Skopje, 15 August 2024 (MIA) - The country faces two paradoxes of having significant internet coverage and one of the fastest internet speeds, while also having insufficient digitization of institutions. Increased investments in the digital infrastructure of the institutions are necessary, as well as a systemic approach aimed at a complete digitization of society, Minister of Digital Transformation Stefan Andonovski said Thursday.

“There are two paradoxes in Macedonia. One of them is that we have a seriously significant internet coverage and one of the fastest internet speeds, which some research showed last week, but at the same time we have insufficient digitization of the institutions which places us at the bottom of the region according to the European indicators that measure digitization. The task will be to firstly digitize the institutions. This means we need increased and comprehensive investments in the digital infrastructure of institutions, but we mustn’t exclude the citizens. Since, if you have digital tools but you don’t have people capable of using them, both in the administration and as users of services, then you can’t expect a proper and complete utilization of digital tools,” Andonovski said in answer to a journalist’s question on the country’s capacity to transform in a digital society.

The Minister stressed that in the coming period the Ministry will work to set standards for a complete utilization of the existing capacities and ensure upgrades where necessary.