Developing the Blueprints for a Tunisian National Digital Agency

Digital transformation and the digitalisation of public services is a central component of any government administration, with significant advances made over the last 10 years across the world. Improved access and user experience can play a significant role in building a greater level of inclusion, transparency and participation of societies in the working of government. 

In 2019, the Tunisian Minister for Technological Communications and Digital Economy requested our support to design the structure, brand and function of Tunisia’s first ever Digital Agency – the Agence Développement du Numérique (ADN).

Over 10 months in 2019, we worked in collaboration with the Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Technological Communications and Digital Economy (MTCEN) to design a structure, brand and function of the ADN, based on extensive research and interviews across the ecosystem in Tunisia and case studies of other digital agencies across the world. Our team included the former Chief Operating Officer at UK’s Tech Nation and the CEO of leading Communication Agency Cast from Clay, specialising in policy-related communication. 

We delivered a series of workshops with the MTCEN staff to establish an agreed Mission, Vision and Purpose for the ADN, providing the foundation for the structure and brand. We provided a comprehensive mapping of ADN stakeholders and influencers to be used by the MTCEN in advance of creating the ADN to grow buy-in and support and conducted user interviews and research across the ecosystem to better understand and catalogue opportunities and obstacles. Based on these activities and products, we delivered a detailed set of technical recommendations for the structure, function and brand of the ADN. This was delivered alongside a “case for” the approach to the ADN based on international evidence and case studies, strengthening the evidence and rationale behind the recommendations. 

The result of this was an approval by senior MTCEN officials for the ADN and a recommendation from the then Minister to his successor to take the recommendations forward. In addition, we built an initial partnership with the UK Government’s International Government Services who were primed to support the ADN with world leading UK expertise and best practice, drawing on the UK’s experience of establishing the Government Digital Service.