DDP Annual Review 2021

ANNUAL 20
REVIEW 21
On the Path to Recovery
WITH SUPPORT FROM:
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
DDP ANNUAL REPORT 2021
© 2021 International Bank for Reconstruction and

Development/ The World Bank
1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433
Table of contents
Telephone: 202-473-1000
Internet: www.worldbank.org
This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank

Executive Summary ........................ 4 Annex 1: Main Donor
with external contributions. The findings, interpretations,
and conclusions expressed in this work do not neces- Message from the Director............. 8 Contributions..................................128
sarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of
About Digital Development Annex 2: Portfolio Status............ 129
Executive Directors, or the governments they represent.
The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the Partnership.......................................10 Annex 3: Portfolio Description....138
data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, de-
Our Partners...............................................12 Annex 4: Lending Leverage........ 166
nominations, and other information shown on any map
in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The Our Journey................................................18
World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or
Annex 5: Financial Report ......... 170
Key Results...................................... 20
the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Abbreviations and Acronyms..... 171
Cybersecurity Multi-Donor Trust
Rights and Permissions
Fund................................................... 44 Photography Credits.....................172
The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because Operational Highlights.................. 48
The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowl-
Data and Indicators....................................49
edge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for
noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this Digital Economy Enabling Environment......66
work is given. Any queries on rights and licenses, includ- Cybersecurity.............................................86
ing subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Internet Access for All................................90
Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW,
Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522- 2625; e-mail:
Digital Government.....................................96
pubrights@worldbank.org. Mainstreaming Digital Solutions..............100
Feature Initiative: Digital Economy

for Africa ........................................ 106
Strategic Communications and
Knowledge Management ............ 118
Strategic Priorities for FY22....... 124
2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 3
Executive The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates the need for contin-

ued efforts for improving integration of technology in
World Bank. For clients and DDP partners alike, leveraging
World Bank loans and grants means maximal results for
Summary
development solutions. DDP’s support remained critical the seed funding provided through the DDP trust fund.
to facilitate deployment of digital infrastructure and adop- Accordingly, the DDP lending leverage continued to in-
tion of technologies to expand connectivity, coverage, and crease during the year and has reached a record $9 bil-
quality of service, while safeguarding data privacy, gover- lion of lending and investment operations – up by almost
nance, and online security. $3.5 billion from last year.
Over the past fiscal year, DDP continued to build strong DDP-funded technical assistance to client governments
partnerships with both the public and private sectors to continued to help shape the views and understanding of
foster the creation and implementation of digital devel- the digital environment and drive the development and
opment strategies for our client countries. Over the past implementation of concrete reforms on the ground. In
year, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Ethiopia, for example, the DDP-funded work on a Telecom
Agency (Sida) and Bundesministerium für wirtschaftli- Sector Reform has contributed to the realization of the
che Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) joined DDP Government of Ethiopia’s vision of a competitive telecom-
bringing the total number of partners to 13. munications sector and resulted in a new telecom proc-
lamation, the opening of the sector to competition, and
As a reflection of the growing demand to support client partial privatization of the incumbent. In Mozambique,
countries in the cybersecurity agenda, an associated Rwanda, and Ethiopia, governments were able to de-
Cybersecurity multi-donor trust fund as part of the velop Digital Skills Country Action plans which are now
broader DDP Umbrella program was launched in August serving as examples to other countries and regions.
2021. The launch was made possible with donor contribu- This happened due to the DDP-supported digital skills
tions from Estonia, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands. program which targeted 16 countries in Africa. In Nigeria,
Uganda and Rwanda, the three-pillar gender program,
DDP has grown significantly since its inception five years implemented jointly with the EQUALS Global Partnership’s
ago, and to date has approved 100+ activities across Access Coalition and the GSMA, is aiming to reach 500
its main pillars: Data and Indicators, Digital Economy, women, including in-service teachers, adolescent girls,
Cybersecurity, Internet Access for All, Digital Government, and disadvantaged women by investing in human capi-
and Mainstreaming Digital Technologies. DDP’s geo- tal, addressing gender inequality, and increasing social
graphical coverage also continued to expand. Since DDP inclusion as a form of violence prevention. In Armenia,
inception, the teams have worked in 80 client countries, DDP has helped the government to design a policy frame-
with most of the active portfolio now in Sub-Saharan work for data governance. In Tajikistan, DDP has been
Africa. DDP is actively growing its portfolio in Latin providing technical assistance to the government around
America and the Caribbean, East Asia and Pacific, and telecom reforms and regulations, digital skills framework,
South Asia regions. Smart City strategy, and data and digital ID. The TA has
laid ground for the ambitious new ICT strategy which
DDP support has been instrumental to move the agenda would stimulate significant socio-economic development
to implementation level, leveraging lending from the and yield additional revenues for the state budget.
DDP helps shape digital agenda within the World Bank’s DDP support has been critical for amplifying the impact
broader national and regional strategies (such as of the Digital Economy for Africa initiative. DDP funds
Country Partnership Frameworks) which lay the ground were central to formulating the DE4A strategic framework
for future investments and operational advances of the back in 2019 and since then, DDP supported the initiative
digital sector in the country. In South Asia, for example, through providing funding for robust country diagnostics,
the work around digital economy foundations is providing monitoring and evaluation efforts and broader research
a critically needed analysis that informs almost all opera- that informs DE4A country operations. Overall, 149 World
tional work in the region. Bank projects are now active in 34 African countries to
support the emergence of a vibrant, inclusive and safe
Knowledge is central to the DDP’s ability to influence digital economy. The direct impact of the DDP grants is
the global digital agenda. Combining global and coun- significant: so far, funds provided by DDP in support of
try knowledge, DDP’s research generate wide-ranging the DE4A assessments have leveraged more than US$1.3
insights for solving the most pressing issues in the billion in World Bank lending and external co-financing,
developing countries. DDP has delivered a wide range which represents an extraordinary US$897 in lending for
of publications in the past year, most of which were every US$1 disbursed.
supported by virtual workshops to foster client engage-
ment, raise awareness, and disseminate the results. The To Build Back Better from the crisis, DDP will continue to
flagship report Unraveling Data's Gordian Knot: Enablers & keep its programmatic focus on an ecosystem approach
Safeguards for Trusted Data Sharing in the New Economy to digital transformation, working on both the founda-
highlighted emerging practices and current approaches tional elements of the digital economy, including digital
to establishing these safeguards and enablers of data infrastructure, digital platforms, digital skills, as well as
sharing. The report served as a background paper for the digital applications across critical sectors, while ensuring
World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives. protection of personal data, mitigating cybersecurity
Feasibility Study to Connect All African Higher Education risks, and aiming for a truly inclusive digital economy
Institutions to High-Speed Internet established a road- for all. The approach includes an enhanced focus on the
map for connecting all African universities to high-speed issues of digital and climate change, data privacy and
internet, as the higher education sector in Africa falls far broader data infrastructure, last-mile connectivity, digital
behind the rest of the world in connecting to global re- access and usage, digital adoption, cybersecurity, gender,
search and education networks. The joint IFC-World Bank among others. Despite the unprecedented scale of the
report Demand for Digital Skills in Sub-Saharan Africa crisis, DDP will continue to provide critical support to
presented an analysis of supply and demand for digital clients to help cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19
skills in five countries: Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Mozambique, pandemic and accelerate green, resilient, and inclusive
Nigeria, and Rwanda. Harnessing AI for Development in COVID-19 recovery.
the Post-COVID World explored various approaches to AI
across 11 countries, mapping initiatives to different policy
domain areas and identifying the tools and instruments
that have been proposed to implement AI strategies.
Message from
the Director
Boutheina Guermazi
Director, Digital Development
World Bank
About Digital DDP FOCUS AREAS
Development Digital Development Partnership (DDP) offers a platform

for digital innovation and development financing. DDP
Partnership
brings public and private sector partners together to ad-
vance digital solutions and accelerate inclusive and safe
digital transformation in developing countries.
DATA AND INDICATORS DIGITAL ECONOMY ENABLING CYBERSECURITY

ENVIRONMENT
DDP scales up the use of data and The convergence of ICT, media, and content Cybersecurity concerns grow in
indicators – including big data – to technologies and platforms requires a regula- parallel with the adoption of digital
benchmark and advance the readiness tory framework in support of the digital econ- services and infrastructure. To
of client countries to reap digital divi- omy. DDP-funded activities seek to overhaul advance the agenda, in 2021, the
dends. Toolkits combine information obsolete regulations, remove bottlenecks to Cybersecurity Associated Trust
on the spread of digital technologies the development of digital ecosystems, and Fund was launched to focus on
with an assessment of the regulatory foster competition. Issues of policy and reg- cybersecurity-related issues
environment. They inform all DDP ulation of the digital space to be addressed
reform priorities. include cloud services, local content creation,
open data, consumer privacy and data
protection, and, more generally, the interface
between digital or ICT regulations and other
sector regulations.
MAINSTREAMING DIGITAL
INTERNET ACCESS FOR ALL DIGITAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES, SOLUTIONS, AND
PLATFORMS
Digital divide is one of the main hurdles E-Government models provide a significant Integration of advanced digital solutions
to capturing digital dividends. DDP offers opportunity to improve service delivery, in sectors such as health, education,
technical assistance to support client foster transparency and efficiency in public social protection, government services
countries in enhancing their connectivity, administration, and empower all citizens and back-office systems is key to resil-
covering matters of national policy and entrepreneurs. DDP supports client ient COVID-19 recovery. DDP supports
and strategy, regulation and markets, governments in the development of digital mainstreaming of digital technologies
technological standards, infrastructure government infrastructure platforms and across sectors via scaling-up digital and
sharing and development, spectrum shared services. Work areas include digital disruptive applications and fostering
management, taxation, gender aspects of government leadership, public sector IT archi- innovative solutions.
connectivity, and regional ICT markets. tecture and governance, data and analytics
platforms, and interoperability.
Voice from Our Partners
Our Partners
Denmark
Digital technologies are enablers, drivers, and accelerators of sustainable
DDP is building strong partnerships with both the public
The technical and thought leadership brought
development and growth. The exponential spread of digital technologies is
and private sectors to foster the creation and implemen-
by our partners are a prerequisite to secure already improving societies and people’s lives and holds the potential for
tation of digital development strategies for our client great development outcomes. I am immensely us to accelerate the implementation of the SDGs. Digitalization is a new
countries. Over the past year, the Swedish International grateful to all our partners and donors for their cross-cutting tool in Danish development cooperation and together with DDP
Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and collaboration and ongoing support. we seek to contribute to bridging the digital divides and harness the digital
Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche Zusammenarbeit dividends in developing countries.
und Entwicklung (BMZ) joined DDP, bringing the total Boutheina Guermazi
Director, Digital Development
number of partners to 13. World Bank
Finland
The ongoing digital revolution is fundamentally changing the world we
live in and will provide new opportunities to enhance development and the
achievement of the SDGs. DDP strengthens Finland’s long-term commitment
to enhance development of information societies and innovation capacities
in partner countries.
Germany
Cyber capacity building for digital transformation helps ensure that the
benefits of digital technologies and the digital society are made available to
everyone. Focusing on digital ministries and their regulatory authorities in
Africa support for better regulations is needed to utilize technologies and
their potentials for leapfrogging while mitigating the risks. DDP helps realize
Germany’s commitment to support developing countries in their efforts to de-
velop human-centric digital transformation with the whole digital eco-system.
Google
Google is proud to join DDP in 2020. Technology enables individuals to find
new opportunities, businesses to find new markets, entrepreneurs to build
new businesses, and governments to solve major challenges facing the
nation and the world. But we have also seen that many are left out of this
picture. It is critical that governments and businesses work together, through
structures such as DDP, to ensure that the benefits of technology are shared
by everyone, that people have the skills to participate, and that policies foster
inclusive economic growth across all countries.
GSMA Korea
Digitalization is revolutionizing the way entire sectors operate and has the Digitalization possesses the potential to benefit people’s way of life with
power to transform communities and people’s futures. In many markets, digital technologies. On the other hand, rapid development of technology
mobile networks are the most widespread and reliable infrastructure to also risks widening the digital divide. DDP has been helping to bridge such
deliver digital services, so mobile is a key enabler in connecting populations digital divide between countries. Korea, as a partner of DDP, will stand by
and driving economic growth. On behalf of the mobile industry, the GSMA the World Bank and keep working together to maximize benefits and reduce
is proud to be part of DDP and believes that the framework it provides for risks of digitalization.
public-private sector partnership has the potential to deliver substantial
change for good.
Microsoft
Israel DDP teams Microsoft (and others) with the World Bank to help operational-
Digital technologies create enormous opportunities for the developing world. ize the 2016 WDR on Digital Dividends, by bringing public and private sector
The ability to leapfrog development phases to the capabilities of tomorrow partners together to catalyze support to developing countries and emerging
brings the chance to close the development gap between countries and soci- economies with digital development strategies and plans. Entirely consis-
eties and recruit the best of what technology has to offer towards achieving tent with the mission “To empower every person and every organization on
the SDGs. Yet, wide use of such technologies also creates risks for a coun- the planet to achieve more”, Microsoft supports DDP’s efforts to empower
try’s cyber resilience and data protection, thus hindering trust and minimizing countries by ensuring an Enabling Environment for Digital Development by
the benefits of digital development. Israel is working intensively with its DDP advancing technology adoption and accelerating digital transformation,
partners, making sure the developing world is ready for the cyber age. enabling them to achieve digital dividends for all their constituents.
Japan Norway
Cyberspace is a place in which intellectual property, such as technological We will not achieve the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030 without
innovations and new business models, can be created and will continue to actively utilizing new digital tools. The world is going through a digital revo-
serve as a platform for the sustainable development of economic society. The lution that fundamentally changes the way we live, work, and relate to each
security of cyberspace, which serves as the foundation of economic society, other. Countries that have been able to keep up with digital development have
must be ensured, and at the same time, its autonomously sustained evolution accelerated growth, expanded opportunities, and improved service delivery.
and development has to be ensured in order to achieve sustainable progress Throughout the breadth of our development policy, Norway wants to be a
and wealth to society. Japan will continue to actively contribute to DDP so as pioneering country to ensure that developing countries take part in the op-
to promote cybersecurity capacity building for developing countries. portunities offered by innovation and digitalization. We also want to focus on
marginalized groups and vulnerable individuals in society. With digital tools
and our collaboration through the World Bank’s DDP we help more people to
be reached, so no one will be left behind.
Sweden
For the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida),
digital for development means new opportunities to develop and increase
the effectiveness of our operations. Digitalization creates new paths for
development and affects all dimensions of poverty – resources, opportuni-
ties and choice, power and voice, as well as human security. Technology can
lift people out of poverty and oppression, but it can also increase divisions
in society and accelerate negative trends. In this transformation, Sida seeks
to support opportunities for inclusive development and engages actively
to reduce the risks. That is why Sida is proud to be engaged in the Digital
Development Partnership.
The Netherlands
Digital technologies play a vital role in development and progress towards
the Sustainable Development Goals. Digital technologies create economic
opportunities and foster inclusivity by ensuring access to information in
remote areas. In order to achieve sustainable growth and development
cybersecurity is an important precondition. As such The Netherlands
promotes cyber capacity-building efforts and underlines the importance
of a rules-based cyberspace. The Netherlands is a committed partner of
DDP and supports the creation of a free, open, and safe cyberspace for
everyone worldwide.
The United Kingdom

Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionize the lives of
the poor, unlock development and prosperity, and accelerate prog-
ress towards the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Currently,
significant barriers stand in the way of realizing the full potential of
digital development, including the lack of access to the internet, ex-
posing the most vulnerable and marginalized to the risk of being left
behind. The UK will work to reduce these digital divides by enabling
secure and inclusive access to the growth and prosperity promised
by digital development. Our partnership with DDP will support the
delivery of our digital development and cybersecurity strategies.
Our Journey
INCEPTION LAUNCH STABILIZATION GROWTH CRISIS RESPONSE CRISIS RECOVERY
February 2017: DDP participation In the context of the COVID-19

at Mobile World Congress 2017, pandemic, the work of DDP has
and DDP Steering Committee never been more relevant.
meeting. Denmark and the United The Digital Economy for Africa DE4A Partnership continues to
Kingdom (Foreign and initiative is driving the digital agenda DDP is able to pivot and focus expand as Sweden (Sida) and
Commonwealth Office) are and boosting client requests for DDP its activities on COVID-19 needs Germany (BMZ) join.
January 2016: Launch of the World join DDP. assistance. The World Bank com- assessment and crisis response.
Development Report (WDR 2016), mits $25bn in investments in DE4A. DDP deploys its fifth tranche of
highlighting the digital dividends Spring 2017: Korea and Japan join funding to support COVID-19
low- and middle-income countries as DDP partners. crisis recovery and resilience
can reap. building efforts.
Summer 2017: Preparation and Google joins DDP in March 2020,
April 2016: During the World allocation of funding for second bringing the number of private As the global community looks
Bank - IMF Spring Meetings, initial tranche of DDP-funded activi- sector partners to three, together to rebuild, DDP’s programs
discussion on establishing a ties – US$1.7 million across 11 with GSMA and Microsoft. gain greater momentum and
vehicle to operationalize the WDR activities. First Study Tour and High- A partner session with ministerial prominence.
2016, in a session on the US State level engagements with participation takes place at the Portfolio continues to grow
Department’s Global Connect clients in Korea. World Bank – IMF Spring Meetings. adding 34 new program activities The Cybersecurity Associated
Initiative. spanning 50+ countries. Trust Fund is launched to
DDP launches its third Norway, Israel, and the Netherlands focus on cybersecurity issues.
October 2016: During the World workplan. (Cybersecurity team) are join DDP. Cybersecurity agenda is gaining
Bank - IMF Annual Meetings 2016, more momentum leading up to
the Digital Development Partnership October 2017: During the World DDP launches its fourth and most the discussions on creating a
(DDP) is launched with Finland, Bank – IMF Annual Meetings, DDP comprehensive workplan. Cybersecurity Associated TF.
Microsoft and GSMA as founding is hosting its first anniversary
partners. First DDP Steering workshop showcasing key DDP Two cybersecurity Study Key flagship knowledge reports
Committee Meeting. activities, and Steering Committee Tours to Tokyo. around data governance, Artificial
meeting. 2017 DDP Annual Intelligence, and 5G are in the
December 2016: Preparation and al- Review published. Significant results are being achieved works.
location of funding for first tranche through different DDP grants.
of DDP-funded activities – US$2.1
million across 14 activities.
2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021
Key DDP has grown significantly since its inception five years
YT
RI
ago, and to date has approved 109 activities across
CU
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Results
RS
its six main topic areas: Data and Indicators, Digital
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Economy, Cybersecurity1, Internet Access for All, Digital
Government, and Mainstreaming Digital Technologies.
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1 In August 2021, a Cybersecurity Associated Multi-Donor Trust Fund was established as part of the DDP Umbrella Program.
2 The DDP reporting year broadly coincides with the World Bank’s Fiscal Years, which run from July 1 to June 30 every year. The 2021 Annual Review therefore broadly
covers the reporting for FY21 (with a cut-off date end of September 2021).
Geographic Coverage Mali Ukraine Uzbekistan

DDP works in 80 countries. This reflects a rapid expansion Ghana Egypt
Afghanistan
from 25 active client relationships three years ago. Burkina Faso South Sudan Jordan
CÔte d'Ivoire Togo Uganda Kazakhstan
Sudan
Bangladesh
Liberia Benin Tanzania Tajikistan
Guinea Moldova Iraq Kyrgyzstan
Myanmar
Sierra Leone Belarus Armenia Pakistan
Laos
Mauritania India
Ethiopia
Morocco
Senegal Djibouti Bhutan Cambodia
Guinea-Bissau Nigeria
Malaysia
Dominica Nepal
The Gambia Niger Vietnam
Botswana
Saint Vincent
Cabo Verde Chad Philippines
Grenada Saint Lucia Yemen
Rwanda Indonesia
Somalia Sri Lanka
Burundi Maldives
Peru
Kenya
Angola
Mozambique
Malawi
Namibia Mauritius
Lesotho
South Africa
Latin America & Africa (AFR) Middle East & Europe and South Asia (SAR) East Asia &
Caribbean (LCR) North Africa (MENA) Central Asia (ECA) Pacific (EAP)
Dominica African Union Chad Lesotho Namibia South Africa Djibouti Armenia Moldova Afghanistan Maldives Cambodia Myanmar
Grenada Angola Ethiopia Liberia Niger South Sudan Egypt Belarus Tajikistan Bangladesh Nepal Indonesia Philippines
Peru Benin Ghana Malawi Nigeria Sudan Iraq Kazakhstan Ukraine Bhutan Pakistan Lao PDR Vietnam
Saint Lucia Botswana Guinea Mali Rwanda Tanzania Morocco Kyrgyz Uzbekistan India Sri Lanka Malaysia
Saint Vincent Burkina Faso Guinea-Bissau Mauritania Senegal The Gambia Jordan Republic
Burundi Côte d’Ivoire Mauritius Sierra-Leone Togo Yemen
Cabo Verde Kenya Mozambique Somalia Uganda
Portfolio Growth by Work Area3 Cumulative Portfolio Growth Number of Open Activities5
Mainstreaming Digital data for
120
Digital Solutions development
100
31 17 11
80
Digital data for 60 36

Digital
development 40 economy
15 Digital
20 14 Government 19
13
0 6
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
Digital
economy Internet
Access for All
Cybersecurity
9 3
Cybersecurity
Cumulative Number of
Activities by Work Area4 Number of Closed Activities6
Internet Mainstreaming Digital data for Digital data for

Mainstreaming
Access for All Digital Solutions development Digital Solutions development
20% 18% 5 9
Digital
Digital Government
Digital
Government Government Digital 6
11% economy Digital
29% economy
Mainstreaming
13
Digital Solutions Internet Internet
Access for All Access for All
17% Cybersecurity 9 Cybersecurity

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
5% 2
Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5
4 (all years) as a % of total portfolio

5 All years
3 Number of activities per year.
6 All years.
Total Funding as a Percentage Global Knowledge vs. Country- Global Knowledge & Country-
of Total Portfolio7 Specific Activities Specific Activities by Window9
Mainstreaming Digital data for The balance between DDP’s country-specific work and
Digital Solutions development Digital data for development Global Knowledge Country Specific
global knowledge work continues to show an emphasis
19% 16% on the country-level engagements.
Digital economy
Cybersecurity
Digital Country Global
Government Digital
Specific knowledge
economy Year 1 Internet Access for All
13% 54% 46%
22%
Digital Government
Internet Mainstreaming
Access for All Digital Solutions
Cybersecurity Country Global
19% 11% Specific knowledge 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%
Year 2
50% 50%
Funding Growth by Year8

Country Global
Specific knowledge
Year 3
Year 1 73% 27%
Year 2
Year 3 Country Global

Specific knowledge
Year 4
Year 4
36% 64%
Year 5
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Country Global
USD Millions Specific knowledge
Year 5
42% 58%
7 Cumulative, all windows, all years
8 Cumulative, all windows, approximation of the total amounts 9 All years, as a % of total
Lending Leverage10
DDP’s leveraging factor has reached a record $9 billion and commercial financiers) will do the heavy lifting by
of lending and investment operations10 – up by almost financing infrastructure or comprehensive human capital
$3.5 billion from last year. development efforts. DDP support has been instrumental
to move the agenda to implementation level, leveraging
World Bank analytical and technical assistance work lead lending from the World Bank. For clients and DDP part-
to their highest development outcomes if the different ners alike, leveraging World Bank loans and grants means
instruments are leveraged. Analytical work usually pre- maximal results for the seed funding provided through
pares the ground for more significant investments by the DDP trust fund.
assessing a client situation and determining investment
needs and expected outcomes. Technical assistance can The DDP lending leverage continued to increase during
support on matters of policy reform and enabling envi- the year, partially due to the COVID-19 emergency and
ronment. Comprehensive loans and grants (financed by recovery operations. DDP work was therefore leveraged in
the World Bank or possibly also other development banks a wider range of critical country-level activities.
of lending and
investment leveraged
representing an
extraordinary ~$950
in lending for every
$1 invested
10 Includes approved and pipeline projects
Ethiopia Growth and Uzbekistan

