The introduction of a digital system in all spheres and sectors of the national economy is the main direction of the Program “Revival of a New Epoch of a Powerful State: National Program for Socio-Economic Development of Turkmenistan in 2022-2052” and the Program of the President of Turkmenistan for Socio-Economic Development of the Country in 2022-2028, as well as the most important condition for achieving the level of developed countries, ensuring stable rates of economic growth based on knowledge and innovation.

Modern information and communication technologies have become an integral part of our daily lives, changing the ways of communication and work organization, forms of education and leisure. To keep up with the times, Turkmenistan is studying and mastering best practices and progressive experiences, focusing on creating its own digital model based not only on foreign solutions, but also on its scientific and technological potential. 

The current year, proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations on the initiative of Turkmenistan as the “International Year of Peace and Trust”, is marked by a historic date – the 30th anniversary of the country’s permanent neutrality. This status plays a significant role in establishing broad interaction with the countries of the world in the political, economic, cultural, scientific, educational and other spheres.

Diversification of the economy and industry with an emphasis on high technologies and promising industries, which certainly include the communications sector, are the realities of modern Turkmenistan and a clear guideline for the future.

The leading role in promoting digitalization, further ensuring the functioning of intelligent networks, expanding the national network space and the range of Internet services is occupied by the Türkmenaragatnaşyk Agency. 

At the Cabinet of Ministers meeting held on June 13 this year, President Serdar Berdimuhamedov was informed about the work carried out by this agency, including the organization of the competition of innovative projects “Digital Solution – 2025”. 

Today, all the conditions are in place for young people to receive a modern education and train highly qualified specialists. According to the relevant Concept, a program for network support of digital education has been prepared in higher education institutions through the efforts of specialists, faculty, and students. The enthusiasm, skills, and bold ideas of young people give new impetus to many processes of development of the information society, the formation of a knowledge economy with all its multi-level tasks of the day: from labor automation, convenient and simple user services to a “green” transition and “smart” city systems. 

Taking into account the extensive active work on the implementation of intelligent systems and the latest IP technologies, great importance is attached to universal training in digital skills and the improvement of educational programs in this area. 

The latest competition “Digital Solution – 2025”, announced recently by the Türkmenaragatnaşyk Agency, in which all interested individuals and legal entities of the country can participate, is a good incentive for the development of innovative projects.

The competition, aimed at identifying talented youth, will be held in such areas as artificial intelligence, robotics and automation, “smart” agricultural technologies, “smart” city, digital medicine, e-education, digitalization of the service sector.

It is worth noting that the range of relevant areas reflects precisely those areas in which Turkmenistan seeks to actively develop its scientific and technical base.

The jury, consisting of representatives of the country’s leading ministries and departments, will evaluate projects according to such criteria as relevance and feasibility of implementation, innovation in the field of communications and telecommunications, cost-effectiveness, quality and ease of use. Design, compliance with legislation, originality and availability of source code for software are also taken into account. 

The names of the winners will be announced at the 18th International Exhibition and Scientific Conference “Türkmentel – 2025”, which will be held in Ashgabat.

The startup competition in Turkmenistan was held for the first time in 2020. Every year it attracts more and more young people involved in software development in various fields.

The goal of the competition is to identify promising and ambitious programmers, involve them in the implementation of specific industry and corporate programs and help them gain real practical experience for further professional growth.

The startup competition clearly highlighted a number of important trends in the field of innovative projects, and also confirmed the ability of Turkmen youth to develop practical solutions to current problems. 

It is noteworthy that among the winners of past competitions are not only university students and specialists from industry organizations, but also schoolchildren, which indicates the early involvement of Turkmen youth in innovative processes and the gradual growth of their interest in high-tech areas. In other words, from school, systematic career guidance of teenagers who want to become specialists in the IT field is underway. 

The winning projects demonstrate not only the importance of developing new technologies, but also focus on the social aspects of digital innovations aimed at improving the quality of life of people, increasing interest in the possibilities of AI, using additive technologies in various industries, solving environmental problems, preserving the cultural heritage of the Turkmen people, etc.

Reforms in the education system of Turkmenistan, its “digitization” and modernization are also designed to promote the cultivation of a generation of highly qualified programmers, development engineers, and computer science and information technology specialists. They cover both its highest level, where universities have been established that meet the challenges of training personnel for digital development, as well as secondary and primary.

Thus, in the first grade, students study the subject “Fundamentals of Computer Science”, which opens the door to the world of endless possibilities of human research thought.

Talented young men and women really demonstrate a high level of training and creativity, creating projects that can really solve some economic and social issues, significantly increase investment income. 

It should be noted that the Digital Solution series competitions are not the only competition held in our country among young programmers, technologists and inventors. Such events and Olympiads are often organized by the Ministry of Education and relevant departments. 

Turkmen youth also actively participate in international competitions. For example, young scientists from Turkmenistan won gold medals at the Borneo International Innovative Creativity Competition BIICC-2025, which was held in the Malaysian city of Kuching from June 26 to 30. 

