We have heard of the American expression of the 800-pound gorilla… but this note is about the $800 billion dollar gorilla that we will need to contend with and tame.

Gartner Research estimates that governments around the world will spend over $800 billion on technology in 2024. A closer look reveals that 88% of this amount will be spent by “mature economies”, with approximately 2.5 billion people.

Digital public infrastructure (DPI) may be a relatively new term, but the work of digital transformation to catalyze efficiencies in the delivery of public and private services has been ongoing for decades. Only recently have actors including the United Nations and the World Bank converged on highlighting the importance of taking an infrastructure approach to digital transformation, supporting the development of cross-sectoral technologies that deliver impact at national scale.

As the DPI debate has evolved over the past couple of years, there continues to be a lack of clarity on what DPI is. There have been several attempts at coming up with a “definition” by various stakeholders, but there is no consensus. The framing of ‘shared means to many ends’ that David Eaves and Jordan Sandman articulated about a year ago seems to capture the essence of what infrastructure generally is – digital or physical.

Many development experts and technologists have discussed the huge potential impact of digital public infrastructure (DPI). For example, reports have projected that DPI could drive GDP growth by as much as 3-13%. But it's not enough to project impact. As these systems roll out on the ground, the DPI ecosystem needs a systematic approach to measuring their economic and social impact. That's why Co-Develop funded the creation of Oxford's Digital Public Infrastructure Research Lab (OxDPI). The lab will investigate the impacts of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) on inclusion and wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries.

Researchers studying digital transformation and its ability to streamline access to public and private services have been able to demonstrate its substantial potential for positive human and economic impact. Building a research base is important to help policymakers understand the value of investing in digital transformation as well as the potential opportunities and pitfalls of various design approaches.

Ateneo de Manila University announced the launch of the Business Insights Laboratory for Development (BUILD) Centre today which, in partnership with Co-Develop, will house the Philippine Technical Resource Lab (TRL), an initiative dedicated to strengthening the digital transformation efforts of the Philippines. The TRL will play a pivotal role in the country's digital transformation journey, supported by various Digital Public Goods (DPGs) including OpenSPP, OpenG2P, Mojaloop, MOSIP, and eGov.

Food security plays a pivotal role in alleviating poverty, enhancing public health, and fostering socio-economic stability. Yet in recent years, the convergence of multiple crises, including the COVID-19 pandemic, armed conflicts, and escalating climate emergencies, has significantly hindered agricultural productivity and led to a dire state of food insecurity that has been disproportionately felt among the most vulnerable populations worldwide. To effectively tackle this challenge, it is not enough to focus on immediate-term recovery efforts; rather, laying the foundations for longer-term resilience will enable countries to withstand future crises. Digital public infrastructure (DPI) - society-wide, digital capabilities that are essential to participation in society and markets as a citizen, entrepreneur, and consumer - is proving to be a powerful tool in the fight against food insecurity, now and in the future.

In recent years, Zambia has actively sought to foster digital inclusion and transform its ICT and innovation ecosystem, with the latest move being the signing of the Electronic Regulation Statutory Instrument (SI) No 43 of 2023 by H.E. President Hakainde Hichilema in October 2023. The regulation which strengthens the role of the Electronic Government Division also known as Smart Zambia Institute (SZI) is in line with the government’s vision of prioritising digital transformation by leveraging technology for the enhancement of the well-being of the citizenry through enhanced public service delivery and also making it the bedrock of Zambia’s economic progress.

Co-Develop made a grant to support a prominent Brazilian consumer defense organization, Instituto Brasileiro de Defesa do Consumidor (IDEC), to conduct research and advocacy aimed at improving the safety and inclusivity of Brazil’s digital public infrastructure. Brazil has one of the most robust examples of digital public infrastructure (DPI) globally. In just a few years, DPI in Brazil has transformed how the country does business, bringing millions of people into the digital economy.

OpenG2P and Co-Develop are pleased to announce a partnership to accelerate OpenG2P's mission to enable inclusive and efficient Government-to-Person (G2P) delivery systems.

OpenG2P provides an open-source platform to build solutions that streamline and enhance the performance of G2P systems; that play a crucial role in disbursing social benefits, subsidies, and other essential payments to residents, fostering economic stability and social welfare.

We are excited to announce the launch of a digital public infrastructure (DPI) baseline research project – the ‘Global State of DPI’.

Over the past year, the conversation around DPI has dramatically expanded. Most notably, the G20’s endorsement of DPI as a critical catalyst for countries' development has brought global attention to the concept of “infrastructure thinking” for development and public service delivery. The launch of the 50-in-5 campaign demonstrated a commitment by a global coalition of partners including Co-Develop to align around a shared goal in supporting the adoption of safe and inclusive digital public infrastructure globally.

In March 2023, Co-Develop approved an investment to set up the Center for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI), housed at the International Institute of Information Technology, Bangalore (IIIT-B). CDPI supports governments to imagine, design, architect, and implement DPI, while helping disseminate “infrastructure thinking” worldwide.