Uruguay's government has made significant strides in digital transformation, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Efforts to bridge the digital divide have enabled citizens to access essential services without traveling long distances, allowed rural children to continue their education from home, and helped small businesses streamline operations.
By 2016, Uruguay had made notable progress with 87% of households having internet access, nearly all schools equipped with wireless connectivity, and 96% of public-school students receiving laptops from the state. Despite these advancements, a significant portion of the population still preferred visiting public offices over using online services. To address this issue, the World Bank and Uruguay launched the Improving Service Delivery to Citizens and Businesses through E-Government Project (PROMESEG) to enhance e-government services' quality and accessibility.
The project focused on bridging educational gaps by providing broadband to rural schools. Today, teachers can instruct subjects like English remotely in 1,200 schools. PROMESEG also strengthened the Timbó portal, offering free access to scientific and technological publications, thereby solidifying Uruguay’s role as a leader in digital education services.
In terms of public service efficiency, Uruguay has expanded its non-physical service channels such as phone, chat, social media, and email. As of now, 2,565 administrative processes are available on the government portal with 1,748 fully manageable online. This expansion has resulted in over 12.5 million hours saved for citizens by reducing travel and paper costs.
Small and medium-sized businesses have also benefited from this project. The Single Window for Foreign Trade (VUCE) was expanded and a simplified export regime was introduced. These changes halved the time needed for foreign trade-related processes and improved tax compliance. Additionally, electronic invoicing enhanced operational efficiency by reducing errors and fraud while improving monitoring of economic impacts during the pandemic.
Uruguay's innovative approach has not only closed the digital divide but also created a more accessible government model for its citizens. The success of PROMESEG led to the approval of a new project by the World Bank in 2023 to continue supporting Uruguay’s transformation with a focus on public financial management and data analytics tools.
"Thanks to PROMESEG’s success," said an official statement from the World Bank.