31-01-2025
The next session of the “Digital Academy for Leaders” program, initiated by the Innovation and Digital Development Agency (IRIA), was held in Berlin on January 27–28.
The two-day training was attended by 13 senior officials from 13 government institutions. During the visit, participants closely familiarized themselves with the rich experience of digital transformation in the public sectors of Germany and Denmark and engaged in extensive discussions with their German counterparts.
On the first day of the training, Gerhard Hammerschmid, Director of the Digital Governance Center and the Master’s Program in Public Administration at Hertie School, delivered a presentation providing an overview of Germany’s digitalization experience. This was followed by a discussion session on “Digitalization in the German Government: From Strategy to Implementation.”
As the training continued, participants explored Denmark’s digital experience and took part in a discussion on Germany’s digital policies. Additionally, they visited Germany’s Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport to gain insights into the country’s digital transformation in transportation, including the railway system. On January 27, the participants also attended a reception organized by the Azerbaijani Embassy at the Cultural Center in Berlin.
During the reception, Nasimi Aghayev, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to the Federal Republic of Germany, highlighted the significance of digitalization in today’s world and emphasized that cooperation in this field would create new opportunities and be crucial for further development. Shahin Aliyev, Deputy Chairman of IRIA, stressed in his speech that the development of human capital in the field of digitalization is a key priority in the newly approved Digital Development Concept of the country.
On the second day of the training, participants engaged in meetings to learn about the activities of the “GovTech” campus and held discussions on digital policy with a representative from the German Federal Chancellery.
It is worth noting that the Digital Academy, regularly held since November 2023, is a new training program designed for senior officials of government institutions. In December of the previous year, the first training sessions on the Strategic Session for Digital Transformation in the Public Sector were conducted with the participation of Hertie School. This year’s training sessions will include visits to Germany, Singapore, and Saudi Arabia.