Baku, Kampala discuss opening of ASAN centre in Uganda

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni met a delegation from Azerbaijan led by Azerbaijani President’s State Agency for Public Service and Social Innovations Chairman Ulvi Mehdiyev on July 25.

Mehdiyev is also the chairman of Azerbaijan Service and Assessment Network (ASAN) which is a state agency for public services to citizens of Azerbaijan, Monitor reports.

The agency, whose goal is to make services more easily accessible to citizens using modern technologies, is part of the large-scale reforms in the field of public administration that were introduced eleven years ago by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

In the meeting at State House Entebbe that was also attended by officials from the Ministry of Public Service, Mehdiyev and his delegation introduced the “ASAN” concept to President Museveni which they seek to introduce in Uganda to improve public service management.

“ASAN Service proved quite a revolutionary initiative. Since its inception, ‘SAN Service’ has gained global recognition for its excellence in public service and social innovations and quickly evolved into Azerbaijan’s unique intellectual property,” Mehdiyev told Museveni who welcomed the idea.

“We are already working on it, but I am told that you are more advanced. So, we will be very happy to welcome that centre here. I will be very happy with Aliyev to lay the foundation stone for that centre,” President Museveni said.

The word “asan” means “easy” in Azerbaijani and according to Chairman Mehdiyev, they are already cooperating with around 20 countries about the replication of the Azerbaijani model of “ASAN service”.

Mehdiyev informed the meeting that on September 2018, Uganda and Azerbaijan concluded a Memorandum of Understanding for implementing the Azerbaijani “ASAN Service” experience in Uganda and since then “ASAN service” and the Ministry of Public Service have engaged in close cooperation to organise mutual visits for collaborative growth.

“The establishment of the ASAN concept is a reform in the field of public administration. Implementation of this reform in Uganda through your strong political will and support will be the next valuable contribution to the further development of the welfare of the Ugandan people,” Mehdiyev noted, adding that a modern ASAN-based Service Uganda Centre can be established and the inauguration ceremony may be held by the participation of the leaders of both countries within the framework of the Non- Aligned Movement (NAM) Kampala Summit.

January meeting

Azerbaijani President llham Aliyev is expected in Uganda to attend the 19th Summit of the NAM Heads of State and Government in Kampala next year.

During the summit, which will take place in January, President Museveni will take over the chairmanship of the organisation from the President of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev.