With R$1 billion, BNDES and IDB will accelerate digital transformation in states and municipalities in Brazil

This press release was published in English using an automatic translation system.

The Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES) and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) will allocate R$1 billion to the Federative Program for Government and Digital Infrastructure (Prodigital), which will advance the digital transformation of Brazilian states and municipalities, improving the provision of public services to citizens. Of the total resources, R$885 million (US$150 million) will come from a loan from the IDB and R$177 million (US$30 million) will be the counterpart from the BNDES.

Prodigital will reinforce BNDES resources earmarked for financing digital transformation projects, covering municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants, states and the Federal District. Projects will be selected based on a menu of eligible products in the following areas: digital governance; debureaucratization and regulatory improvement; digital talent with an emphasis on Afro-descendant women and change management; improvement of citizen service and digitalization of public services with an emphasis on digital accessibility for PWDs; cybersecurity and digital infrastructure; digital transformation of internal management; digital transformation of target areas; connectivity and digital inclusion, including digitally excluded populations, such as women, Afro-descendants and indigenous people; digital economy; and project management.

In addition to helping close the funding gap for digital transformation projects in Brazil, Prodigital will provide technical support to states and municipalities to strengthen their institutional capacities. The goal is to ensure that the population has access to more effective and efficient digital public services, digital literacy and inclusion programs, and improved connectivity.

“BNDES is committed to Brazil’s digital transformation, which involves increasing the availability of resources to finance these initiatives, which are essential for increasing the competitiveness of our economy and for the country’s inclusion in the knowledge society. Through this important operation, the Bank is expanding its capacity to transform the lives of the Brazilian population,” highlighted BNDES President Aloizio Mercadante.

“Digital services, both in the public and private sectors, have advanced very quickly in Brazil and have made the country a reference in this area. With this partnership, we will contribute to bringing these advances to more Brazilian states and municipalities, understanding the efficiency of public services as an important way to promote transparency and efficiency for the population and companies in the country,” said Ilan Golfajn, president of the IDB.

The program is aligned with the federal government's efforts to expand coordination in the digital government agenda and with BNDES' institutional strategy, which seeks to support state modernization projects.