Singapore Digital Government Journey

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Singapore’s digital government journey began in the 1980s with the National Computerisation Programme. Today, we envision a Smart Nation that leverages technology to improve the lives of citizens and business owners. This is achieved through GovTech’s role in spearheading the Government’s internal engineering and digital capabilities through synergy across the whole of government, as well as public-private and international collaborations. Currently, 95% of all transactions with the government are digital from end-to-end.

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Singapore’s Digital Government initiative and public sector digital transformation are led by the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech). Formed in 2016 with the focus of building and strengthening the Singapore government’s internal engineering and digital capabilities, GovTech has empowered the Whole of Government (WOG) to centrally design, develop and deliver digital services that are built for our citizens’ and businesses’ immediate needs.

Our work can be broadly classified into three main areas – (i) Products, (ii) Services, and (iii) Cyber and Governance. This is aligned with the Digital Government Blueprint (DGB) which was launched in 2015 - a statement of the Government’s ambition to better leverage data, harness new technologies and drive broader efforts to build a digital economy and society, in support of the Smart Nation vision which was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

In 2019, five Capability Centres (CapCens) were established in the following fields to support the development of Infocomm technology and Smart Systems (ICT & SS) – (i) Application Design, Development and Deployment, (ii) Cybersecurity, (iii) Data Science & Artificial Intelligence, (iv) Government ICT Infrastructure, and (v) Smart City Technology. These five areas are integral to our Digital Government Blueprint and Smart Nation agenda. Through our CapCens, specialist teams of technical experts within the Government who are both familiar with the government’s digitalisation plans and accessible across the WOG are developed. GovTech also oversees the development of a shared government technology stack, key government ICT infrastructure, ICT procurement, data protection, WOG productivity, and cybersecurity in the public sector to spearhead digital transformation (learn more about GovTech’s role in public sector digital transformation here).

In order to drive co-creation and learning among the public and private sectors, GovTech has organised STACK conferences and meet ups.

Finally, to drive the vision of a Smart Nation, five Strategic National Projects were launched in 2017, these covered GoBusiness, CODEX, e-Payments, LifeSG, National Digital Identity, the Punggol Smart Town, Smart Nation Sensor Platform and Smart Urban Mobility. These projects lay the foundation for a Smart Nation by serving as a foundation for the adoption of digital and smart technologies throughout the economy and society. More details on each project can be found here.

View the full timeline of our digital milestones here or through our Government Chief Digital Technology Officer’s (GCDTO), Chan Cheow Hoe, podcast interview with Ernst & Young in 2021 here.

Find out more about how GovTech supports Singapore’s Digital Government journey through this factsheet.

National Achievements 2020

The Survey on Satisfaction with Government Digital Services for citizens and businesses is conducted annually by GovTech in collaboration with the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) to assess citizens’ and businesses’ satisfaction with key government digital services and to identify areas for improvement.

Contact information for international collaboration opportunities

Visit our International Partnerships page for more information on our international collaborations.

Contact us at info@tech.gov.sg if you would like to collaborate on various digital government projects.

Last updated 19 September 2023

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