north and China to the south. It covers an area of , with a population of just 3.3 millio ...

Sierra Leone Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierra ...

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate ...

the Cayman Islands The Cayman Islands () is a self-governing British Overseas Territory—the largest by population in the western Caribbean Sea. The territory comprises the three islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, which are located to the ...

, Guyana, the

Faroe Islands The Faroe Islands ( ), or simply the Faroes ( fo, Føroyar ; da, Færøerne ), are a North Atlantic archipelago, island group and an autonomous territory of the Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark. They are located north-northwest of Scotlan ...

India India, officially the Republic of India ( Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the ...

, etc. Partnering with the Australia’s Cyber Cooperation Programme and the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, the e-Governance Academy assessed the digital transformation capabilities and resources of the Pacific Islands. Together with the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policie (FIIAP), it supports digital transformation in Ukraine and its harmonisation with the EU Digital Single Market. The organisation has assisted the implementation of the Estonian origin secured data exchange platform X-Road in

Palestine __NOTOC__ Palestine may refer to: * State of Palestine, a state in Western Asia * Palestine (region), a geographic region in Western Asia * Palestinian territories, territories occupied by Israel since 1967, namely the West Bank (including East J ...

Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan,, pronounced or the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and the People's Republic of China to the ea ...

, and

. Trainings on e-democracy and cyber security have been provided for government officials in Ukraine and Moldova. A joint venture with Mitsubishi UFJ Research and Consulting Co., Ltd (MURC) was established to provide digital transformation services for governments in Japan and the Asian region.

National Cyber Security Index

eGA created and maintains the National Cyber Security Index (NCSI). Ranking more than 160 countries, it is a detailed cyber security assessment tool, that has also been listed among the International Good Cyber Stories.

e-Governance Conference

Th
e-Governance Conference
is an annual event that brings together digital transformation makers and experts from developing countries around the world.

Publications

The handbook “e-Estonia: e-Governance in Practice” covers the main aspects of creating and managing digital society. The handbook “e-Estonia: e-Governance in Practice” became a bestselling book in Japan. eGA has published a review on the state of e-democracy and cyber security of the

Eastern Partnership The Eastern Partnership (EaP) is a joint initiative of the European External Action Service of the European Union (EU) together with the EU, its member states, and six Eastern European partners governing the EU's relationship with the post-So ...

countries, analyzed and evaluated the current state of e-governance in African countries and compiled recommendations to develop the e-government in Australia.

References

{{Authority control Non-governmental organizations Organizations based in Estonia