Successful governments are now using digital tools to address social challenges

A good example is District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2) which was first created in post-apartheid South Africa to address gaps in health data collection, access and use at the local level. Today it is the world’s largest health management information systems platform, managed by the University of Oslo, Norway, and used by the Ministry of Health. 73 low and middle income countries represent 30% of the world’s population.

During the pandemic, countries such as Sri Lanka built new modules on DHIS2 for real-time disease surveillance and vaccine rollout planning and monitoring. The core DHIS2 team refined and shared these modules with the wider community and they are now in development in 41 countries and more. system is ACCELERATED Vaccine rollout in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries and well organized Clinical laboratory and travel certification procedures.

mosip, also a digital public good, is a basic digital identity system available to all governments for deployment as part of their DPI. It is designed to be secure, inclusive and protect privacy. Morocco, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Guinea, Ethiopia and many other countries are now assessing or implementing their own systems based on MoSIP, adapting to meet their own needs.


Read also: Twitter is planning new privacy tool to get more people tweeting


3. If the DPI Isn’t “Good”, It Can Be Very Bad for Everyone

report from afghanistan indicate People are worried that the database held by the collapsed government could be used against them by the Taliban. No one should feel that way, highlighting why it’s important to do things right from the start and anticipating how things can go wrong. Bad DPI can have dramatic consequences – which is why one shouldn’t build “good” DPI when developing this kind of infrastructure.

“Good” infrastructure must be inclusive, protect the privacy and security of citizens, and be governed by rules that ensure accountability and transparency in their implementation. It should be built to enable governments to collaborate with the private sector and foster vendor diversity and innovation on top of infrastructure systems. This is necessary to ensure that users have access to a range of services such as healthcare, insurance and financing, and develop a thriving local ecosystem to provide these services. And there should be options and redundancies to ensure that those who cannot or do not want to use them are not excluded.

It is not easy for any country to be right and the consequences of being wrong can be dire – not only in terms of cost escalation and delays but also in terms of human rights abuses. As governments around the world try to respond to the pandemic, the least developed countries in particular need urgent widespread support for implementing good DPIs, and as a safeguard against hasty implementation of bad DPIs.

4. It’s a Business Opportunity for All

Building meaningful public-private partnerships will play a vital role in developing good DPIs, and businesses small and large will win from this as well.

In India, the digital payments ecosystem grew Base And UPI was established, and attracted many new companies – domestic and international – that were able to create and deliver new services and gain larger market share. Bringing more than 330 million people into the formal financial sector, India’s digital infrastructure was driven and driven by innovation in both the public and private sectors.

there is also the permission For competition and innovation, PhonePe, PayTM, Google Pay, Amazon Pay and others claim to be the consumer’s favorite payment apps. But it was not only good for the big players; During COVID-19, digital transactions across the country have reached new heights For both large and small banks. UPI also removes barriers to entry, democratization innovation For old and new businesses alike.

As these ecosystems develop, the most important goal should be to ensure that DPI delivers benefits for small enterprises and the average person, removing the distance, cost, paperwork and bureaucratic barriers that plague their participation in the digital economy. inhibit.

What will happen next?

We are part of a rapidly growing international community of organizations working to transform how countries are supported in their digital transformation journey. There are no quick fixes. Only through better coordination, greater resources, and a clearer vision of what a “good DPI” is and why it matters can we accelerate deployment, strengthen national digital sovereignty and build local value.

We also need to change how we work – silos in government, international organizations and business, and old ways of accessing public technology are holding us back. Later this year, like-minded leaders are coming together to co-develop new ways of working, leading a program of action to lead. Digital Public Goods Alliance and others.

this article was first published in the World Economic Forum.

Leave a Reply