Digital Government Group office to be formed under PMO

With effect from 1 May 2017, the Smart Nation and Digital Government Office (SNDGO) will be formed under the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The team will comprise staff from the digital government directorate of the Ministry of Finance (MOF), the government technology policy department in the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), and the Smart Nation Programme Office (SNPO).The Government Technology Agency (GovTech) will also be placed under the PMO as the implementing agency of SNDGO. Together, the SNDGO and GovTech will form the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG).The SNDGG will be responsible for working with other government agencies, industries and the public to apply technologies to improve citizens’ lives in areas such as urban mobility. The SNDGG will also develop digital enablers and platforms for Smart Nation to grow economic value and catalyse innovation by companies and citizens.In addition, the SNDGG will drive digital transformation for the public service to strengthen Government information and communications technology infrastructure and improve public service delivery.The SNDGG will be overseen by a ministerial committee chaired by deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean. Minister for Communications and Information Dr Yaacob Ibrahim will be deputy chairman and minister-in-charge of Cybersecurity and the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).Other members of the committee include Vivian Balakrishnan, minister-in-charge of the smart nation initiative, minister Ong Ye Kung, who has been appointed to champion public service innovation, and minister of State Janil Puthucheary, who will be the minister-in-charge of GovTech. Ng Chee Khern, Permanent Secretary (PS) (Defence Development) of the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF), will concurrently lead the SNDGG as PS (Smart Nation and Digital Government), while retaining his appointment as Chairman of the GovTech Board.