Ukraine and Panama are expanding cooperation in the field of digital transformation following a meeting between representatives of Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation and Panama’s Ambassador to Ukraine, Jorge Ricardo Sielen Santacoloma.
The discussions focused on the development of e-government systems, cybersecurity, financial technologies, and the exchange of digitalisation experience between the two countries.
Panama is currently advancing its own digital transformation agenda, including the development of a national digital ID system and electronic driving licences. Ukrainian officials highlighted that Ukraine’s established experience in building a digital state could be particularly relevant for Panama at this stage.
During the talks, the Ukrainian side presented the ecosystem of the Diia platform, including tools supporting citizens such as fast social payments, the Register of Damages, and the eRecovery programme for compensation of destroyed property. The concept of an Agentic State and the development of the Diia.AI assistant, designed to provide citizens with instant access to public services through conversational interaction, were also outlined.
A key challenge identified by the Panamanian side is the fragmentation of digital systems across government institutions, which limits data interoperability. The parties discussed Ukraine’s experience in streamlining public services, including rapid online business registration, as well as approaches to transparent engagement with the IT sector in state digital projects. Issues of secure regulation of financial services and user verification were also addressed.
A separate focus of the meeting was digitalisation in the maritime sector and the development of smart ports. Panama, which operates one of the world’s largest commercial fleets and manages the strategic Panama Canal, views this area as a priority.
Ukraine shared its experience in digitising maritime services, including the introduction of electronic certificates and anti-fraud mechanisms based on QR codes. Cooperation between Ukrainian IT companies and Panamanian institutions is expected to support the development of smart port infrastructure and digital trade corridors.
Following the meeting, both sides agreed to organise joint online workshops on digital identity, service automation, and registry integration. Engagement with the Panama Maritime Authority is also planned to further develop cooperation in the digitalisation of maritime services.
