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What are the digital transformation and competency needs of the public sector?
Public officials must be able to understand data and related technologies to procure relevant AI tools, understand the licensing terms of the technology and data protection requirements.
Training needs of the public sector
Gbenga Sesan, Executive Director of Paradigm Initiative, identified three common public sector gaps:
- A knowledge gap: where public officials may have a negative attitude towards digital technologies due to lack of awareness about the benefits and risks of these technologies,
- An implementation gap: where civil servants who often receive trainings are not the ones who implement the programs, leading to differences in policy design and implementation, and
- A collaboration gap: where different parts of the civil services may not be coordinating with each other in the government and with other institutions like legislature.
In addition, with infrastructure limitations of some countries in the Global South, Renata Avila Pinto, CEO of the Open Knowledge Foundation highlighted that “Knowledge transfer, learning from each other and consolidating successful models from across the globe is crucial.”
Best practices for training
Sharing from the Open Knowledge Foundation’s School of Data initiative, Ben Hur Pintor, Data Training Lead of the Open Knowledge Foundation emphasized that training should be structured around openness and a “learning by doing” approach.
For the School of Data, capacity-building starts with fundamental data literacy and digital capabilities before moving on to incorporating the technologies into actual workflows. “This produces tangible outcomes,” he said, “and enhances the local agencies.”
UNESCO also works to understand the needs of public sector partners and beneficiaries when facilitating knowledge exchange for its training programs. For example, building on a survey of 1265 judicial operators from over 100 countries UNESCO launched an online training on AI and the Rule of Law, bringing together 20 expert speakers to share their knowledge with over 4,300 registered participants worldwide.
This consultation at UNCTAD eCommerce Week was part of the work of the UN Broadband Commission’s Working Group on AI Capacity Building to develop a Digital Competency Framework for Civil Servants.
A session summary is also available from digwatch at:
