UNDP Chief Digital Officer Robert Opp stresses the importance of thinking of DPI as the digital equivalent of physical infrastructure such as roads and bridges.
A session at ID4Africa 2024 brought together experts to explore the transformative potential of Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) in digitizing governments. Moderated by Dr. Joseph Atiku, Executive Chairman of ID4Africa, the discussion featured a multifaceted panel that delved into various aspects of DPI and its role in digital transformation.
“Digital public infrastructure consists of digital components that facilitate public service delivery, business development, and data utilization,” Opp explains. He emphasized that digital identity is a core part of DPI, noting that it plays a key role in enabling interoperability and governance.
To explain further, Opp draws an analogy with everyday technology: “Think of smartphones made by companies like Apple or Samsung running operating systems like iOS or Android. We communicate globally using apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Discord across various provider networks. This is enabled by three fundamental DPIs: GPS, cellular communications and the internet. Each has a different governance structure, but they have in common the promotion of interoperability and innovation.”
The discussion delved into the choices and architectural options available to governments in creating an integrated DPI, considering the necessary capacity requirements, associated risks, safeguards, sustainability considerations and interoperability constraints. Different levels of effort and time for each pathway were also highlighted, providing a comprehensive view of the complexities involved in implementing a DPI.
DPI Governance
Dr. Kanwaljit Singh, Senior Program Officer for DPI at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, emphasized the fundamental role of governance in DPI. “Governance is at the heart of DPI,” he said, stressing that governance is not an afterthought but a key element that ensures interoperability, safeguards, and shared use of digital resources. He noted that effective governance enables different organizations to build and innovate on top of the DPI framework.
Singh focuses on the evolution of foundational DPIs like GPS, mobile communications, and the internet, highlighting the uniqueness of their governance structures and the ability of ecosystems to innovate on top of them. “When GPS was first conceived, no one was thinking about Uber or food delivery apps. The ecosystem learned to innovate on top of DPI, maintaining properties like interoperability and ecosystem innovation,” he points out.
Governance and Innovation
Nanjira Sambri, a fellow in the Technology and International Affairs Program at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, spoke about concerns about the new terminology and its impact on existing jobs. “DPI is not something entirely new, it's a shift in thinking. The anxiety around DPI arises because it seems like a new concept that overshadows years of digitalization efforts,” she says. Sambri emphasizes the importance of building on past work to ensure new technologies effectively serve citizens.
The session highlighted the critical role of DPI in driving effective digital transformation in government. Innovation is often the product of diverse use cases that cannot be fully anticipated by a single organization. According to the panel discussion, for these innovative ideas to flourish, DPI must be accessible and designed to foster such creativity. Three key elements of an ideal DPI environment are political will, ownership, capacity building, and active engagement with the community to ensure that DPI is truly for the people.
The panel also discussed governance of DPI, drawing on examples such as the Internet Governance Ecosystem, which has managed multi-stakeholder engagement. A key question is whether DPI can enable breakthroughs and help the millions of Africans who currently lack legal identity documents and access to financial services.
An emerging question is whether it's time to establish international standards for DPI governance. According to the Sessions, while there are no formal standards in place, there are efforts underway to develop a framework for DPI protection that includes principles and best practices.
Opp's example of Bangladesh shows that countries can stand up on their own and successfully implement DPI. But he also emphasizes the importance of giving countries options for how they approach DPI implementation. Whether they build it from scratch, buy it from a vendor, or leverage digital public goods, countries need options that fit their unique circumstances.
Article Topics
Digital Government | Digital Identity | Digital Public Infrastructure | Gates Foundation | ID4Africa 2024 | Interoperability | UNDP
