On Monday, August 7, the first meeting of the expert sectoral working group with representatives of the information technology and communications sector took place as part of the work on the Ukraine Facility Plan. The group is organized by the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine and moderated by Ernst & Young. The Kyiv School of Economics provides analytical and consulting support to the groups. The work of the sectoral groups is coordinated by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine.

The creation of sectoral working groups is one of the activities of the Good Governance Fund project “Economic Hub: Effective Public Finance Management Policy and Growth Vision”, which is being implemented with the support of the UK Government (UK Aid). The project is implemented by Abt Britain and the Kyiv School of Economics.

The meeting with IT business representatives was attended by experts from the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Kyiv School of Economics, and EY.

Maksym Fedoseenko, Head of Strategic Projects at KSE Institute, emphasized the importance of a dialogue between the government and business, as private entrepreneurs will play a key role in the country’s recovery. The business proposals for the development of the IT sector discussed at the meeting will be taken into account when developing sectoral strategies for 4 and 10 years.

“The IT industry is one of the priority sectors we are working to develop under the Ukraine Facility. Our goal is for Ukraine to grow economically and get rid of its dependence on donor support. The IT sector is one of those that can help us quickly restore our economic potential. The tasks set by this working group are to collect legislative initiatives and investment opportunities that will contribute to the development of the IT industry,” Fedoseenko said.

“We are proud of the Ukrainian IT market. The IT industry was able to quickly adapt to wartime conditions and continues to grow. In 2022, the industry’s exports reached a record high of $7.3 billion. Despite the difficult conditions, last year’s sales of IT services increased by almost 6% compared to 2021. Now IT support is a priority for us,” said Natalia Denikeyeva, Director of the IT Industry Development Directorate of the Ministry of Digital Transformation, Head of the Diia.City project office, in her opening remarks.

During the meeting, EY experts outlined their vision of the structure of sustainable development of the IT market in Ukraine. A special emphasis was placed on the peculiarities of the industry’s development in times of war.

Representatives of the government and IT business discussed attracting new investments in the development of the industry, market regulation, improving the tax system and creating programs that will facilitate the inflow of IT specialists to Ukraine.

The meeting participants also paid attention to engaging veterans in the IT industry and improving cooperation between educational institutions, the government, and IT companies to train highly qualified specialists.

The first stage of the sectoral working groups’ work with business will last until the end of October 2023. At this stage, the groups will formulate proposals for the Ukraine Plan, which is necessary for the implementation of the Ukraine Facility financial assistance program from the European Commission. The program is designed for €50 billion, which Ukraine will receive in 2024-2027.