Meeting Tony Blair, Komdigi Discusses The Possibility Of Cooperation For Digital Social Assistance

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair (photo: Dinda Buana / VOI)

JAKARTA - The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs received a visit from former British Prime Minister (PM) Tony Blair with the Tony Blair Institute (TBI), to discuss cooperation related to digital transformation in Indonesia.

Minister of Trade Meutya Hafid said that this meeting was still in its early stages, so it could not reveal the focus of its cooperation. However, he emphasized that TBI is committed to supporting the digital transformation of the country.

"Talking about how digital transformation in Indonesia can run more quickly, and hopefully it will be ready to be given input or cooperation with the Tony Blair Institute," Meutya said at a press conference on Monday, April 21 in Jakarta.

Although the details of the form of cooperation that will take place, Meutya said this collaboration will target transformation in government services and public services that can be felt directly by the community.

"Tony Blair also conveyed several lessons from several countries that we can set an example, but we must continue to look at the Indonesian context," added the Deputy Chief of the Golkar Party.

Furthermore, Minister of Trade Metya reiterated that this collaboration will not only include the development of digital infrastructure, but also prepare qualified human resources (HR).

This is also in line with the vision of the Indonesian government which targets 9 and Indonesian digital talents by 2030. And also cooperation in the technology sector of artificial intelligence (AI).

"Which one we will prioritize to become a collaboration between the two institutions. However, in particular, it will certainly support President Prabowo's delivery, including how to provide digital social assistance services," he said.

Last year, in the previous administration, Komdigi, formerly known as Kominfo, had also received a visit from Tony Blair. At that time, Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi said, TBI discussed three main issues, namely connectivity, data center, and also digital ID.