Pragmatism, patience and focus: lessons in e-governance from Estonia

Considered one of the most technically advanced countries in the world, Estonia was the perfect host for an eye-opening conference.

- By Lindsey Schutters

Schreiber after his presidential meeting, his enthusiasm was infectious. The conference had brought “even greater clarity” to South Africa’s digital transformation goals.

He spoke passionately about Estonia as a benchmark and had five key commitments: e-visas, smart IDs, the electronic travel authorisation system, expanded bank branch integration and courier delivery options.

Schreiber’s November deadline for the electronic travel authorisation ahead of the G20 summit shows accountability. “We're absolutely on track,” he insisted.

But there's a disconnect between the high-level vision and the reality facing South African innovators like Black, who, despite being “owed a couple million rand in government funding that just never appeared”, continues bootstrapping solutions while waiting for the state to play catch-up.

Estonia’s patient capital model

This gap became clearer in conversations about Estonia’s approach to African partnerships. The EU’s Global Gateway strategy, promising to “invest €150-billion in Africa by 2027”, represents significant resources.

But accessing these funds requires navigating complex procurement processes and finding the right partnerships — something that seems particularly challenging for South African start-ups caught between government indifference and funding gaps.

For African entrepreneurs, Estonia's e-residency programme offers an intriguing workaround. Incorporating their companies in Estonia can “derisk the project” for European investors and open up grant possibilities, particularly for seed-stage start-ups. It’s a pragmatic solution to funding challenges, though one that exports local talent and intellectual property.

Perhaps the most telling observation came from Dr Armid Azadeh, founder of the medtech solutions company OnCall, who represented Namibian perspectives on digital transformation.