A U.S.-Supported E-Government App Accelerated the Digital Transformation of Ukraine; Now Ukraine is Working to Scale the Solution to More Countries

An award-winning Ukrainian e-government app and digital platform supported by the United States is accelerating Ukraine’s digital transformation – and it’s about to expand to more countries. At the World Economic Forum today, USAID Administrator Samantha Power met with Ukrainian Vice Prime Minister Mykhailo Fedorov to discuss the next phase of USAID’s collaboration with Ukraine to advance digital transformation and help partner countries adopt platforms that better connect citizens with their government. 

Since the establishment of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation (MDT) in 2019, USAID provided legal, financial, and technical assistance to develop Diia for Ukrainian citizens. Diia is a mobile application and online portal that opened up digital access to 120 government services and enables Ukrainians to engage with their government online in a one-stop-shop – from applying for benefits and government programs to paying taxes, accessing important documents, registering and running businesses, and providing identification and digital signatures. Following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Diia has also allowed Ukrainians to receive social support with government services closed in areas impacted by war, and has been used by displaced Ukrainians to access aid and other critical services. The app is the gold standard in e-government, and Ukraine is now sharing this technology with other countries. Among the farthest along in this process is Estonia, which has worked with MDT on the transfer of code, user experience design, and user interface design, and has recently announced the formal adoption of a Diia-like application for Estonian citizens.

As part of USAID’s commitment to collaborating with Ukraine to bring its digital successes to other partner countries who seek to accelerate their own digital transformation, Administrator Power announced that USAID, working with Congress, plans to provide at least $650,000 to help jumpstart the adoption of Diia-like systems and the digital technology services that underpin them. Administrator Power also announced USAID will work to catalyze additional resources and technical assistance from the private sector to help facilitate the adoption of e-government tools like Diia that enhance transparency, citizen engagement, and economic growth.

With the additional funding, USAID will support potential partner countries to complete technical assessments and other steps necessary to develop a one-stop shop app for government services, and potentially scale components of the Diia infrastructure. Through both ongoing and new programs and partnerships on digital transformation, Administrator Power recommitted to USAID’s work to accelerate growth and enhance readiness for digital government and digital transformation.