Albania Plans Mandatory AI Training for Public Administration
By Suad Seferi ·
Albania is preparing a national artificial intelligence programme that will make AI training mandatory for public administration, as the government moves to expand the use of the technology across state institutions. Prime Minister Edi Rama announced the plans during Albania’s Second Innovation Forum on September 8, where government officials, businesses, universities and representatives of the ICT sector discussed AI skills, financing, data and adoption across the economy and public sector. The government says the national AI programme will be open to individuals, while participation in the training programme will be compulsory for public administration employees. Albania has also begun integrating AI modules into parts of the administration. According to Rama, the first stage is focused on legal directorates, with the government planning to expand the systems across other levels of public administration. The intention, he said, is to provide civil servants with AI-based assistance as part of their everyday work. AI moves deeper into government The announcement adds another layer to Albania’s increasingly ambitious use of artificial intelligence in government. Rather than limiting AI adoption to isolated pilots, the government is beginning to connect training, administrative tools, research funding and economic policy under a broader national programme. The details of that programme are still being prepared. Economy and Innovation Minister Delina Ibrahimaj said the government wants institutions, businesses, universities and the wider innovation ecosystem to contribute to its development. The ministry is positioning AI as a way to increase productivity, support business development and strengthen the competitiveness of Albania’s economy. No final document, implementation timetable or detailed governance framework for the programme was announced at the forum. That means some of the most important questions remain open, including which public-sector roles will be covered by mandatory training, what competencies officials will be expected to develop and how the government will evaluate the use of AI tools inside public institutions. Legal departments are the starting point The decision to begin with legal directorates is particularly notable. AI systems used for drafting, analysing or processing legal and administrative material can improve speed and access to information, but they also create questions around accuracy, accountability, confidential information and human oversight. The government has not yet provided technical details about the modules being deployed or which AI models and providers are involved. Rama said the integration would eventually extend beyond legal departments and across the broader administration. A separate local media report from the forum said Rama also referred to work on an AI-supported public procurement system and growing use of Albania’s e-government services. The direction is clear: Albania increasingly sees AI not simply as a private-sector technology, but as part of the infrastructure of government. Funding universities and applied research The government also plans to increase grants through Albania’s Innovation Fund for applied research and partnerships between universities and industry. Rama identified cooperation between academia and industry as an area where Albania continues to lag. The government says around 9,000 students are currently studying technology-related fields, while the country’s technology exports have reached €222 million, according to figures presented at the forum. Those numbers are being used to support a broader argument that Albania can build a larger technology sector alongside its digital transformation of government. But translating student numbers and public investment into domestic AI capability will require more than training programmes. Access to computing infrastructure, quality datasets, research capacity, skilled engineers and stronger links between universities and industry will all influence how much of Albania’s AI strategy can eventually be developed locally. From experimentation to national policy Albania has already gained international attention for its aggressive approach to digital government and the use of AI in public administration. The new programme suggests that the country is now trying to move from individual projects toward a more coordinated national approach. That makes the governance side increasingly important. Mandatory AI training could help public-sector employees understand the systems they are expected to use, but training alone does not answer questions about transparency, data protection, procurement, responsibility for automated outputs or the circumstances in which AI should not be used. Those issues are likely to become more important as Albania continues its EU accession process and aligns its regulatory framework with European standards. The next significant step will therefore be the publication of the National Programme for Artificial Intelligence itself. That document should show whether Albania’s growing ambitions are matched by clear responsibilities, safeguards, investment priorities and measurable targets for how AI will be deployed across government and the wider economy.