Higiro Alice

Digital Public Goods (DPGs) have immense value for Africa, as they offer a cost-effective and scalable way to address critical development challenges. By leveraging technology, DPGs can help bridge the digital divide, increase access to essential services, and promote inclusive economic growth. For example, DPGs such as open-source software, digital health tools, and educational resources can improve health outcomes, enhance education, and support entrepreneurship. Additionally, DPGs can facilitate cross-border collaborations, knowledge sharing, and innovation, leading to more efficient and effective development outcomes. DPGs have the potential to empower African communities and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals. This session will focus on the concept of eGovernment Digital Public Goods (DPG) and how they can be harnessed to enhance government services, promote transparency, and foster innovation in the public sector. The session will explore the benefits and challenges of using DPGs in the context of eGovernment initiatives and discuss practical examples and best practices from around the world. Participants will also engage in interactive discussions and brainstorming activities to identify potential use cases and opportunities for leveraging eGovernment DPGs in their own jurisdictions.

A joint initiative of ITU and UNICEF, Giga was established in 2019 to connect every school to the Internet by 2030. Giga uses artificial intelligence and satellite imagery to map school locations, blockchain technology to monitor real-time connectivity status, infrastructure and policy data to inform connectivity technology choices, and bringing all these elements together to design sustainable business models for connecting schools. Since its inception, Giga has mapped more than 2.16 million schools in 138 countries. Of these, almost 71k schools in 17 countries report real-time connectivity status. As of today, Giga and its partners have connected 5,602 schools and 2.13 million students in 20 countries. Of this, 2,325 schools and 1.16 million students are located in Africa. Despite significant progress made during the past years, nearly half of the 6 million schools in the world are still not connected to the Internet today. Globally, around 1.3 billion children and young people have no access to the Internet, depriving them of opportunities that come from being connected. Achieving universal school connectivity by 2030 is an ambitious but achievable mission, and the work of Giga and its partners is critical to make this happen. This session aims to introduce Giga to government representatives and development partners, presenting Giga’s innovative technology and finance solutions for school connectivity in Africa. Participation: by invitation. Presenters: Lacina Koné, DG and CEO of Smart Africa Governments of Rwanda, Zimbabwe Doreen Bogdan-Martin, Secretary General, ITU Chris Fabian, UNICEF and Alex Wong, ITU Giga Co-Leads