The competition brought together inventors and innovators in the fields of social and human sciences, ecology, physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science, artificial intelligence and applied disciplines. Thus, the project of the Turkmen team “Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection: Scientific Basis for the Production of “Green” Cement” was awarded three awards at the competition: a gold medal in the nomination “Environmental Science”, “Platinum Award” and “Sustainable Development Award”. The work is devoted to alternative methods of cement production using industrial waste to reduce carbon emissions and minimize the impact on nature. The jury noted the importance of the project for the sustainable development of cities.

The project “Obtaining a Carbon Dioxide-Catching Sorbent from Agricultural Waste” was also highly appreciated and awarded a gold medal in the nomination “Environmental Science”. The study proposed a method for creating a highly porous sorbent from rice husks, cotton stems and other waste, and its effectiveness in absorbing carbon dioxide was proven.

In general, competitions, including the “Digital Solution”, are not only another step in supporting youth initiatives, but also an important platform for demonstrating the technological maturity of modern Turkmenistan.

New digital products developed by Turkmen specialists are not inferior in functionality and ease of use to popular foreign services. Thanks to the ability to instantly deliver a message to the addressee, e-mail and instant messengers have become an indispensable tool in business correspondence, communication with friends and relatives. The development of our own technologies and the emergence of new national products in this extremely promising area expand the country’s digital contours and increase its prestige in the global communications environment.

The tasks set by President Serdar Berdimuhamedov for the intensive industrialization of the state cannot be achieved without the active development of colossal volumes of relevant world information and prompt data exchange. In short, the progress of the 21st century is unthinkable without the accelerated development of networks and communication channels.

International practice shows that the socio-economic development of countries and regions is directly related to the level of development of information and communication technologies, and the impact of the Internet on the efficiency of departments and companies is higher than any other technology.

This approach is also reflected in the state agenda of Turkmenistan. The head of state pays significant attention to digital development at all levels – from the Government to entrepreneurship, from the sphere of management to production, healthcare, education, etc.

The regulatory framework governing the telecommunications sector of Turkmenistan is systematically improved in accordance with the realities of the time and in the context of the state policy pursued by the President of the country.

Thanks to the successful implementation of large-scale reforms initiated by the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and consistently implemented under the leadership of the head of state Serdar Berdimuhamedov, in the era of the Revival of a new epoch of a powerful state, a digital system, “smart” and “green” technologies are being introduced into all sectors of the economy, and the capabilities of artificial intelligence are being used. A striking example of this is Arkadag city, founded on the initiative of Hero-Arkadag, which received a special legal status of a city of national importance on a legislative basis. 

The construction of the city of Arkadag and the development of its digital platform have become a kind of school for the practical application of theoretical knowledge, abilities, innovative proposals and ideas for students and the teaching staff of domestic specialized higher educational institutions. As Hero-Arkadag and President Serdar Berdimuhamedov emphasize, the young generation is the future of the Fatherland, the driving force of its progressive development. 

Today, our youth is actively involved in the implementation of large-scale transformation programs and major projects deployed in the country. Thus, in the new city, students from several universities installed a smart home system in a number of residential buildings. Along with this, digital solutions for the educational system were developed with the participation of teachers and students of higher educational institutions.

As is known, on June 28 of this year, during another trip to Arkadag city, the National Leader of the Turkmen people, Chairman of the Halk Maslahaty gave his blessing for the introduction of 5G technology in communication and Internet systems here. This decision corresponds to the legal status of the city, built on the basis of the “smart city” concept.

This technology is important for the relevant departments and industries in managing the operation of smart city and smart home systems, healthcare, education, industry and agriculture, implementing the capabilities of artificial intelligence, robotics, as well as accelerating the exchange of information in the treatment of patients through a digital network.

As noted, 5G technology is considered the fifth generation of wireless communication systems. It is characterized by high speed and huge bandwidth. It is also 20 times faster compared to the previous one.

It is an undeniable fact that the modern digital technology market is one of the fastest growing and most popular employment sectors in the world. Thus, the country has given an effective impetus to the development of high-tech industries, in particular, the electronics industry. Consistent steps are being taken to master such knowledge-intensive segments as the creation of software, electronic services, information portals, etc.

To ensure the success of digital transformation, it is necessary to continuously and consistently take measures in several areas, including studying advanced global experience and developing national personnel, scientific, technical and infrastructural potential.

As President Serdar Berdimuhamedov notes, a wide range of electronic services will encourage citizens to additional and continuous education, improve their professionalism using distance learning methods. The introduction of a digital system will allow us to increase human capital and attract innovative resources to the economy and other areas for the benefit of the prosperity of society and the progress of the Fatherland.

Thus, the young generation of the country is taking an increasingly active and confident position, taking an active part in the creation and promotion of innovative solutions for the development of a digital system in all sectors of the national economy.

This is clearly and vividly demonstrated by the holding of the next competition “Digital Solution – 2025”. The aspirations and successes of the talented youth of the country are highly appreciated by the state, which comprehensively surrounds them with care, provides all possible support and creates all the necessary conditions for successful study, self-development and fruitful scientific activity.