The map below offers an overview of key regional Ukraine Competitiveness Development Digital CASA Project
Road Sector Policy Financing (DPF)
highlights of World Bank lending and investment
projects supported by the DDP.
Development Project 1.2B Kazakhstan
337.8M Second Ethiopia Resilient Digital
Growth and Competitiveness Program (RDKP) PforR
Programmatic Development
Belarus
Policy Financing Tajikistan
Transit
Approved Corridor 750M Digital Foundations
Project
Projects Mali Improvement
Digital Transformation Project Ethiopia Kyrgyz Republic
Ethiopia Digital Digital CASA Project
Pipeline Projects Peru
Project
250M Foundations
Centralized Morocco Project 50M
Emergency Response
Systems Project
Green Generation
Program-For-Results
200M Pakistan
North Khyber Pass Economic
36.3M 250M Macedonia Corridor Project
National and
Mauritania Regional Rwanda 460.6M
Competition and Skills Roads Digital Acceleration
Rehabilitation Pakistan
Development Policy Project Digital Economy Philippines
Financing Projects
83.72M Enhancement Cebu Bus
50M Project Myanmar Rapid Transit
(BRT) Project
Digital Government
Senegal Project 116M
Second Multi-Sectoral
Structural Reform DPF Cameroon
Program for the Kenya
180M Acceleration Digital Economy
of the Digital Acceleration
Senegal Project
Transformation
Digital Economy Bangladesh Leveraging
Program on Regional Acceleration Project ICT Growth, Employment
Digital Integration in and Governance Project
the Horn of Africa
(Eastern Africa)
Togo
Increased Digital Madagascar
Afghanistan
Digital CASA
70M
Connectivity and Digital Project
CÔte d’Ivoire
Electricity Access (IDEA) Foundations
Northern Electricity
and Digital Access
Project 51M
West Africa Digital Nepal
Regional Digital (NEDA) Project
Botswana Burundi Acceleration (DNA)
Integration Project Integrated Project
Ghana Digital Foundations
Transport Project Project
Digital Acceleration
Project 186M Mozambique Mozambique
Digital
Government Roads and Bridges Digital Acceleration Project
Lesotho
Capacity in Africa Management and
Public Sector Sustainable Energy and
Maintenance Program
Foundations for Service Broadband Access in Rural
*all the numbers are in USD$.
Delivery Project 73.6M Mozambique Project
Results Highlights
Knowledge Products |
Select Examples
87
knowledge
products11
DDP has delivered a wide range of knowledge pieces Digital Economy:
and reports in the past year. Some of these are flagship
reports with a wide dissemination; others are shorter
policy notes, case studies, and assessment reports,
and a few are for client use or internal World Bank
Group use only. Select examples include:
120 events12 Data and Indicators:
• Unraveling Data's Gordian

Knot: Enablers & Safeguards
for Trusted Data Sharing in
the New Economy • Data Practices in MENA:
Case Study - Opportunities
• The Welfare Effects of
30,000+ participants Mobile Broadband Internet:
and Challenges in Jordan
from 50+ countries Evidence from Nigeria • Lesotho Digital Economy

Diagnostic
• The Gambia Digital Economy

• How Do Digital Technologies
Diagnostic
Affect Household Welfare
in Developing Countries?
3
online platforms Evidence from Senegal
launched Internet Access for All:
• Mobile Internet Adoption in
West Africa • Feasibility Study to Connect
All African Higher Education
• Mobile Broadband
www.digitaldevelopmentpartnership.org Institutions To High-Speed
Internet, Poverty and Labor
DE4A Dashboard (internal) Internet
Outcomes in Tanzania
Regulatory Watch Initiative Dashboard (internal)
• Harnessing Artificial
Intelligence for Development
11 Includes reports, policy notes, assessments, country diagnostics, case studies, toolkits, databases
12 Includes workshops, seminars, trainings, conferences and other convening activities (internal and external, virtual and face-to-face) on the Post-COVID-19 Era
Digital Skills:
Events |
• A study on Demand for
Digital Skills in five African
Select Examples
countries, in collaboration
with IFC
The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected the teams’ ability to host face-to-face events. Most of the events
• Methodological Guidebook (conferences, workshops, seminars, client presentations, etc.) were hosted virtually which allowed to expand the reach.
for Development of Digital Select examples include:
Skills Country Action Plans
Digital Agriculture – New Frontiers Presentations of the case “The Welfare

for the Food System | March 2021 Effects of Mobile Broadband Internet:
Evidence from Nigeria”:
17,000+
participants Presented virtually at the Poverty GP
workshop | April 2020
Presented virtually at the Topics for Research

Learning event on accelerating digital on Acceleration Policies (TRAP) seminar
transformation in MENA | February 2021 organized by UNDP | May 2020
Mainstreaming Digital Across Sectors:
Presented virtually at the Research Conference

• Flagship report 3 Webinars including:
on Communications, Information, and Internet
What’s Cooking: Digital Policy organized by TPRC | February 2021
Transformation of the Strategy for Digital Transformation in MENA
Agrifood System Countries | February 2021
1000+
broadcasted in 3
• 5 Digital Agriculture Profiles
languages English,
for Argentina, Grenada, participants French, and Arabic
Kenya, Turkey, and Vietnam
Seminar on Artificial Intelligence titled Singapore’s
as assessments of the state Approach to Artificial Intelligence: Building trust,
Strategy for Digital Transformation in MENA
of agricultural and digital Countries | February 2021
Enabling Innovation, and Accelerating Adoption in
development in a country collaboration with Singapore IMDA and AISG | July 2021
3600+ 160+
broadcasted in 3 participants from the
• Beyond the Pandemic: languages English, Bank and client countries
Harnessing the Digital participants French, and Arabic
Revolution to Set Food
Systems on a Better Course 2 knowledge events carried out with Ministry of ICT
A New Social Contract in the Era of Digital
(Colombia) and Sub-secretariat of ICT (Argentina) to
Transformation in MENA | June 2021
present the findings of the country-case study | 2020
6 workshops related to advancing digital 7 key internal workshops and 4 external Technical workshops with government 1 internal workshop on Digital Solutions
development in Tajikistan events disseminating the findings from the officials in The Gambia | June 2020 for COVID-19 Vaccine Delivery
report on 5G technology | 2019-2020, including:
The HELP workshop “Digital Economy Development Workshop on digital infrastructure and
in Tajikistan: Potential Benefits and International 5G workshop during the Korea Innovation Week digital platforms | June 2021
Experience” | October 2019 | Tajikistan attended by 140 government officials and 245 Participation from key technical counterparts from the
external participants | February 2020 Workshop on energy and connectivity
Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs (MOFEA),
nexus to identify synergies between energy
The Smart City Workshop “Preparing Dushanbe for a the Ministry of Information and Communication
and connectivity access | June 2018
New Digital Era” | February 2020 | Tajikistan Presentations in GSMA Mobile 360 – MENA, IIC’s Infrastructure (MOICI), and Public Utilities Regulatory
Telecoms, Media and Regulatory Forums Authority (PURA)
Participation from staff members across Digital
Korea – Central Asia Policy Dialogue - “Digital Workshop on digital businesses | June 2021 Development, Energy and Extractives Global Practices,
Resilience and COVID-19: Key Lessons from Korean An internal workshop on 5G in transport based on Participation from key personnel from the Ministry and IFC’s Lighting Global teams
Experience” | June 2020 | Virtual background paper for transport sector, attended by of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE) and the The
more than 50 internal and external participants Gambia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI)
Digital Skills workshop | December 2020
An internal workshop on 5G for Agriculture Global
30+ consultations with about 75 stakeholders
Smart City workshop | December 2020 Practice, attended by more than 30 internal participants
7 internal workshops on Digital Economy across government, private sector, and donor partners in
Digital Economy workshops | March - April 2021 Bilateral consultations and workshops with industry for South Asia | December 2020 – Sudan to prepare the DE4A diagnostic assessment for
experts, academia, knowledge partner institutions, etc. February 2021 Sudan and South Sudan
Participation in ITU Telecom World 2019 in Budapest,

Hungary (4000 delegates from 125 countries) | 2019
25 seminars on Digital Agriculture under Discussant at IFC’s Emerging experience and market
the World Bank Knowledge Series opportunities in 5G | Upstream Learning Series | June 2020
participation from non-Bank audience with over Speaker at MNC03 Strategic Discussion Series: Fifth
3,620 people in attendance in FY 21. Link to all the Generation of Cellular Mobile Technology 5G and How
seminars can be found here the Technology Could Help Address COVID | June 2020
5 virtual workshops on Digital Skills,

Digital Private Platforms, Digital Financial
Services, Digital Infrastructure, and Digital Public
Platforms | April - May 2021 | Egypt
Our Impact
The Gambia
DDP-funded interventions continue to help shape the
views and understanding of the digital environment more
In The Gambia, the digital economy diagnostic work laid the grounds for a new ambitious lending
broadly and drive the development and implementation project - West Africa Regional Digital Integration Program - and informed early stages of its prepa-
of concrete reforms on the ground. ration and design. The Diagnostic findings also directly fed into the new WBG Country Partnership
Framework for The Gambia and the new IFC country engagement strategy.
Ethiopia Yemen
In Ethiopia, the DDP-funded work on a Telecom Sector Reform has contributed to the real- In Yemen, a technical assistance program is being conducted building on the findings from the
ization of the Government of Ethiopia’s vision of a competitive telecommunications sector DDP-supported research, aiming to better understand the risks and opportunities associated with
and resulted in a new telecom proclamation, the opening of the sector to competition, and the introduction and uptake of digital technologies in countries affected by fragility, conflict, and
partial privatization of the incumbent, with expected results of reduced prices for consum- violence (FCV). The research focused particularly on remote, rural, and nomadic communities
ers, sustained growth in the economy, increased competition in the sector, and the opening from these countries.
of Ethiopia to foreign direct investment. This serves as the starting point for Ethiopia to
achieve the Digital Transformation vision, which aims to expand high-speed internet and
bring the benefits of the digital economy to all African countries by 2030.
Côte d’Ivoire
In Côte d’Ivoire, DDP supported a Digital Economy Country Diagnostic. The main insights and
recommendations from the report are now being leveraged by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire
Mozambique | Rwanda | Ethiopia for devising policies and regulations, such as the elaboration of its 2030 Development Strategy.
The assessment also provides an analytical base to inform WBG downstream engagements on
In Mozambique, Rwanda, and Ethiopia, governments were able to develop Digital Skills reforms and investments in support of digital transformation in the country.
Country Action plans which are now serving as examples to other countries and regions.
This happened due to the DDP-supported multi-component digital skills program which
targeted 16 countries in Africa. Additionally, the analysis around the Country Action Plans
has enabled the World Bank teams to expand their understanding of how digital skills and Lesotho
programmatic interventions are required in tertiary education, and to support the develop-
ment of digital skills programs in other countries. In Lesotho, the DDP-funded digital economy diagnostic helped spur additional critically important
research work, including the Southern Africa Digital Engagement Project – which aims to advance
the development of the digital economy in Southern Africa. The work helps create a more com-
prehensive framework for digital engagement with countries in the region (South Africa, Lesotho,
Eswatini, Botswana, and Namibia). Technical assistance activities are being implemented on the
Nigeria | Uganda | Rwanda
national biometric identification system and the digitization of government payments.
In Nigeria, Uganda and Rwanda, the three-pillar gender program, implemented jointly with
EQUALS is reaching 500 women, including in-service teachers, adolescent girls, and dis-
advantaged women living in FCVs with the aim of investing in human capital, addressing Sudan
gender inequality, and increasing social inclusion as a form of violence prevention. This
program is critical because it integrates a focus of non-discrimination, prioritization of the
In Sudan, a digital economy diagnostic helped identify the strengths and weaknesses of the exist-
most vulnerable, and equality in development activities.
ing local ecosystem and present potential opportunities and entry points for new operations. It is
also now informing the formulation of the government’s broader Digital Transformation strategy.
São Tomé and Príncipe | Guinea | Cameroon | Egypt | Malawi
In São Tomé and Príncipe, Guinea, Cameroon, Egypt, and Malawi, the World Bank teams are
Across Africa
now better informed of a menu of proposed policy actions due to the DDP-funded research
around effective regulation for digital development. This project aims to contribute to a better Across Africa, DDP grants support the Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) initiative and help develop robust
understanding among policymakers and operational teams of the policy and regulatory reforms regional and country action plans with tailored measures to increase access and adoption of digital tools.
related to key areas of digital development, such as antitrust and taxation in digital infrastruc- DDP grants did not only provide funding for conducting country diagnostics, but also played a critical role in
ture, Internet of Things, COVID-19 policies, and universal broadband coverage. setting up the overall DE4A framework, development of the diagnostic tools, and a monitoring and evalua-
tion strategy for the initiative. As a result, 149 World Bank projects are now active in 34 African countries to
support the emergence of a vibrant, inclusive, and safe digital economy.
Egypt
In Egypt, the team advised the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology of the South Asia
Government of Egypt that is responsible for overseeing the development of the Egyptian ICT
sector. This project supported a policy dialogue on key reforms to increase contestability in the In South Asia, the work around digital economy foundations is providing a critically needed analysis
digital infrastructure sector. The digital economy work directly contributes to the Government that informs almost all operational work in the region, including the existing projects in Bangladesh and
of Egypt’s formulation of a strategy and action plan for the Digital Economy 2025. Afghanistan, as well as forthcoming projects in Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Maldives.
Morocco Pakistan
In Morocco, DDP supported a program aimed at preparation of a new innovative digital and In Pakistan, the digital economy analytical/advisory work has contributed to the preparation of the forth-
climate-smart agriculture project in Morocco: Morocco Green Generation Program-for-Results. coming Digital Economy Enhancement Project, and identification of priority investments for addressing the
The fund has supported the preparation through an agile approach to create real digital trans- persistent digital divide in the country.
formation and identify opportunities to leapfrog digital development. This is the first time such
a project has been prepared and financed by the Bank. The Ministry of Agriculture has already
adopted the findings from the analysis on the use of digital technologies to evaluate and
improve decision making in agriculture. Tajikistan
In Tajikistan, DDP has been providing technical assistance to the government around telecom reforms and
regulations, digital skills framework, Smart City strategy, and data and digital ID. The TA has informed an
Horn of Africa ambitious pipeline Digital Foundations – Tajikistan lending operation, aimed to increase access to more
affordable internet, crowd-in private investment in the ICT sector, and improve the government’s capacity to
In the Horn of Africa, the pipeline program on Regional Digital Integration is an ambitious and deliver digital government services in Tajikistan. This kind of ICT strategy—with forward-looking, dynamic,
critically important project aimed to significantly increase access to broadband and digital and profitable firms employing (young) people countrywide—would stimulate significant socioeconomic
services through the development and integration of digital markets in the Eastern Africa development and yield additional revenues for the state budget.
region. This lending operation was informed by the same DDP-funded research on the digital
technologies in countries affected by FCV.
Armenia
Across Africa In Armenia, DDP has helped the government to design a policy framework for data governance. Elements
of a national data policy have now been included in the Digital Strategy for Armenia and in the strategy of
Across Africa, Capacity Mature Models (CMMs) assessments are supporting policy and legis- Public Administration Reform.
lative change for stronger cybersecurity protection, as well as encouraging regional integration
across the continent. They constitute blueprints for World Bank digital economy projects.
Support to Country and Kazakhstan Country

Regional Strategy Formulation Uzbekistan Tajikistan
Partnership
Frameworks
DDP continues to help shape the World Bank’s general intervention strate- Central Asia (E
d C
gies, such as expressed in the World Bank’s Country Partnership Frameworks an
A)
or similar strategy documents. These strategy documents are of high rele-
pe
Euro
vance for World Bank operations as they determine the general intervention
strategy of the World Bank in a given country. A solid reflection of the digital
Sierra Leone
agenda in these strategy documents reflects the client government’s interest
in the agenda and lays the ground for future investments and operational Morocco
advances of the digital sector in the country. DDP helped shape the following
Country Partnership Frameworks, national/sectoral policy notes, and other
The Gambia Pakistan
country-specific and regional strategic frameworks:
Colombia Ethiopia
AR)
Peru
(S
Rwanda i
S outh As Lao PDR
a
a n (LC R)
Kenya Cambodia
Philippines
be
in Lesotho
La
ar
ib
Am
t
e ric a & C South Africa

Timor-Leste
R )
( A F
fri c a
A
Cybersecurity Multi-
Donor Trust Fund A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH
Because cybersecurity risks are global, it makes sense to
address these threats using a coordinated, collaborative
The Cybersecurity
Multi-Donor
approach. We need to ensure that risks to cybersecurity,
The new associated trust fund aims to better define and data protection, privacy, and online safety are addressed. Trust Fund will
systematically roll out the cybersecurity development Stakeholders need to share knowledge, build capacity and
agenda, helping to ensure a more substantial reflection
Fostering safe digital inclusion is of
paramount importance for the World
expertise, assess cybersecurity risks at the country level, play its part in
of cybersecurity considerations across World Bank pro- and provide incentives for the private sector to invest in
ushering digital
Bank’s work in helping countries reduce
grams and financing. The work program will support the poverty, tackle inequality, and accelerate digital infrastructure and technology. A partnership ap-
development of global knowledge on cybersecurity solu- economic growth. proach is needed to build trust, improve awareness, and
tions for low- and middle-income countries. It will fund
Boutheina Guermazi
deliver the technical solutions that low- and middle-in- transformation
country maturity assessments, offer technical assistance, Director, Digital Development come countries require.
and support training and capacity development for cyber-
security staff in World Bank client countries.
World Bank
The new associated trust fund is much more than a

in the developing
The launch of the trust fund is made possible with donor
Recently, cyber-related attacks have become more and
more imminent. The frequency and severity of such
source of financing for cybersecurity issues. Being part
of the DDP umbrella program, it also serves as a collabo-
world, helping
contributions from Estonia, Germany, Japan, and the
Netherlands.
incidents have grown significantly, resulting in severe
damage to our global economy with no end in sight.
rative platform that ensures that cybersecurity issues are
integrated into World Bank programs in emerging markets
low- and middle-
OPPORTUNITY
Cyberattacks can affect our clients in various ways. They
disrupt essential government services, such as financial
and developing countries. It aims to facilitate knowledge
sharing, build capacity and technical skills, and give mo-
income countries
Digital transformation is accelerating in many countries,
offering new opportunities for economic growth and
systems, healthcare, energy, water supply, and more.
National security and personal data can be compromised
mentum to the cybersecurity development agenda.
take advantage
enabling low- and medium-income countries to leap-
frog development through increased productivity and
and end up in the wrong hands. Worse, targeted attacks
can lead to the loss of life.
This collective approach will help low- and middle-income
countries become more resilient in the face of cyberat-
of the benefits
improved service delivery across key sectors, including
finance, health, education, and agriculture. Such attacks have become increasingly common across
tacks that could threaten their economic development.
By managing these risks, World Bank client countries will
of digital
Embracing technological transformation has increased
the globe, wreaking havoc on businesses of all sizes.
According to Blackfog, a global cybersecurity firm, the
enjoy the benefits of digital transformation as they work
to achieve the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
transformation
cyber risks and threats to digital infrastructure, services,
and data, which rely on increasingly connected systems.
costs to businesses from ransomware attacks are
expected to reach US$6 trillion in 2021—up from US$3 Digital transformation is here to stay. The World Bank
while mitigating
As digital transformation becomes essential to the func-
tioning of states, economies, and societies, cybersecurity
trillion in 2015. Ransomware is not the only threat. Data
breaches, phishing attacks, and denial-of-service attacks
is committed to harnessing its power to accelerate eco-
nomic growth, reduce poverty, build resilience, and create risks.
solutions must keep up. threaten ordinary people, businesses, and governments opportunities.
alike. These losses hit ill-prepared countries—in terms of
policy, regulation, institutions, and skills—much harder.
Voices from our partners
It is essential that basic cybersecurity elements are integrated All of our economies, including those of rapidly-digitizing lower- and
into all digitalization projects in development cooperation. middle-income countries, increasingly depend on good cybersecurity
As a highly developed digital nation, we continue to share our to grow and thrive. We believe the international community will be
expertise, and we are very happy about the launch of the new more secure, stable, and prosperous when a broad range of states
associated trust fund. has the capacity to defend their own networks.
Mari Tomingas Elizabeth Vish
Cyber Diplomacy Department of the Office of the Coordinator for Cyber Issues
Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Estonia of the U.S. Department of State
Cyberattacks are becoming more complex and sophisticated across Malicious code—whether you call it a software bug, a virus, malware,
the world. Effective communication through digital technologies is ransomware, botnet, or phishing—presents a risk that is globally
a public good and can be best achieved if low- and middle-income interconnected and potentially devastating to digitally dependent
countries are included in the effective protection of critical digital societies. Addressing this risk requires collective action. Cybersecurity
infrastructure. The importance of capacity building in matters of should be a key pillar of any development conversation.
cyberspace is therefore increasing rapidly.
Kanwaljit Singh
Narichika Konno | Atsushi Umino Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Japan’s Ministries of Foreign Affairs and
Internal Affairs and Communication
Cybersecurity must become an integral part of the digital agenda. Synergies

are crucial, and the activities to be carried out should be taken up broadly
There is widespread agreement in the international community
through development financing programs. Partnerships such as the Global
that significantly more cybersecurity capacity building is needed
Forum for Cyber Expertise (GFCE), NGOs, and research institutes can help
to help low- and middle-income countries become more resilient
ensure a broad stakeholder process. We are looking forward to great results to
against attacks and take full advantage of the development
be supported through the new trust fund over the years to come.
opportunities of the digital economy.
Michael Thijssen
Felix Kroll Task Force Cyber Policies of the Ministry
Cyber Foreign Policy and Cyber Security Coordination of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands
Staff of the German Federal Foreign Office
Operational Data and Indicators
Highlights Under the workstream on Data and Indicators, DDP seeks to scale up the use of
data and indicators to benchmark and advance the readiness of low- and middle-
income countries in reaping digital dividends.
Grant Portfolio Progress13
Bridging the Gender Divide through Inclusive

Digital Development
Start Date: December 2020 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL: When the Human Rights Council of Closing the gender divide requires accessible and afford-
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared ac- able connectivity, especially in rural areas, and the devel-
cess to the internet as a basic human right, it was already opment of digital literacy to expand economic opportu-
a concern in Africa with 45 percent fewer women having nities, create new jobs, facilitate digital financial services
access to the internet on the continent. When COVID-19 through increased access to digital ID, and enable the
hit, these digital gender disparities became more appar- growth of digital businesses. Inclusive access to technol-
ent, with women and girls disproportionately affected by ogy is essential to improving women’s voice and agency,
mobility restrictions while having limited or no access increasing girls in STEM, and increasing social inclusion
to digital technologies for communication, employment, as a form of violence prevention.
or learning. The gender barriers to the internet are mul-
tifaceted and include limited access to infrastructure, The World Bank and its partners have put the digital in-
affordability, digital illiteracy, and social and cultural clusion of women on the front burner and are developing
gender norms, particularly for women and girls living in several pilot programs to identify the most effective and
FCV contexts who have the added disadvantage of inse- sustainable solutions to providing digital skills training
curity alongside other difficulties associated with being a and support for girls and women.
woman or girl living in the developing world.
13 Sample of key active projects and projects closed in FY21. A summary of all activities is included in Annex 3.
PROGRESS TO DATE: DDP in partnership with EQUALS include women who are stateless and classified as OVERVIEW OF FASAHA 4.0
is currently rolling out three programs concurrently in internally displaced persons (IDPs); women who have The Fasaha 4.0 is a pilot research inspired by the exper- integration, and key soft skills and confidence-building
Nigeria, Rwanda, and Uganda. The program seeks to test experienced gender-based violence; and disadvantaged imentation of comparative analysis of different learning measures for disadvantaged groups.
varying models of providing digital skills training to girls women seeking income-earning opportunities in the digi- delivery models (physical learning, remote learning, and
and women in order to draw lessons and best practices tal economy. The program, dubbed Fasaha 4.0,14 will also blended learning) to determine the effectiveness of learn- One of the key priorities for the team was to dispel the
that can be used in future projects. offer safe spaces, childcare, and psychosocial support ing and the corresponding impact in accessing the digital assumptions that the barrier to digital literacy and skills
to the women through gamified learning techniques, by ecosystem for both formal and informal opportunities is closely tied to income and demographic levels espe-
NIGERIA: Natview Technology is piloting a blended digital offering physical training to the IDP women and blended in the workplace. The women refugees are being mixed cially in disadvantaged communities. The team decide
skills training, soft skills training, and job facilitation pro- learning to women who have access to mobile phones with the cohort, blended team, and remote cohort to test to upscale digital infrastructure in the Kuchin Goro IDP
gram to 180 women living in FCV settings. Participants and computers in line with COVID-19 guidelines. their integration and confidence building. This will also Camp by building a hub to assess its impact on women’s
help identify which learning models work best including interest in digital.
boot camps across the three models to track interaction,
Before After
Photo: Fasaha 4.0 program implemented by Natview Technology

