Modernizing Management

The modernization strategy of Belo Horizonte City Hall (PBH) is aligned with a contemporary approach to improve administrative efficiency and transparency, and to take advantage of the opportunities offered by digital transformation. By prioritizing rationalization, digitalization, transparency and digital inclusion, PBH is adopting an approach that aims to improve administrative efficiency, promote citizen participation and ensure the inclusion of all citizens in access to public services. More than 1000 municipal public services out of approximately 1400 are offered digitally to the population, the result of a continuous governance process in favor of simplification, reduction of transactional costs and increased perception of value for citizens.

Other pillar of this strategy is compliance with federal transparency legislation, which requires the provision of municipal administrative data to the population. In this sense, the PBH – Transparency Portal was created to facilitate citizens' access to information such as ongoing actions and budgetary information from City Hall, promoting transparency and social control. Likewise, it is worth highlighting the role of citizens in improving the processes in which resources are offered for evaluation and feedback on services.

Data Democracy, Enterpreneur Ecosystem, and Open Innovation

The PBH Open Data Portal is an online platform provided by Belo Horizonte city hall that offers easy and organized access to public data and information. Its main objective is to promote transparency in municipal management, facilitating public access to data about the city. The platform features a wide variety of datasets, totaling 460, distributed across 24 organizations. These organizations are responsible for creating, managing, and publishing datasets in an organized manner. Additionally, portal users can have different roles within an organization, depending on their level of authorization to create, edit, and publish data. This structure contributes to the efficient management and dissemination of public information in the city.

Furthermore, the portal seeks to encourage society's participation in building a better city, promoting the use of data to think about solutions and improvements for the city. Also aiming to develop new innovative solutions for the public sector, PBH not only facilitates access to data, but also provides an environment where these ideas can be tested and validated. The city has BHLab, an open laboratory focused on testing, developing and co-creating proposals for Smart Cities.

In addition to its open laboratory, Belo Horizonte City Hall has been working hard on its open innovation policy, through the development of startup acceleration programs, research and innovation programs, notices that enable joint work with gov techs and also programs to help companies grow or set up.

Digital Inclusion

The lack of digital accessibility and low digital literacy are significant challenges in several aspects of society, including access to public information through portals such as the PBH Open Data Portal. For many vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, people with low levels of education and people on low incomes, digital exclusion is a reality. Even when they have access to technology, low digital literacy can make it difficult to understand and use digital resources effectively, limiting people's ability to benefit from online information and services. This can worsen social inequalities and hinder access to essential services, such as education and employment. Furthermore, the lack of digital accessibility can limit civic participation, making access to public information and participation in democratic processes difficult.

To overcome these challenges, Belo Horizonte City Hall implemented policies and programs that promote inclusion and digital literacy, ensuring equal access to the benefits of the digital era. This includes offering training in digital skills, developing more accessible interfaces and creating initiatives to reduce the digital divide and promote equal opportunities.

The main Digital Inclusion initiative is the provision of free internet access with the installation of Wi-Fi hotspots throughout Belo Horizonte, maintained by PBH, especially in needy regions. Internet points have already been brought to all 218 villages, favelas and housing complexes in Belo Horizonte. The city has already installed, in total, more than 4,100 active points spread across the city and more than 1.2 million people have already used the service. Furthermore, PBH has a robust number of telecenters, where the population has free access to the internet, as well as a mobile digital inclusion unit, with classrooms and devices.

The Belo Horizonte Digital Inclusion Program also promotes the refurbishment of computers, notebooks, smartphones or tablets. The initiative intends these new devices, in full usable condition, so that people have more access and can access the courses offered by Belo Horizonte City Hall, especially those in vulnerable situations.