Kazakhstan Launches Inaugural SCO Digital Forum, Unveils New Projects
The first day of the Digital Almaty 2024 forum saw the heads of ministries and agencies of the member states of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) responsible for the development of information and communication technologies (ICT) meeting for the first time, as reported by the press service of the forum.
The representatives from the SCO countries engaged in fruitful discussions, exchanging best practices in ICT and aiming to bridge the digital divide between the states. The participants expressed their readiness to give a fresh impetus to innovative technological development and deepen cooperation for sustainable development of the digital economy.
Kazakh Minister of Digital Development, Innovation, and Aerospace Industry Bagdat Mussin proposed the creation of a joint alliance of technoparks of the SCO member countries. Such a partnership would provide comprehensive support for startup projects and IT companies, facilitating market entry and creating common venture funds, among other initiatives.
Another critical area of cooperation highlighted during the forum was the construction of fiber-optic communication lines along the Russia-Kazakhstan-Iran route with access to the Indian Ocean, aiming to diversify transit communication channels and enhance the participation of SCO countries in the international data transit market.
Kazakhstan’s high transit potential and the development of data storage facilities were also discussed, with plans to combine efforts in the construction of large data centers to process and store transit traffic, part of the Accessible Internet national project in Kazakhstan.
The forum also shed light on Kazakhstan’s strong IT expertise, with Minister Mussin highlighting the country’s vast ecosystem of e-government. He expressed Kazakhstan’s readiness to share expertise and ready-made products with foreign partners, citing successful projects such as Smart Bridge, Smart Data Ukimet, and GOV.kz.
The Silkroad Innovation Hub in Silicon Valley, established in September last year, was also highlighted as a successful example of international collaboration, offering incentives for start-ups from Central Asia and Turkic states to partner with global investors and business incubators.
The next meeting of the heads of ministries and agencies of the SCO member states on digitalization is scheduled for next year in China. The initiative to organize the digital forum of the SCO member states was put forward by President of Kazakhstan Kassym-Jomart Tokayev during the online summit of the organization on July 4, 2023.
