Blackouts and 'unfree' internet: Estonia leading EU's digitization project in Cuba

Estonia's e-Governance Academy (eGA) is leading a €3 million European Union-funded project to "empower digital transformation" in Cuba by creating online services and expanding access to them. But the project faces "notable challenges," an Estonian expert says.
The e-Governance Agency is working with FIIAPP, the Spanish Government's development cooperation organization on the four-year "Cuba Digital" project, which is based on a 2016 agreement between the bloc and island nation to modernize public administration.
Estonia creates the services, while Spain is drawing up the legal framework for public and private information use with a goal to reduce existing inequalities.
"Our experts are advising on secure data exchange and interoperability solutions. The ultimate goal is to build citizen-centric, efficient and transparent information systems in Cuba, improving the lives of the people of Cuba," Hannes Astok, eGA executive director, told ERR News in a written comment.
Non-profit organization Freedom House ranked the communist-run nation country as "not free" on both it's "Freedom on the Net" and "Freedom in the World' reports in 2024. For online freedom, Cuba was awarded 20 out of a possible 100 points. It highlighted significant barriers to accessing the internet, limits on content and violation of user rights.

Looking at democracy, the organization said the government "outlaws political pluralism, bans independent media, suppresses dissent and severely restricts basic civil liberties."
Asked if creating services for a non-democratic country such as Cuba is ethical, Astok said eGA's aim to "enhance public service delivery and promote digital government" aligns with the EU's policies.
"Should the EU or Estonian government update their policies, eGA will adjust its approach accordingly," he wrote.
The executive director listed successful digitalization projects in countries with patchy democratic records, stating: "From history, we know how technology can transform societies — even in challenging contexts."
"M-Pesa mobile money transfers revolutionized financial services in Kenya by providing mobile-based banking and payment services to people without access to traditional banking. Rwanda deployed drones to deliver critical medical supplies, including blood and vaccines, to remote areas, reducing delivery times from hours to minutes. DIIA mobile app in Ukraine has been a lifesaver for millions of Ukrainians during the war to get access to public services," Astok said.

In recent months, Cuba has made global headlines after suffering nationwide blackouts due to hurricanes and its aging electricity grid. The country can only supply 60-70 percent of national demand "well below what's required", the BBC reported.
Astok acknowledged the "notable challenges" the team faces working with the country.
"Starting from time zone differences, blackouts in Cuba and finishing [with] language barriers. With an eight-hour gap between Estonia and Cuba, eGA experts must adapt to work across different time zones. Frequent power outages in Cuba, often caused by hurricanes but also by other unforeseeable circumstances, pose interaction challenges," he said.
But the expert said the project still "shows promise."
"Despite these challenges, the strong support of the European Union and political will and dedication of Cuban officials provide optimism for achieving meaningful improvements in public services and its provision," he wrote.

Estonia has worked with Cuba before and seen some success.
"Notably, several recommendations from our earlier collaborations have been adopted. For example, the development of Cubagob.cu, Cuba's public services platform, was inspired by Estonia's Eesti.ee portal, which was introduced to Cuban officials during a 2022 study visit," Astok said.
The "Cuba Digital" project launched last year and Astok said it is still in the "inception phase." Activities are planned around insights gained during the previous visit.
Asked what eGA learned from this experience, he wrote: "Our experts observed high motivation among Cuban stakeholders to improve public services and learn from Estonia's practices."
Estonia's e-Governance Academy shares and helps implement Estonia's digital transformation experience. The foundation has worked with 143 countries around the world since 2002. The latest yearbook, says it focused on countries in Africa (Egypt, Togo, Djibouti, Uganda, Zambia, Madagascar and Namibia), Ukraine, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and the Western Balkans in 2023-2024.
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Editor: Michael Cole