Digital transformation is no longer a trend, it is evidence. It is redesigning value chains, business models, health services, education and industry… And the State cannot continue to advance at a different pace than the economy it serves and regulates.
A few years ago, at an APDC Congress, we brought the Chief Digital Technology officer from the Government of Singapore. Directly managed around 700 technology specialists, integrated into an agency with more than 2300 people dedicated exclusively to the digital transformation of the State. What was impressive was not the size of the team, but the integrated logic with which they thought about technology: shared services for the entire Public Administration, solutions created once and scalable for the entire State, generating synergies, resource savings and real efficiencies.
In Portugal, this vision has yet to be comprehensively realized. The National Strategy for Digital Transformation points to the need for a common transformation path and the definition of shared requirements, capable of leveling progress between public entities and enhancing consistent results for citizens and companies. But redundant systems, uneven levels of digital maturity and inefficient processes persist.
There is also a structural challenge that cannot be ignored: talent. In the public sector, the average age is around 48 years old. This is not just statistical data, but has structural implications. Without generational renewal, without competitive careers and without stimulating innovation environments, it will be difficult to lead a profound transformation. The digitalization of the State requires new skills and a new organizational culture, more agile, collaborative and results-oriented.
International experience shows that a shared services model – with clear governance, interoperability and reuse of solutions – reduces costs, avoids duplication and accelerates digital adoption. A state that shares data, platforms and technological capabilities improves the experience of citizens and businesses, increases internal efficiency and creates a solid foundation for the adoption of artificial intelligence, intelligent automation and personalized public services.
More than single projects or pilots, we need scale. If we want more transparency and more ambition, we need a stable institutional space for debate, sharing and public delivery of results, which goes beyond government cycles and consolidates a long-term vision.
Portugal would benefit if an annual moment of reference was created, dedicated to the digital reform of Public Administration: a high-level meeting to present progress made, discuss new transformative projects and promote benchmarking between public and private entities.
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