14 Fasaha 4.0 is loosely translated as “knowledge economy 4.0” from Hausa, a local language in Nigeria.
RWANDA: Digital Opportunity Trust (DOT) is training 150 UGANDA: Trickle Up and AVSI Foundation are implement- Engendering Digital Toolkit
young women entrepreneurs, including some who are living a pilot that tests two different approaches to delivering
ing with disabilities, in digital and entrepreneurship skills. digital literacy and skills training to 200 lower income Start Date: December 2018 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Closed | Region: Global
They are also training 15 Digital Champions (digitally women in host and refugee communities in the country.
savvy entrepreneurs), who will be both lead facilitators Each woman will be provided with a smartphone which
and coaches for the remaining 135 program participants. she will keep after the trainings. One group will be trained PROGRAM GOAL: The objective of this activity was to • Suggest targeted actions, based on existing knowledge
The program puts young women at the centre of inclu- via two animated videos with content that covers basic create an online ICT Toolkit to allow Bank projects with of previously attempted approaches, to mitigate each
sive growth by co-creating the courses with them and smartphone operations; introduction to Mobile Money; digital transformation components to: barrier or advance each opportunity and
delivering training, mentorship, and coaching to them. risks and opportunities of smartphone use; and how to
The training will be delivered in Kinyarwanda, an official use livelihood apps to support their various enterprises. • Identify specific gender barriers/opportunities against • List set of indicators (results framework) to track the
language of Rwanda. To comply with COVID-19 restric- A second group will receive training via animated videos each ICT intervention performance of ICT interventions and solutions to over-
tions in Rwanda, DOT will also employ a blended learning supplemented by a follow-on gender-mainstreamed cur- come identified barriers or capitalize on opportunities.
• Provide guidance on the barrier/opportunity relevant to
approach, providing training both online and offline. DOT riculum led by a facilitator. Trickle Up and AVSI Foundation
their context
specifically plans to target young women entrepreneurs hope to test the most effective method of delivering train-
affected by the pandemic to boost their ICT knowledge ings to support marginalized women with the necessary
and the use of ICT tools in their businesses and jobs to tools and digital skills to build and sustain resilient liveli-
help them meet their basic needs, afford business-related hoods for themselves and their communities. PROGRESS TO DATE:
costs, and access the digital economy.
World Bank Group
https://ddtoolkits.worldbankgroup.org/gender-toolkit
NEXT STEPS The toolkit was widely disseminated
and its recommendations shared
The World Bank is conducting a results assessment across all The three-pillar program aims to reach 500 women including with clients in: Armenia, Burkina Faso,
three programs to identify the factors that contribute to suc- in-service teachers, adolescent girls, and disadvantaged Cambodia, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia,
cessful digital skills delivery for women and girls. women living in FCVs with the aim of investing in human Georgia, Guinea, Jordan, Kenya,
capital, addressing gender inequality, and increasing social Kazakhstan, Lebanon, Morocco,
The lessons learnt will be applied as a knowledge toolkit to inclusion as a form of violence prevention. Myanmar, Rwanda, South Korea,
assist teams to design and deliver impactful digital skills Tunisia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
training for women. This program is critical because it integrates a focus of
non-discrimination, prioritization of the most vulnerable, and
Want to learn more? View the webi-
The lessons learnt will also be applied to the “Gina Matta Gina equality in development activities.
nars that draw on the Engendering ICT
Al Umma – build a woman build a community” pilot being
toolkit and other WBG publications on
co-financed by DDP and the Human Rights Trust Fund. This Given the increasing growth of technology activities in
the topic:
pilot will use an innovative and rights-based approach to pro- WBG operations and the enhanced relevance as a result of
viding digital skills training and job facilitation to marginalized COVID-19, this lens is essential to ensure that technology
women in FCV contexts. The program will incorporate digital activities can actively address existing inequalities, tackle
skills training, soft skills, as well as human rights awareness fragility, and enhance people’s resilience.
training to be delivered by local civil society organizations.
Women as Change Agents in the Digital Economy Women and ICT in Urban Operations Leveraging Data for Development
This session helped participants understand the potential This session explored the barriers that women face in
roles of women in digital transformation; identify new owning, accessing, and benefiting from digital interven- Start Date: August 2019 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Active | Region: Global
ways to include women in digital projects as both imple- tions and potential opportunities to empower them in
menters and beneficiaries; and increase digital skills of WBG urban operations.
women to foster entrepreneurship and contribute to the PROGRAM GOAL: Building on the DDP-funded report The report draws on seven country-specific experiences—
digital economy. Teams discussed the likely barriers that women face “Data-Driven Development” (2018), this program aims to India, Estonia, Singapore, Mauritius, Chile, Uruguay, and
in owning, accessing, and benefiting from digital sector dive deeper into policies that promote sustainable, da- Mexico—and the experiences of governing open banking
This panel discussion was led by representatives from interventions in urban areas. Drawing on the World Bank ta-driven development by adopting sustainable, inclusive, in the financial sector (drawing extensively from the expe-
Digital Development, Education, and Governance GPs publications, Engendering ICT Toolkit and Handbook for data-driven business models. The question on data own- riences of the United Kingdom and Australia) and health
along with external private sector partners. It targeted the Gender-Inclusive Urban Planning and Design, the teams ership is key to digital societies and at the heart of the sector data sharing (drawing from a range of government
following key topics: discussed the importance of digital access for women, long-term success of the DE4A initiative. responses to the COVID-19 pandemic).
barriers to women’s access to ICT, and opportunities
• Why women matter in the digital economy that ICTs may provide for women’s empowerment. In By profiling emerging practices and interesting features of
particular, the session explored how digital inequalities countries’ current approaches to establishing safeguards
• Opportunities for women to become change agents
can diminish the gains urban living has made possible on and enablers of data sharing, the report distills five pillars
• Mobilizing the key players for developing and main- eroding gender inequalities; presented effective ways to that help maximize the value of data as a tool for develop-
streaming digital skills for women address the gender digital divide specifically during crises ment outcomes across the digital ecosystem. They are:
such as the COVID-19 pandemic; identified opportunities
• Economic growth and contributions of women to digi- for using ICT to empower women; and, finally, suggested • Laws and regulations that clearly define the rights and
tal economy and modernization a set of actions, drawing from existing examples, with the obligations over data, including the rights of people to
potential to address these barriers and provide lessons determine when and how personal data is collected,
learned and good practices from real projects. shared, and used
• Robust and resourced institutions capable of enforcing

the rules while also offering citizens responsive and
effective redress
PROGRESS TO DATE: The flagship report Unraveling • Trusted technical architecture to standardize data
Data's Gordian Knot: Enablers & Safeguards for Trusted sharing within government and regulated institutions
Data Sharing in the New Economy was launched in spring while giving individuals more control and transparency
2020. The report finds that unlocking data for reuse need into data flows that use their data
not be at odds with individual rights—data sharing can
uphold data protections and enhance individual agency • Capabilities inside and alongside government to ana-
and trust. It emphasizes that the ability of data to be a lyze and make use of data
force for positive development is dependent on how the
value and control of data are distributed across the data • Active and participatory civil society and informed
lifecycle. Getting that distribution right necessitates mo- populace who can keep governments and companies
dalities for the trusted sharing of data. accountable
When designed and implemented well, these pillars—and The report serves as a background paper for the World The Economic Impacts of Artificial Intelligence
the practices and features that help build them—support Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives. The
an ecosystem in which data sharing and data protection launch and dissemination activities were held during the
in Developing Countries
become mutually reinforcing. The report seeks to inform launch of the World Development Report in FY21. Start Date: March 2021 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Active | Region: Global
stakeholders and policymakers of emerging country prac-
tices and experiences, as they tailor practices to meet
their specific development objectives. PROGRAM GOAL: The objective of the study is to inform
the policy debate around Artificial Intelligence (AI) in
developing countries:
Watch a panel discussion exploring key themes from the report: • The first part of the study provides an overview of
the technology, its supporting infrastructure, and the
types of applications that have been developed. It also
introduces a conceptual framework that allows policy-
makers to think about the impacts of AI on developing
countries.
• The second part examines the evidence on the poten-

tial impact of the technology on developing countries,
including both economic and other types of societal
impact. This will build on existing research into the
impact of technology on developing countries with
additional focus on the specifics of AI.
• The final part presents a framework to support the

design of policy responses in developing countries.
• This report will synthesize existing research and also

carry out new research and analysis. It will be sup-
ported by six background papers focusing in detail on
specific aspects of the topic. The report, planned to be
delivered in FY22, will cover:
• economic impacts of AI
• climate change and AI
• models of AI governance
• data spaces approach and the AI value chain
• AI entrepreneurs
The report will address the gap in knowledge on the Various World Bank Group teams have been brought on
Singapore’s Approach to Artificial Intelligence:
implications of AI in low- and middle-income countries. board as co-authors of the report. The team has also
Moreover, the report plans to cover the broader implica- had numerous consultations with academia (e.g. the Building Trust, Enabling Innovation, and
tions of AI on society. University of Oxford, Stanford University, University of the Accelerating Adoption
Witwatersrand (Wits), University of Toronto, University of
PROGRESS TO DATE: Cambridge, University of Warwick, Research ICT Africa).
The team has been keen on focusing initial efforts to Wits University in South Africa will join the program to In collaboration with Singapore’s Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Singapore’s national AI program,
engage with different stakeholders within and outside of produce a background paper on the labor market effects AI Singapore (AISG), this session discussed Singapore’s journey in establishing a trusted and vibrant AI ecosystem.
the Bank, to collaborate on the report. from AI in South Africa and Ghana. Click here to learn more about the event.
Please see presentations from the webinar:
Watch a webinar organized by the team as part of the AI event series:
Fragility, Conflict, and Violence as a Context

for the Development of Digital Economies
Start Date: September 2019 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Closed | Region: Global
Watch this video to learn more about the program in Somalia:
PROGRAM GOAL: The activity aims to better understand fieldwork research had to be modified as a result of the
the ways in which digital technologies interact with FCV COVID-19 pandemic and outbreak of fresh conflict in
societies, and document the risks associated with the several of the original countries selected, including Haiti
introduction and uptake of digital technologies in such and Myanmar. An alternative approach is proposed, with
countries, particularly in remote, rural, and nomadic com- a revised list of countries covering Somalia, South Sudan,
munities. The findings will inform the DE4A and the oper- and Yemen, with less detailed analysis of the experiences
ations of the World Bank and other development partners from Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, and Syria.
on how to leverage the potential of digital technologies to
further the transition of FCV countries from fragility and For Somalia, the report draws on the experience of the
violence to stability, while mitigating associated risks. A ICT Sector Support Program which was completed
few specific country experiences will be reviewed, includ- in 2020. A video draws on these lessons, and the
ing a request for technical assistance from Yemen. achievements of the project, which include passage of
a Communications Act, establishment of a regulatory
PROGRESS TO DATE: A research piece on the digital authority, and the licensing of the major operators. The
economy in FCV is under way with a number of country telecom sector is now the major financial contributor to
case studies. However, the original plan to conduct the government budget.
In Yemen, a technical assistance program is being con- This activity has informed a number of follow-on World
ducted building on experiences from these countries. A Bank projects, notably the Program on Regional Digital
report on how to preserve and strengthen the telecom Integration in the Horn of Africa. The development ob-
sector in times of conflict has been produced to advise jective of this ambitious and critically important pipeline
the authorities and donors active in the digital sector in project is to increase access to broadband and digital
the country. services through the development and integration of
digital markets in the Eastern Africa region.
Welfare Effects of Internet in Sub-Saharan Africa

