The Estonian foreign ministry on 31 August signed a cooperation agreement with the East African Science and Technology Commission and the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications to establish the basis for cooperation in the field of information and communication technology.
The Estonian foreign minister, Urmas Reinsalu, said that the virtual signing of the cooperation agreement was a good demonstration of how as a digital state, Estonia was showing an innovative approach in diplomacy as well.
“Estonia is unparalleled when it comes to e-state infrastructure and expertise; it is one of the reasons why many countries and organisations wish to cooperate with Estonia on digital issues,” Reinsalu said in a statement.
According to him, Estonian companies were increasingly interested in Africa.
The president of the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications, Andre Krull, said he was happy to see the cooperation between his association and the foreign ministry was growing and becoming increasingly specialised.
Standing up for the interests of Estonian companies
“Both agreements signed today show that we are standing up for the interests of Estonian companies on foreign markets together. We are working towards a unified information exchange between the public and private sector to encourage exports,” Krull said in a statement on 31 August.
The East African Science and Technology Commission comprises Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Tanzania, Burundi and South Sudan.
Margus Rava, the Estonian ambassador at large for African economic affairs, recently took office to further boost the African policy area, the foreign ministry noted.
Cover: A software engineer in Rwanda. Photo by Placide Irandora/Unsplash.
