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Azerbaijan is Represented at High-Level GovTech Panel During World Economic Forum Week in Davos


During the World Economic Forum week in Davos, an important high-level panel discussion titled “GovTech at Scale: Governing the AI Era, Not Just Digitizing the Past” took place at the House of Collaboration, bringing together political leaders and digital transformation experts from Europe and Eurasia.

The panel was moderated by Jana Krimpe, Founder and CEO of B.EST Solutions and Chairwoman of Femmes Digitales – “Supporting Women in Tech” Public Union and member of 100 Women of Davos, who represented both Estonia and Azerbaijan on the international stage.

While many discussions in Davos focus on innovation and emerging technologies, this panel addressed a more complex and critical question: how governments can successfully implement digital and AI-driven systems at national scale under real political, legal, and institutional conditions. The panel emphasized that modern GovTech is no longer just about digitising public services. Instead, it is about governing trust, data, artificial intelligence, and institutions in a way that is secure, resilient, and scalable across political cycles.

The discussion featured senior leaders with hands-on national-level experience:

• Taavi Rõivas, Chairman of Auve Tech and former Prime Minister of Estonia, shared insights from Estonia’s globally recognized digital state model.

• Eugen Osmochescu, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economic Development and Digitalisation of the Republic of Moldova, discussed digital reforms under real-world political and institutional pressure.

• Fariz Jafarov, Executive Director of 4SİM / C4IR Azerbaijan (World Economic Forum), presented Azerbaijan’s forward-looking approach to AI governance and Industry 4.0 at state level.

Key Topics Explored:

  • Political and institutional decisions required to scale GovTech nationally
  • Governing AI proactively rather than reactively
  • The central role of trust and institutions alongside technology
  • Digital sovereignty and what governments must retain under state control

As moderator, Jana Krimpe highlighted Azerbaijan’s growing role in global AI governance discussions, noting the country’s active participation in shaping responsible and future-oriented digital policy frameworks through platforms such as C4IR Azerbaijan. A special highlight of the session was the strong message of cross-country collaboration, demonstrating how Estonia’s practical digital governance experience, Moldova’s reform journey, and Azerbaijan’s AI leadership can be transformed into shared international progress.

The main conclusion of the panel was clear: GovTech at scale is not a technology story; it is a governance story.

Governments that aim to succeed in the AI era must move beyond digitising legacy processes and instead govern the future with clarity, courage, and trust.

Davos, Switzerland