Bold Lessons from Ukraine’s Digital Transformation

The Digital Transformation in Government Community recently hosted an AMA (Ask Me Anything) with Galyna Pustova, CEO of the CDTO Campus under Ukraine’s Ministry of Digital Transformation.

Ukraine’s transformation has been remarkable: from digitising over 100 services to launching the Diia app, to climbing nearly 100 spots in the UN’s E-Government rankings, reaching 5th place globally. Behind this story is a deliberate effort to train and empower a new generation of digital leaders.

Here are the standout insights from the AMA, drawn from questions asked by community members around the world.

Making citizen data accessible

Galyna emphasised that accessibility is not just technical — it’s about trust and design. Platforms must be intuitive, interoperable, and written in plain language. The Diia app has helped Ukrainians see the government not as a bureaucracy but as a reliable service partner. This, in turn, builds civic trust and participation.

Giving digital leaders authority

A key enabler in Ukraine was the creation of the Chief Digital Transformation Officer (CDTO) role in the public service. Positioned as deputy heads in ministries, they were given real authority. Combined with strong citizen demand for digital services, this created a feedback loop: adoption drove demand, which drove further adoption.

Inducting new technical talent

Training new recruits means going beyond coding. At CDTO Campus, civil servants are introduced to policymaking, legislation, real-world case studies, mentorship and ethics. This ensures experts can work effectively at the intersection of governance and technology.

Building a culture of continuous development

In response to a question from Japan, Galyna noted that Ukraine overcame training hesitancy by embedding continuous learning into professional growth. Upskilling isn’t treated as extra work but rather is core to being a modern civil servant.

Linking digital design to complex services

CDTO Campus treats digital design as a mindset, not just an interface. Their approach combines:

• Systems thinking

• User research

• Cross-disciplinary teams

• Prototyping and testing

This ensures design addresses complex, people-centred services.

Open data: opportunity and risk

Open data plays a critical role in strengthening democracy and trust. At the same time, some datasets — especially certain registries — are highly sensitive. Given Ukraine’s current context of martial law and the full-scale Russian-Ukrainian war, cybersecurity and state security must be top priorities. Ukraine is pursuing a balanced approach, opening what is safe and meaningful while protecting security-critical data.

Linking innovation with regulatory reform

Responding to a question from a member of the United Nations University-EGOV team, Galyna stressed that transformation must include redefining frameworks and regulations — not just layering tech on top of broken systems. Training at CDTO Campus bridges process, service, organisational, and regulatory layers so that reforms reduce administrative burden and better serve citizens.

Global influence and first movers

Ukraine embarked on an ambitious digital transformation journey in 2019. Many of its digital solutions are groundbreaking, forged by the challenges of the full-scale invasion. For example, in 2024, Ukraine launched online marriage services via Diia so that soldiers on the frontlines could marry remotely. This practical solution, born of necessity, was recognised by Time magazine as one of the year’s top innovations.

As Galyna put it:

“If your ambition is to create one of the most digitally advanced states, you must also be willing to go beyond existing models.”

Lessons for governments everywhere

From this rich AMA, several themes emerged:

• Trust is the foundation. Design for people, not institutions.
• Redefine the public servant. Digital leaders are shaping the future.
• Open ecosystems sustain progress. Open source + vendor collaboration.
• Upskilling is continuous. Make learning integral, not optional.
• Regulatory reform is essential. Transformation isn’t just about tech.
• Bold ambition pays off. Ukraine’s leap shows what’s possible.

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