The signing of the MOU took place in Bhutan's capital Thimphu on 22 October. – Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Information and Communications, Bhutan

Singapore and Bhutan have strengthened their collaboration in ICT with the inking of their first Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in this sector. The MOU was signed by Mr Ronnie Tay, Chief Executive Officer of the Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA), and Dasho Kinley Dorji, Secretary of the Ministry of Information and Communications (MoIC) of Bhutan, at the country’s capital Thimphu on 22 October. It was witnessed by the Minister in Charge of Bhutan, His Excellency Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, and the Bhutan Minister of Information and Communications Lyonpo Nandalal Rai, along with representatives from IDA International and Temasek Foundation, Singapore.

The Ministry of Information and Communications is leading the Kingdom of Bhutan’s mandate to tap the potential of ICT as an enabler of national development and the transformation of the nation to an information society.

The MOU builds on existing ICT collaborations between the two countries and paves the way for developing ICT manpower and expertise in Bhutan through a series of projects. As a start, IDA International, a subsidiary of IDA, and Temasek Foundation have joined hands with the MoIC to conduct a leadership capability building programme within the ambit of Bhutan’s ICT Master Plan. Under this programme, key officials from Bhutan will be trained in e-Government policies.

Temasek Foundation has also committed a grant of about S$500,000 towards an 18-month programme to assist about 400 government leaders and officials from Bhutan in developing and implementing a National ICT Master Plan. The programme focuses on three key areas: to develop a strategy and implementation plan for the centralisation of government ICT professionals in order to execute IT programmes more effectively; to develop standards and data services that will help government agencies to interoperate and share information more efficiently; and to develop an e-Government Master Plan which includes an industry development roadmap.

The signing of the government-to-government MOU will tie up these projects and open the way for future cooperation that will strengthen the ties between the two countries, said Mr Lyonpo Nandalal Rai. “I have no doubt that the technological expertise from Singapore, of the highest standard available anywhere in the world, will be a powerful tool to help us achieve the noble goals of Gross National Happiness.”