Start Date: August 2018 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL: This activity aims to conduct an analy- digital technologies among households within a country. The two country case studies have appeared in the Policy RESULTS SO FAR
sis of the welfare effects of digital technologies to inform Thus, an analytical framework was incorporated as one of Research Working Paper Series. The paper on competi-
the design and operationalization of the Digital Economy the main pillars of this activity, serving as a blueprint that tion in telecom and household welfare is still under review
for Africa initiative (DE4A) – an initiative that seeks may be replicated in other countries. but a paper using similar methodology for Ethiopia is
to ensure that every African individual, business, and about to be published in the Telecommunications Policy
government is digitally enabled by 2030 - as well as the To date, the following publications have been produced: journal. Research findings are referenced in Africa’s
6
corresponding World Bank engagement with countries on Pulse: An Analysis of Issues Shaping Africa’s Economic
the digital transformation agenda. • A framework that identifies options for removing barri- Future (October 2020 edition). The findings of all these
Papers US$1+ billion
ers to DT adoption and identifying the potential welfare papers are expected to feed into the upcoming Africa
produced lending leveraged
While digital technologies have been the subject of a effects of DTs on households, with a view to providing Digital Economy flagship report.
rising body of research, the impact of access to mobile actionable links to policy channels, and an illustration
3 countries advised
internet and fixed broadband on welfare in developing of the framework for Senegal
countries has received less attention. In this context, this
activity aims to produce an evidence-based analysis on • A literature review highlighting the main research on
the effects of coverage, access, and use of internet on the effects of adoption of ICTs on economic trans- Ethiopia Senegal Mauritania
welfare and poverty reduction, as well as on the potential formation through growth and productivity, firm-level
Second Ethiopia Jobs, Economic Mauritania First
risks of the digital divide. In so doing, this analytical work productivity, labor market, and welfare creation and Growth and Transformation & Competition and
inclusion Competitiveness Recovery Program - Skills DPO
will help fill knowledge gaps and contribute to provide Programmatic (pipeline) Program -
analytical underpinnings to the DE4A initiative. Development US$50
Third Multi-Sectoral
• A regional case study working paper aimed at under- Policy Financing -
million
Structural Reforms
US$750
PROGRESS TO DATE: standing the main drivers of mobile internet adoption in Development Policy
million Operation -
A better understanding of the welfare effects of access- Western Africa
US$100 million
ing the internet (broadband and mobile) is critical both
• Two country case studies in Sub-Saharan Africa to as-
to prioritize targeting of limited resources and to identify
sess the relationship between 3G coverage and house- 6 national strategies and assessments
complementary policies that amplify the impact of Digital informed by the analysis
hold welfare (Nigeria, Tanzania) using panel household
Technology (DT) adoption on poverty reduction. A com- • Senegal’s Digital Sources of Growth study
(DSOG)
survey data combined with information on the rollout
prehensive literature review was carried out, covering • Senegal’s Country Economic
of mobile broadband coverage, and Memorandum (CEM)
more than 100 research papers focusing on the economic
Senegal Ministry of • Senegal Poverty Assessment (PA)
transformation produced by digital technologies such as Economy and • Gambia’s Digital Economy Country
• A study on the likely welfare effects of increasing com- Finance benefitted Assessment (DECA)
the internet and mobile services.
petition in the telecommunication sector in nine Sub- from direct support • Indonesia Flagship on Digital Development
Saharan African countries (Kenya, Mauritania, Ethiopia,

This activity also offers concrete guidelines for conduct-
Uganda, Djibouti, South Africa, Ghana, Senegal, and
ing a comprehensive analysis of the welfare effects of
Benin)
Armenia - Digital Data-Driven Development Strategy

Start Date: October 2018 | Window: Data and Indicators | Status: Active | Region: ECA
PROGRAM GOAL: The main objective of this activity was framework. Based on this framework, foundational ele-
to help the Government of Armenia design a policy frame- ments of a National Data Policy for Armenia have been
work for data governance in Armenia by: i) identifying the suggested, with priority areas and recommendations on
key stakeholders of data governance in public and private key issues. The report also provides a high-level analysis
sectors; ii) analyzing the current state of data ecosystems of existing legal, regulatory, and institutional frameworks
in Armenia; iii) discussing possible objectives of national relevant to the governance and management of data in
data policy or strategy; and iv) providing recommenda- Armenia.
tions on potential legal and institutional arrangements for
implementation of a data governance framework. The activity helped formulate high-level goals for data
governance in Armenia, and increase awareness of the
PROGRESS TO DATE: importance of:
A discussion paper “A National Data Policy in Armenia”
was developed to highlight the overall state of digital de- • Having a dedicated national data policy
velopment in Armenia, the need for a national data policy,
• Including components of data management in
and its links to national strategic objectives.
cross-sectoral strategies and development plans in
Armenia, and
The report drew from the World Development Report
2021: Data for Better Lives and the recent flagship report • Institutional arrangements for data governance
Unraveling Data’s Gordian Knot: Enablers and Safeguards
for Trusted Data Sharing to develop the theoretical
Elements of a national data policy have been included in
the Digital Strategy approved in 2021, and in the strategy
of Public Administration Reform, informed in part by
consultations that the team held with various govern-
ment counterparts.
Client partners acknowledge the importance and ur-

gency of having a national data policy and are awaiting
the results of this discussion paper to start the national
policy development process.
Digital Economy Enabling The program activities facilitated preparation of the

Digital Foundations – Tajikistan Project initial concept
Four client entities have implemented or applied policy
changes:
Environment note and related documentation and government digital
• Executive Office of the President – acceptance of rec-
economy strategy design by supporting data gathering,
assessments, capacity building, knowledge sharing, ommendation for creating a strong digital development
The convergence of ICT, media, and content technologies and platforms requires a fundraising, co-financing, and in-kind contributions from implementation agency to drive the Digital Foundations
regulatory framework in support of the digital economy. Activities under this work- potential donors. project
stream seek to overhaul obsolete regulations, remove bottlenecks to the develop-
• Ministry of Finance - acceptance of recommendations
ment of digital ecosystems, and foster competition. Issues of policy and regulation The activity has also facilitated additional investments
for telecom policy and digital economy strategy of
of the digital space to be addressed include cloud services, local content creation, from other donors to the digital transformation initiatives
Tajikistan
open data, consumer privacy and data protection, and, more generally, the interface in the country, such as grants from Russia (ECAPDEV),
between digital or ICT regulations and other sector regulations. Korea (KWPF), Identification for Development (ID4D) • Ministry of Economic Development and Trade - accep-
multi-donor trust fund, and the European Commission. tance of recommendations for the digital economy
strategy and roadmap of Tajikistan
• Hukumat of Dushanbe City – acceptance of holistic ap-
proach to the smart city design from technology-driven
Advancing Digital Transformation in Tajikistan to data-driven and citizen-oriented concept.
Start Date: November 2019 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Closed | Region: ECA The activity helped create a dedicated digital develop-
ment agency under the President. The Ministry of Industry
and New Technologies has established the Artificial
PROGRAM GOAL: This program has three components development of a regionally integrated digital infrastruc- Intelligence Council, as well as a State Enterprise “Center
which aim to provide: technical assistance for Tajikistan’s ture and enabling environment. for Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy (CAIDE)”.
digital economy strategic planning and design; technical
assistance for preparing the Digital Foundations – PROGRESS TO DATE: The activity broadened the technology-focused smart-
Tajikistan Project; and program management, M&E, and The team implemented a series of interviews with local The Republic of Tajikistan, its multiple govern- city building mindset of government officials to da-
dissemination. stakeholders, after which they validated responses and ment agencies, and other stakeholders have ta-driven, user-centric, and citizen-oriented metrics,
results through additional desk research and started the been advised on: also expanding the use of smart-city technologies as a
The activity is supporting a planned Digital CASA – process of conducting strategic analysis. The findings major advantage to combat the pandemic by using cut-
Tajikistan lending operation. The proposed country-spe- were discussed at workshops with policy/decision mak- • Telecom reforms and regulations ting-edge connectivity and urban planning.
cific Project Development Objective for Tajikistan is to ers and other key stakeholders for the digital economy
• Digital skills and education
increase access to more affordable internet, crowd-in strategic planning and design. This helped build local
private investment in the ICT sector, and improve the capacity to develop a strong future-proof digital founda- • Smart City
government’s capacity to deliver digital government tion for Tajikistan’s economy.
services in Tajikistan. This will be achieved through the • Data and digital identification
15 Sample of key active projects and projects closed in FY21. A summary of all activities is included in Annex 3.
Digital Foundations Tajikistan Digital Economy in South Asia

The DDP-funded Advancing Digital Transformation in If successful, this kind of ICT strategy—with for-
Tajikistan grant helps inform the Digital Foundations ward-looking, dynamic, and profitable firms employing Start Date: January 2020 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: South Asia
Tajikistan operation. As part of Digital Foundations, (young) people countrywide—would stimulate significant
Tajikistan will collaborate with World Bank experts to socioeconomic development and yield additional reve-
implement less restrictive regulatory policies, ensuring nues for the state budget. PROGRAM GOAL: Unlocking the potential of the digital • In Pakistan, a foundational program is needed to focus
better connectivity, and improving the sector’s operational economy in South Asia requires to step back and more on (a) strengthening digital connectivity as a key foun-
and financial performance. These reforms and interven- By removing entry barriers and implementing a modern fundamentally assess the status of the digital economy at dation for digital economy development; and (b) en-
tions aim to generate additional resources that could be regulatory framework, Tajikistan could attract more two levels: first for each country, and second, as a region: hancing the government’s capacity for digitally enabled
re-invested in more innovative, affordable, and accessible private investment, thereby creating a virtuous cycle as What are the bottlenecks that stand in the way for the dig- public services delivery.
services. The level of support for and interest in Digital newly established, profitable private enterprises would ital economy to take off and provide citizens, businesses,
Foundations and the broader digital economy agenda co-finance the deployment of broadband infrastructure and governments access to the full benefits of digital • In Sri Lanka, better connectivity could help close re-
among government counterparts and development part- and improved network capacity, including last-mile development within a 10-year time horizon? Hence, this maining pockets of absolute poverty in rural areas and
ners increased dramatically. investments. activity aims to complement and build on ongoing efforts connect the domestic, traditional MSME sector to value
in various countries to establish the baseline and have a chains beyond the island.
better understanding of where each country stands in their
• In Nepal, significant connectivity improvements are
If given the right support, Tajikistan’s digital transformation could help the digital transformation journey. It plans to identify gaps
needed and investments in infrastructure upgrading are
country to emerge from the COVID-19 crisis stronger, more competitive, in the foundations of the digital economy and develop a
proposed, to complement existing access points for
and ready to support efforts in addressing development challenges concrete plan to close these gaps. Particular attention is
broadband networks through neighboring countries.
paid to the regulation and governance of the foundational
and creating new opportunities. Notwithstanding the inflationary use of
pillars for digital development. This will be a starting point • In Bhutan, with existing, relatively better levels of con-
transformational objectives, for young Tajiks it is clear: a digital future is
to enhance policy dialogue at national and regional levels, nectivity, a main bottleneck to address is the take-up of
the most promising alternative to unemployment or migration.
drive policy change, and lay the ground for future opera- digital technologies and a shift of the education sector
tional involvement to implement policy recommendations. to embrace digitization and the possibilities of the
Jan-Peter Olters
digital world.
World Bank Country Manager in Tajikistan
PROGRESS TO DATE: eight countries. Substantively, these workshops have Digital Economy in Southeast Asia
The Digital Economy for South Asia (DE4SA) work is on helped identify a range of common and specific issues
track to complete its activities by fall 2021. Restrictions and policy messages are being identified based on work- Start Date: August 2017 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Closed | Region: SE Asia
on travel and missions have limited the possibilities to shop discussions. This includes market and regulatory
engage with stakeholders in-country, but the team has failures that hold back digital economy development
leveraged virtual workshop formats and a stronger reli- (e.g., insufficient access to connectivity, gaps in digital PROGRAM GOAL: This activity was designed to deepen PROGRESS TO DATE:
ance on secondary research to close some of these gaps. financial services) and lead to missed opportunities for the policy dialogue and facilitate knowledge-sharing with
The planned reports are currently in draft form. For each growth and inclusion (e.g., more jobs for young people or governments in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and Vietnam on: • Cambodia: completed knowledge-sharing inputs to
country, the team has prepared detailed presentations inclusion of marginalized communities). (a) connectivity to address barriers and strengthening the Cambodia Digital Economy and Society Policy
and literature reviews. Initial drafts of the country-level enabling conditions for accelerated private investment in Framework
reports for seven of the eight countries, and the outline of This work is providing analysis that informs almost all broadband; (b) plans and strategies to develop actionable
• Vietnam Enabling Data Infrastructure Analysis: de-
the regional report, are ready. operational work in South Asia, in particular the exist- digital economy strategies, identifying concrete actions
tailed assessment of digital infrastructure (internet
ing projects in Bangladesh and Afghanistan, as well as and institutional responsibilities to implement and moni-
connectivity, government digital infrastructure, net-
To inform preparation of the reports, the team conducted forthcoming projects in Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and tor digital economy masterplans; (c) data governance to
works and platforms) and relevant policies and regu-
country-specific WBG-internal workshops in seven of the Maldives. focus on the legal regime for data privacy, data protec-
lations for access to and usage of this infrastructure.
tion, cybersecurity, cybercrimes, cross-border and local-
Draft report completed in May 2021
ization issues, and e-transactions; (d) regulatory capacity;
and (e) consumer protection for online transactions. • Vietnam: advice and best practices on electronic trans-
The program had a strong focus on knowledge sharing, actions legislation. Initial report completed in February
workshops, and potentially study visits and aimed to 2021, client follow-up requested and terms of reference
produce: under preparation
• Lao PDR: completed analysis/recommendations/policy

