Mykhailo Fedorov, Deputy Prime Minister for Innovation, Education, Science and Technology Development – Minister of Digital Transformation, and Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), have signed a memorandum of cooperation to implement digital solutions and accelerate digital transformation. The joint efforts will help prevent illegal actions and corruption-related offences.

“The team of the Ministry of Digital Transformation has already managed to build a transparent and convenient system in many areas. Thanks to digitalisation, the state saves billions of hryvnias annually. For example, digital services in construction are estimated to have an anti-corruption effect of UAH 11.2 billion. And digital sick leave saves the state UAH 4 billion a year. And this is only part of the digital reform. We are currently working on major anti-corruption projects. Cooperation with NABU will help make them even more effective and speed up their implementation. Indeed, we have common goals – fighting corruption and minimising all corruption risks,” said Mykhailo Fedorov.

Digitalisation is one of the most effective tools in the fight against corruption. According to the study, the actual anti-corruption and economic effect of digitalisation over two years is UAH 16.3 billion. And the potential effect is UAH 48 billion. Thanks to digital services, we have managed to stop schemes worth millions of hryvnias that could have ended up in the hands of corrupt officials. Further cooperation with NABU will increase this effect and help save even more money for the state and prevent corruption.

“Why is our partnership important? First of all, it is about institutional development. The Ministry of Digital Transformation’s experience in developing artificial intelligence and software tools means new opportunities and tools for searching and analysing information in NABU investigations. Second, transparency. The war changes the priorities in public procurement, but not the openness of its implementation,” said Semen Kryvonos.

The signed memorandum will help strengthen cooperation between the Ministry of Digital Transformation and NABU and prevent corruption. In particular, it will help to transform and digitise the highest priority services that pose potential corruption risks to the state, businesses or citizens. Currently, the priority anti-corruption projects are eVidnovlennia (eRestoration), eExcise, the automation of services for seafarers and customs clearance in Diia.

Together with NABU, we will cooperate in developing a concept for transparent and competitive public procurement in the field of public IT. The cooperation also involves online monitoring of the procurement of UAVs for the needs of Ukraine’s security and defence forces.

In addition, the Ministry of Digital Transformation team will help NABU to implement modern IT tools and artificial intelligence technologies to make the anti-corruption bureau’s work more efficient.