Govtech as a Digital Innovation Trend in Cities

The First International Government Innovation Meeting was held on August 7-9 in Sao Paulo, organized by the Innovation Laboratory—(011).lab—of the Sao Paulo Municipal Innovation and Technology Department. The purpose of the event was to strengthen the public innovation agenda, with a special emphasis on the work done by innovation laboratories and government teams at all levels, in the private sector, civil society and academia.

The keynote speaker was Bruno Covas, Mayor of Sao Paulo, who referred to the importance of innovation for municipal institutions, provision of civil services and government efficiency.

During the event, CAF participated in the panel “Innovation Units in Municipalities: How and Why,” which addressed the population boom in cities and the challenges in terms of trust, institutional capabilities, and inequalities that this process entails.

Subsequently, as part of new global trends in digital innovation, the meeting also discussed the Govtech sector, an ecosystem in which governments and private ventures using data and technologies can collaborate to solve public problems. This sector involves the possibility of adapting digital technology solutions to the particular needs of each city, with higher quality and efficiency in terms of costs, savings and collection.

CAF is currently a regional leader in boosting the Govtech sector, as well as in supporting national and local governments to implement digital innovation strategies in Latin America.