• Cambodia: knowledge-sharing inputs to the Digital dialogue and knowledge sharing on strengthening dig-
Economy and Society Policy Framework being prepared ital infrastructure (including internet connectivity and
by the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC); government digital infrastructure for service delivery)
preparation of a menu of options for implementation
support
• Lao PDR: digital economy implementation roadmap for

the next National Strategic Development Plan
• Vietnam: digital economy roadmap advisory
Digital Economy in Côte d'Ivoire Digital Economy in Egypt

Start Date: September 2019 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Closed | Region: Africa Start Date: November 2018 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Closed | Region: MENA
PROGRAM GOAL: The objective of the diagnostic was Main findings were presented to the Government of Côte PROGRAM GOAL: The project development objective Five reports have been delivered to the client:
to determine the current state of play of the digital d'Ivoire in September 2020. The team will continue the of the activity was to assist the Government of the Arab
economy in the country and assess key levers that drive dialogue with the authorities on high priority recommen- Republic of Egypt in assessing the current state of the • ICT Growth Study
it. The findings of the diagnostic intended to provide dations and potential support in terms of World Bank country’s digital economy, identify key levers that drive it,
• Digital Infrastructure Sector Assessment paper
practical, actionable recommendations to government engagement. and provide actionable recommendations to the govern-
and stakeholders on priority areas of development, with a ment and stakeholders on priority areas of development, • Benchmarking Analysis for NTRA
mix of possible policy reforms and financing needs. The The activity also supported the Côte d’Ivoire Fintech including possible policy reforms and financing needs.
diagnostic was expected to build on previous relevant as- Ecosystem Assessment Report. The study presents an This activity consisted of three components: • Assessment of Digital Outsourcing Opportunities
sessments and be a first step in building a dialogue with overview of the fintech start-up landscape in Cote d’Ivoire in Egypt
government for further developing the digital economy. and identifies bottlenecks to uptake of the ecosystem. • Unleashing the potential of Egypt’s Digital Economy
The reports have been shared with the government but • Digital Economy Country Assessment (DECA)
• Developing Digital Infrastructure, and
PROGRESS TO DATE: have not yet been publicly disseminated.
The Côte d'Ivoire Digital Economy Diagnostic was com- • Private Sector Demand-Driven Digital Economy
pleted. The diagnostic report provides a snapshot of the The main findings of the Diagnostic will be leveraged
state of the country’s digital economy by identifying key by the Government of Côte d’Ivoire for devising policies The objective of the first two components was to provide
challenges and opportunities for its future growth across and regulations, such as the elaboration of its 2030 a strategic assessment of the policy and regulatory envi-
five key foundational areas - digital infrastructure, digital Development Strategy. It also provides an analytical ronment, infrastructure, and the key growth drivers for the
platforms, digital finance, digital entrepreneurship, and base to inform possible WBG downstream engagements digital economy in Egypt. The objective of the third was
digital skills. Grounded in extensive research and stake- on reforms and investments in support of digital trans- to help articulate the private sector value proposition of
holder interviews, the diagnostic offers evidence-based, formation in the country. the digital outsourcing sector, as well as advanced digital
actionable, and prioritized recommendations on how the services in Egypt.
country can best accelerate digital transformation.
PROGRESS TO DATE:
The program advised the Ministry of Communications
and Information Technology (MCIT) of the Government of
Egypt that is responsible for overseeing the development
of the Egyptian ICT sector.
This project supported a policy dialogue on key reforms

to increase contestability in the digital infrastructure
sector in Egypt.
Please see the completed diagnostic report here: The Diagnostic findings directly fed into the new WBG
Digital Economy in The Gambia Country Partnership Framework for The Gambia and the
new IFC country engagement strategy.
Start Date: January 2021 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: Africa
ENTITIES ADVISED:
PROGRAM GOAL: Leveraging a well-tested and updated and growth opportunities under each pillar, and providing 1. Ministry of Finance and Economic Affairs
Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) diagnostic method- recommendations that can help shape related govern- (MOFEA)
ology (version 2.0) to engage government and other ment policies and strategies, as well as inform the Bank’s 2. Ministry of Information and Communication
Infrastructure (MOICI)
key partners in a participatory analysis, the Diagnostic digital economy dialogue and future engagements in The
aims to map current strengths and weaknesses of the Gambia. 3. Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy (MOTIE)
digital economy ecosystem in The Gambia, focusing on 4. Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education
five distinct, but synergetic, pillars (digital infrastructure, PROGRESS TO DATE: (MoBSE)
digital public platforms, digital financial services, digital Making The Gambia a Digital Nation: Key Building Blocks 5. Ministry of Higher Education, Research,
Science and Technology (MoHERST)
businesses, and digital skills), identifying key challenges of a Thriving Digital Economy.
6. Central Bank of The Gambia (CBG)
The Diagnostic work laid the grounds for a new lending 7. Public Utilities Regulatory Authority (PURA)
project, covering The Gambia (West Africa Regional 8. The Gambia Chamber of Commerce and
This video presents key findings of the World Bank’s and IFC’s joint journey to find out what holds back the develop- Digital Integration Program) and informed early stages of Industry (GCCI)
ment of key building blocks of a thriving digital economy in the country and what could be done to strengthen them. its preparation and design.
Digital Economy in Lesotho

Start Date: March 2020 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Closed | Region: Africa
PROGRAM GOAL:The activity aimed to provide Lesotho’s Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting travel restric-
policymakers with a comprehensive and actionable anal- tions, the team was unable to conduct an effective launch
ysis of the state of the digital economy in Lesotho, and to and dissemination of the report. However, given the elec-
support both national-level policy development and the tions and changes in government leadership, discussions
preparation of a digital lending project. on a presentation of the diagnostic have resumed and a
dissemination event may take place in 2021.
PROGRESS TO DATE:
The Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) national diagnostic The activity helped provide impetus for the subsequent
was completed in 2020. A final report summarizes the Southern Africa Digital Engagement Project - which aims
diagnostic and offers practical and actionable recommen- to advance the development of the digital economy in
dations to inform Lesotho‘s digital economy goals and Southern Africa by providing policymakers with a com-
decisions on priority areas for digital development. It pro- prehensive and actionable analysis of the state of the
poses a set of possible reforms and policy interventions digital economy, providing just-in-time support for digi-
that directly address the need to harness the economic tal initiatives, and fostering regional digital integration.
and social benefits of the digital economy while mitigat-
ing the associated risks. The work helps create a more comprehensive framework
for digital engagement with countries in the region (South
Africa, Lesotho, Eswatini, Botswana, and Namibia).
Discussions are in progress on the implementation of

some of the diagnostic recommendations including
expanding access to both private and public sector ser-
vice providers to the national ID platform, strengthening
cybersecurity capabilities, investment in cloud hosting
solutions, and digitization of payments. Additional areas
of engagement are being explored through a potential
digital government service delivery project.
Digital Economy in Sudan and South Sudan Effective Regulation for Digital Development
Start Date: February 2021 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: Africa Start Date: November 2019 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL:The objective of conducting a DE4A With participation from five World Bank Global Practices, PROGRAM GOAL: The project includes four components: • Policy note on “Taxation in digital infrastructure
diagnostic assessment in Sudan and South Sudan is to the team conducted a successful mission in Sudan from markets”
determine the current state of digital development in the May 17-June 22, 2021. The team concluded: 1. Digital Infrastructure and policy regulatory gaps
countries and assess key levers that drive their digital and solution areas including inputs/guidance for • Two blogs on COVID policy responses related to dig-
economy. The findings aim to build on previous relevant Digital integration support through feasible investment operations/policy reforms ital infrastructure and services, and accompanying
assessments and are intended to provide practical, channels is a key priority for the Ministry of Telecom and dashboard on digital infrastructure and digital policy
2. Policy notes on good practices related to anti- responses for COVID crisis and recovery
actionable recommendations to government and other Digital Transformation (MTDT). The MTDT is interested
trust in digital infrastructure, taxation in digital
stakeholders on priority areas of development, with a mix in the possibility of integrating digital technology through
infrastructure markets, and crosscutting en- • Policy note on cybersecurity for SMEs
of possible policy reforms and financing needs critical in existing activities in the country and is also considering a
ablers for digital business models focusing on
the current context of COVID-19, which has accelerated new lending operation in the field of digital development. • Literature review on the impact of digital technologies
cybersecurity for SME and enabling rules for IoT
the importance of digital infrastructure and services. This country diagnosis will help to inform the strengths
solutions, and database and dashboard on digital
and weaknesses of the existing local ecosystem and • Two background papers for the Africa Digital
infrastructure and digital policy responses to the
Through consultations and research, the assessment present potential opportunities and entry points for new Transformation Flagship: “Policy Options for Affordable
COVID crisis and recovery
aims to identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities operations in this area. Digital Infrastructure Strategies: A Simulation Model for
across five foundational areas. Several cross-cutting 3. Quantitative analysis of effects of digital infra- Universal Broadband in Africa" and "Market Structure,
areas, including digital economy/agile regulation, compe- A request for financing key investment opportunities in structure reforms (literature review, broadband Regulation, and Internet Access in Africa and the Rest
tition policy, gender, cybersecurity, consumer protection, the Digital Economy has been made by the government, computable general equilibrium model proposal, of the World"
and data protection, will also be evaluated. and an exercise for prioritization of key activities is being and working papers on policy options for mobile
carried out. The government is prioritizing key invest- broadband expansion in Africa) In the first year of implementation the project has deliv-
PROGRESS TO DATE: ments toward domestic digital development foundations ered on its four components:
The DE4A Digital Economy Assessment has divided into and furthering regional connectivity, through advancing 4. Knowledge dissemination (through participation
in workshops, inputs into design of regulatory • Policy notes on good practices: The following notes
two phases. connectivity, digitalizing MDAs, and supporting digital
capacity-building program, and stakeholder have been drafted and will be ready for review by
businesses.
1. The first phase is to assess Sudan: DE4A from engagement) October 2021: antitrust for digital infrastructure, taxa-
March 2021 to December 2021 tion on digital infrastructure, and enablers for IoT.
The final version of the assessment report is under
review. The team is due to start the South Sudan: DE4A PROGRESS TO DATE:
2. The second phase will assess South Sudan: The note on cybersecurity approaches for SME will be
Assessment in September 2021. Overall, eight significant publications have been finalized
DE4A in FY22. completed by October 2021 to address concerns on SME
(draft stages) or are close to completion:
vulnerabilities given increased digital technology use due
The Sudan DE4A is supporting the formulation of the
• Policy note on “Antitrust for digital infrastructure” to COVID, and showcase approaches that could be ad-
Government’s Digital Transformation strategy.
opted in developing economies.
• Policy note on “Enablers for IoT”
• Quantitative analysis for policy advocacy: The team creates a framework and curriculum to be covered by MENA TECH: Data Governance Case Studies
has drafted two working papers: "Policy Options for the platform. The inputs have been used for the design
Affordable Digital Infrastructure Strategies: A Simulation of the Agile Regulation for Digital Transformation Start Date: May 2020 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: MENA
Model for Universal Broadband in Africa" and "Market capacity-building program for African regulators and
Structure, Regulation, and Internet Access in Africa policymakers. The team is planning to organize webi-
and the Rest of the World" that were presented at the nars to launch the policy notes in October-December PROGRAM GOAL: The MENA TECH initiative has been economies, chiefly, to promote trust, transparency, and
authors’ workshop for the Africa Digital Transformation 2021 and will provide inputs for the organization of a re-focused to align with the MENA regional strategy accountability, and to help create private sector jobs,
Flagship together with the Africa Chief Economist series of Global DD webinars on regulatory matters pillars and bring together critical stakeholders to ac- more specifically for the new generation that is about to
office in June 2020. and impact. celerate the digital transformation of governments and enter the market.
• Inputs to inform policy operations: The team system-

