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Artificial intelligence is changing how people work, learn, and solve problems faster than any technology before it. While many middle-income countries already use AI widely, most investment and infrastructure still sit in high-income countries. To move forward, countries need to build four foundations: Connectivity, Compute, Context, and Competency. By strengthening these and using small, purpose-driven AI that fits local needs, developing countries can use AI to improve health, education, agriculture, and shape their own digital future.

In this event co-hosted by Smart Africa, the Digital Development Partnership, and its donors, government officials and regulators shared how data-driven and flexible regulation can support Africa’s vision for a single digital market. Participants highlighted the importance of cross-sector collaboration and forward-looking policies to enable digital transformation.

In 2022, amid a series of global crises, including food insecurity, conflict, high inflation, the effects of the pandemic, rising inequality, and the climate crisis, DDP played a key role in accelerating green, resilient, and inclusive digitalization. The digital and climate agenda has been front and center for DDP in 2022, which supported the Green Digital Transformation flagship report launched at COP27,  unpacking the dual role of the digital sector as part of the climate change problem and climate action solution.

The DDP-funded EQUAL project supported women’s digital literacy and inclusion by strengthening their confidence, ownership, and use of smartphones. Using animated lessons in local dialects, the program delivered digital skills training to women from diverse backgrounds through randomized control trials. Over six weeks, participants gained practical knowledge to support their economic empowerment.

The digital economy is transforming how we live and work. To ensure it drives inclusive growth, countries need smart policies, strong institutions, and the right digital foundations. The DDP-funded Digital Economy for Latin America and the Caribbean reports series offer actionable insights across the following six key pillars: infrastructure, public platforms, financial services, digital businesses, skills, and trust. They highlight practical solutions to expand access, close the skills gap, and make digital tools and services more affordable across the region.

Digital technology has the potential to transform lives across South Asia. Yet, 1 in 5 adults remain unbanked, and while 61% live within telecom range, many are still offline. Bridging this digital divide means making data and devices more affordable, and building the right platforms to expand access to finance and public services. It can drive innovation, boost competitiveness, and open new opportunities across the region.

Cybersecurity is essential for digital development, yet the world faces a shortage of 3 million professionals, and with women remaining largely underrepresented. Globally, women make up less than 1 in 5 in the cybersecurity field, with even lower representation in Africa (9%), MENA (5%), Latin America and the Caribbean (8%), and North America and Europe (7.5%). To address this gap, the World Bank, Cybersecurity Multi-Donor Trust Fund is calling for global action to engage more women and girls in tackling cyber threats.

Technology and innovation are rapidly changing the world, creating endless opportunities while making systems more efficient and affordable. However, the digital sector now contributes as much to climate change as the airline industry, with some data centers consuming more energy than entire countries. These climate impacts often hit the poor and most vulnerable the hardest. The "Catalyzing the Green Digital Transformation in Low and Middle-Income Economies" report explores how to bridge the digital divide in a sustainable way.

In Northern Nigeria, many girls and women face limited access to education, technology, and digital skills. In 2023, the World Bank launched, with DDP support, the Fasaha digital skills training initiative which included the ‘Gina Mata, Gina Al-Umma’ series of programs designed to equip girls and young women in Northern Nigeria with the tools to access economic opportunities.

This video offers valuable insights into how agile regulatory approaches can support economic growth in African countries as they embark on their digital transformation journeys. The COVID-19 crisis underscored the need for such methods, highlighting a modern policymaking model that helps countries stay ready for today’s fast-changing digital landscape. A new wave of policymaking is emerging, one that is inclusive, adaptive, and rooted in partnerships.