People, Partnerships and Progress: The 3Ps Steering the Global DPI Movement – Africa.com

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) is a force multiplier today, enabling countries to deliver a range of services at scale. However a few years ago, it was still an emerging concept for much of the development community, sparking questions about its benefits and governance. Not only has its narrative evolved with more clarity today, but DPI’s real-world impact across communities is also coming alive. With a promising outlook for an inclusive digital future, the success of the global DPI movement is rooted in a communications and advocacy approach focused on 3Ps – people, partnerships and progress.

People: Everyone, everywhere

The digital revolution has inspired out-of-the-box innovations, which have transformed how people go about their everyday lives. But not everyone has benefited equally. Digital innovations that are not people-centred risk widening the digital divide, not least for vulnerable groups in developing countries. With people prioritized from the start in how we communicate about DPI’s design and implementation, there is a deliberate commitment to making sure no one is left behind. 

Besides the tech component, elevating local voices and perspectives through human impact stories has been key in demonstrating DPI’s impact from the ground up. Meet Amari – her story represents many of the challenges people face across geographies, and explains how DPI can change the status quo to deliver society-wide benefits at speed, from the first to the last mile. These benefits are beginning to come alive in real-world DPI implementation across the world, where storytelling and showcasing is critical in sharing impactful experiences beyond the abstract tech parlance and the pedantic focus on DPI’s definition.

Partnerships: Connecting for impact 

Everyone has a stake in DPI, as well as an opportunity to shape how it evolves. When we communicate about DPI, our messages transcend the notion of governments as the sole implementers – we intentionally call for a whole-of-society approach that fuses perspectives and contributions from diverse stakeholders. This includes participation from the public and private sectors, as well as academia and civil society. The Universal DPI Safeguards Framework was notably developed through a multistakeholder process, which kicked off its efforts through a global call for nomination. This advocacy campaign activated both global and local networks, and fostered new partnerships to advance the global DPI movement with a common interest in building safe and inclusive DPI for societies. 

The growing interest in these connections were further highlighted during the inaugural 2024 Global DPI Summit. The Summit served as an advocacy platform, where more than 500 delegates from 100 countries came together to discuss the state of DPI and cross pollinate ideas for global impact. The communications workshop that took place on the sidelines of the Summit also underscored our collective strength in partnering as communicators to demystify DPI for diverse audiences, borrowing lessons from each other on strategies that have worked well. Our key takeaway was that the global DPI movement is more than just aligning on messaging; we can harness our interconnections, skills and resources as a community of communicators to make DPI relatable, actionable, and, ultimately, more impactful.

Progress: From potential to action

Prioritizing people and partnerships, DPI has gained momentum globally. This progress is evident in the shift from early communications about DPI potential, to encouraging action through advocacy towards meaningful outcomes. In 2022, advocacy efforts brought together global leaders, who committed US$295 million to advance inclusive digital public infrastructure. In 2023, countries reached consensus on a definition of DPI with the G20 New Delhi Leaders’ Declaration. A DPI Playbook was also designed as a practical and public resource that low and middle-income countries (LMICs) can utilize in building inclusive and rights-based DPI.

In 2024, further progress was demonstrated with the adoption of the Global Digital Compact by 193 countries, recognizing DPI as a key driver of digital transformation. In addition, the body of knowledge and resources on DPI has expanded, with more learnings and insights being shared from different countries. The DPI Map has been useful in illustrating how DPI is advancing across different parts of the world, while the Universal DPI Safeguards Framework continues to be refined as a digital public asset. 

As the global DPI movement evolves with more use cases, research, convenings, knowledge sharing and implementations, communications and advocacy will remain a bedrock to drive its safe and inclusive adoption across countries in 2025 and beyond. DPI is moving us closer to our shared humanity in the Sustainable Development Goals and focusing on people, partnerships and progress can ensure we get there.