MINISTRY OF ECONOMY
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
OF GEORGIA

Vice Prime Minister, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development Levan Davitashvili took part in the official opening of the 12th Regional Cyber Security and IT Innovation Conference and Award. The forum was held for the first time this year after a 2-year hiatus on December 1-2. The organizers of the forum were the Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development, the Digital Governance Agency of the Ministry of Justice and the ICT Business Council of Georgia. The sponsor of the event was TBC Bank.

In his welcoming speech, the Vice Prime Minister stated that the development of the digital economy is a priority of the Government of Georgia. According to Davitashvili, the reforms and programs implemented in the electronic communications sector in Georgia in recent years have significantly contributed to the development of the field and the growth of Internet use, as well as the development of the digital market, the introduction of many electronic services in the public and private sector. As a result, the level of usage of digital technologies has significantly increased in affairs between the state and the citizen, the state and business, as well as between businesses.

“Development of international Internet connectivity and data exchange centers in Georgia is important for the further development of all sectors of the economy in the region, as it can improve the capacity of optical cables, the quality of digital services, as well as accessibility due to improved competition in the international connection market. This will speed up the digital transformation of the region in the future,” – Vice Prime Minister stated and wished the participants of the forum productive work.

The participants of the forum were also welcomed by the head of the United Nations Development Program’s Georgia office, Nick Beresford, the general director of TBC Bank, Vakhtang Butskhrikidze, and others.

It should be noted that GITI 2022 is the largest technology conference in the region, which has been held since 2008. During its course, it is also planned to hold a competition in order to reveal and award the best projects of the year in various categories, which helps to encourage the implementation of innovative projects in the public and private sector.

The conference was attended by delegates from Central and Eastern Europe, South Caucasus, Baltic states and Central Asia.

The main goal of the conference is to increase the quality of cooperation between the public and private sectors, academic circles and organizations involved in information technologies and innovations in the states of the region in terms of increasing competitiveness, innovations and cyber security. The main topics of the GITI 2022 were: digital transformation; government technologies; data management; fintech; information and cyber security; regional telecommunications market development, etc.