UK ‘extremely supportive’ of KRG digitalization process: Diplomat

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - The United Kingdom is assisting in the Kurdistan Regional Government’s (KRG) digitalization strategy and is “extremely supportive” of its transformation into a digital government, one of the country’s diplomats to the Region told Rudaw last week. 

The head of the political section at the UK Consulate General to Erbil, James Oates, spoke to Rudaw’s Nwenar Fatih on the sidelines of the 2023 HITEX fair, where dozens of international and local companies showcased their products in the technology and business sectors amid an ongoing digitalization campaign in the Kurdistan Region.

“The UK is extremely supportive of the Kurdistan Regional Government’s plan to be a digital first government,” Oates said of the KRG’s digitalization process. 

The support consists of the UK providing expertise and insight based on its own experience with becoming a digital government, in cooperation with Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani’s office and the Department of Information Technology (DIT). 

In October last year, Barzani announced the KRG’s Digital Transformation Strategy aimed at transforming government services into being more “citizen-centric.” 

In addition to supporting digital efforts, the consulate also plays a key role in boosting trade between the UK and the Region, as well as Iraq. “We can act as the bridge between the two sides,” Oates said. 

“It would be great to see more Kurdish products on British shelves,” he stated. 

According to him, the main UK businesses in the Kurdistan Region are pharmaceutical and oil and gas companies, while also being involved in the education sector. One of the main educational projects is the British International University which will soon open in Erbil and provide courses and examinations accredited by the University of London. 

Oates added that there has been a recent increase in interest in the healthcare sector with companies seeking to bring their expertise to the Kurdistan Region. “There are a lot of opportunities in that regard,” he stated.