atized information on recently approved (2018-2020)
This project aims to contribute to a bet- Watch the video to learn more about the MENA TECH Initiative:
and proposed lending operations with prior actions
ter understanding among policymakers
and/or triggers related to digital infrastructure and
and operational teams of the policy and
cross-cutting digital enablers, developed a framework
regulatory reforms related to key areas of
showing regulatory reforms suitable for countries in
digital development, such as antitrust and
different stages of digital maturity, and drafted sample
taxation in digital infrastructure, Internet of
prior actions and triggers to be considered in new
Things, COVID-19 policies, and universal
operations.
broadband coverage.
Since its preparation, it has helped Digital Development

teams in regions inform the menu of proposed policy
actions in countries such as São Tomé and Príncipe, Additional knowledge on these areas may trigger a
Guinea, Cameroon, Egypt, and Malawi, among others. change in the design of policy and regulation among
The document was complemented by a database that policymakers and help design policy lending operations.
tracks projects with digital infrastructure components. Specific publications are informing the Africa Digital
The database was used as input to create a DE4A opera- Transformation Flagship that will highlight policy rec-
tions database. ommendations to improve digital solutions uptake by
individuals and firms in Africa.
• Knowledge sharing/dissemination: The project pro-
duced a note to inform the design of a capacity-build-
Policy changes can contribute to increased internet cov-
ing program on agile regulation considering an online
erage, lower prices, and increased adoption and usage of
platform that would allow to disseminate knowledge
digital technologies in all parts of the population.
on regulatory policy for digital transformation. The note
PROGRESS TO DATE: As a cross-World Bank Group • Become a central repository of information on projects, The activity supported the development of a data eco- The Jordan case study which
activity, involving Digital Development, Finance, progress data, research, and discussions. system assessment tool designed to assess current data was consulted upon with
Competitiveness, and Innovation, and Governance GPs, ecosystems and governance practices in MENA countries Jordanian authorities, was pub-
this activity delivered the following knowledge products: The MENA TECH dashboard is internal to WBG staff and and their impact on the ability to create value from data lished in March 2021 as a WDR
is designed to help operational teams assist governments usage in the public and private sectors. This tool was pi- companion study.
MENA TECH dashboard in MENA to manage digital transformation. loted in Morocco and Jordan, leading to the development
of two illustrative case studies (based on primary data
The MENA TECH dashboard is a tool to: Webinars collected during a mission in February/March 2020 and
complemented with secondary research).
• Inform on the progress toward Marrakesh 2022 short- With the aim to enter the “Road to Marrakesh” and to
term digital goals (Broadband and Cashless Payments) implement strong external communication and outreach
• Provide an overview on initiatives to close the digital to clients on digital transformation, the following series
gap in each of the region’s countries of high-level webinars leading up to Marrakesh 2022 on
unlocking digital transformation in MENA were organized:
• Manage knowledge, and
Webinar #1: A Strategy for Digital Transformation in MENA Countries focused on

what it will take for the MENA region to leverage digital solutions to promote trust,
Watch
transparency, and accountability, and help create private sector-led jobs. Video here
Webinar #2: Digital Payments: Enabler for Job Creation, Inclusion, and Public
Service Delivery in MENA was organized in partnership with the Arab Monetary
Watch
Fund to increase awareness on how digital payments can support job creation, Video here
enhanced service delivery, and inclusion of youth and women.
Webinar #3: A New Social Contract in the Era of Digital Transformation in

MENA focused on digital transformation drivers and enablers of a new social
Watch
contract that addresses accountable service delivery, transparency, and effec- Video here
tive citizen engagement.
Pakistan Digital Economy

Start Date: May 2019 | Window: Digital Economy | Status: Active | Region: South Asia
PROGRAM GOAL: The objectives of this analytical work Key reports/case studies are :
were to identify policies and programs that position
Pakistan to leverage the digital economy as a source of • Advisory assistance on spectrum management and 5G
economic growth and a driver of inclusion, focusing on transition, including presentations/just-in-time notes
digital infrastructure and foundational elements of the on: (a) 5G Readiness Assessment, and (b) Technical
digital economy. The intention was to set the stage for presentations, best practice knowledge sharing on
discussions with stakeholders, including a review of inter- 3.5G, spectrum for Internet of Things, wireless local
national best practices, and to identify specific short-term loop unbundling (WLL).
policy or institutional reforms focusing on digital en-
• Technical inputs for the new National Broadband
ablers. The scope was revised in early 2020, at the client’s
Policy, in preparation for government-led stakeholder
request, to focus more specifically on policy inputs for the
consultations. The team participated in consultations
new National Broadband Policy that the client was tasked
with private and public sector stakeholders, including
to deliver, and with advice on 5G mobile broadband adop-
the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA),
tion and transition.
Frequency Allocation Board (FAB), and representatives
of all the major licensed telecommunications/internet
PROGRESS TO DATE:
service providers.
The team advised the Government of Pakistan on:
• Critical success factors for the digital economy, nota- The analytical/advisory work has contributed to the
bly enhanced and inclusive connectivity (internet) preparation of the forthcoming Digital Economy
Enhancement Project, for identification of priority invest-
• National broadband policy ments for addressing the digital divide.
• Spectrum management, in particular 5G transition
Cybersecurity
Through the Cybersecurity workstream and the newly established Cybersecurity
associated trust fund, DDP helps advance the capacity of World Bank clients in the
development of cybersecurity policies and standards, and supports good practices
in the use of cybersecurity tools, safeguards, and risk management instruments.
Cybersecurity in Critical Information

Infrastructure Protection (CIIP)
Start Date: October 2019 | Window: Cybersecurity | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL: The objective of the activity is to It will be designed: i) as an integral part of a World Bank
develop a cybersecurity sectorial assessment toolkit to project during the preparation or implementation phase;
assist teams in assessing the cybersecurity maturity of or ii) on a stand-alone basis, potentially following rec- processes, people, tools, and compliance capabilities, and 2. Two WB projects were selected for the first two as-
sectors (e.g., energy), sub-sectors (e.g. electricity pro- ommendations from national-level assessments, such examine the group relations with government relevant en- sessments. The second round of selection (with an
duction), or projects (e.g. construction of powerplant), as Digital Economy Framework or Cyber Maturity Model tities. The toolkit will also be applicable to assess “cross additional three projects to pilot) is due to be com-
and in providing progression paths and actionable (CMM) diagnostics. border” sectors. pleted in fall 2021.
recommendations.
It will also be publicly available and accessible, on an PROGRESS TO DATE: 3. The first two pilots’ assessments were kicked off and
The toolkit will be designed to be used widely across the open-source basis, for non-World Bank teams. It will build Piloting the cybersecurity maturity assessments model: a first analysis of assessments' objectives and meth-
World Bank and will be delivered as part of a set of diag- on prior research and analysis conducted by Tel Aviv odology was carried out. Meetings with clients in both
nostic models (from national to project level) providing a University (TAU) on cybersecurity maturity assessments 1. A contract was signed with Tel Aviv University’s assessed projects were due to start in the fall 2021.
full range of assessment capabilities to teams. at the sectorial level. The toolkit will analyze the matu- Blavatnik Interdisciplinary Cyber Research Center
rity of the entities within the group, explore key entities’ (TAU ICRC) to form a research team to design and The activity contributes to increasing awareness for the
implement five pilot assessments and to provide ed- need to assess cyber maturity in sectorial projects and
ucational material and facilitate training seminars for strengthen the cooperation between various World Bank
knowledge dissemination. units on the cybersecurity agenda.
16 Sample of active projects and projects closed in FY21.
Engagement with Global Forum for Cyber

Expertise (GFCE)
Start Date: September 2019 | Window: Cybersecurity | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL: This activity directly supports the path. A broad range of stakeholders - development
World Bank’s efforts to boost Cybersecurity Capacity institutions, international organizations, professional
Building (CCB) through its collaboration with the Global forums, NGOs, national cyber and aid agencies, etc.,
Forum for Cyber Expertise (GFCE). This activity are expected to inform the study. The paper will be
finalized by November 2021 to be featured at GFCE’s
• has sponsored participation by low-income countries
Annual Meeting .
of GFCE Annual Meetings and other regional events,
and • Partnership: The WB together with GFCE, World
Economic Forum (WEF), and the Cyber Peace Institute,
• is supporting focused study on CCB and the enhance-
have re-initiated the preparation process for a high-
ment of the global collaboration and knowledge portal
level conference on CCB planned for spring-summer
(CYBIL)
2022 after the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the initial
scheduled conference date of Autumn 2020. The con-
This activity is now supporting the preparations for
ference will focus on sharing knowledge, expertise, and
a high-level conference on CCB which is planned for
project information on CCB, increasing political aware-
spring-summer 2022.
ness and available resources, and coordination efforts
on a global scale, with the participation of high-level
PROGRESS TO DATE:
representatives and cyber professional teams from
During FY21 work was done in three domains:
GFCE community, LMICs, donors’ countries, NGOs,
research, partnership and knowledge:
international organizations, and more.
• Research: The development of a GFCE-WB joint
• Knowledge: Work on the global collaboration and
research paper on bridging digital development with
knowledge portal (CYBIL) progressed in FY21. The
CCB. The study will focus on the integration of CCB
WB is supporting the mapping of activities on CCB
into digital development agendas for the purpose of
through the online portal. The updated portal will allow
strengthening ICT cybersecurity worldwide. Specifically,
greater access to information and knowledge on good
the study will define CCB, explore best practices,
practices.
identify gaps in adopting it and suggest progression
Connecting Last 10% through Sustainable

Internet Access for All Broadband Access
Start Date: January 2020 | Window: Internet Access for All | Status: Active | Region: Global
Under this workstream, DDP offers technical assistance to support client countries in
enhancing their connectivity, covering matters of national policy and strategy, regulation
and markets, technological standards, infrastructure sharing and development, spec-
trum management, taxation, gender aspects of connectivity, and regional ICT markets. PROGRAM GOAL: The objective is to provide analytical regulatory practices, and community-driven capacity de-
and advisory support on how to reach and identify the velopment. The report will encompass three key sections:
last 10 percent that are expected to be connected to the
broadband internet, in selected countries. The resulting re- Section 1 will elaborate a framework approach
port will seek to develop an analytical framework incorpo-
rating the multidimensional nature of the last 10 percent Section 2 will elucidate infrastructure requirements,
to be connected to the internet, accounting for contextual policy, programmatic and regulatory innovation and best
5G Flagship Activity: 5G as an Opportunity specificities in different communities and countries. practices
to Leapfrog Development
Through three country case studies – Colombia, Section 3 will develop the three case studies of mid-
Start Date: March 2019 | Window: Internet Access for All | Status: Active | Region: Global Argentina, and Nigeria – the report aims to analyse dle-income countries in Latin America (Argentina and
the options before governments that are being used to Colombia) and Africa (Nigeria). The final report will aim
address the core obstacles facing the last 10 percent, to offer important guidance for operational analysis by
PROGRAM GOAL: This flagship activity seeks to contrib- • Positioning the World Bank as a thought leader on 5G through an optimal mix of infrastructure investments, in- teams, as well as lessons and key recommendations for
ute to a deeper understanding of the policy and regulatory and development issues. While the final product will novative financial mechanisms (e.g., repurposed and new incorporating into future projects.
enabling environment for 5G in developing countries. be an analytical report, preliminary findings from the models for Universal Service Funds), policy reforms, agile
report will be published as policy briefs, memos, blogs,
The expected outcomes are: columns, presentation materials, background papers,
inventory of policy instruments, etc.
• Increased knowledge of 5G technology and its impact
on the SDGs and World Bank Group twin goals PROGRESS TO DATE:
Dissemination of the report has been delayed by a year.
• Understanding of the enabling environment for 5G
The report will be published in the first half of FY22. In
deployment and commercial use for timely adoption in
conjunction with the flagship activity, an Open Learning
a developing country context, and
Campus (OLC) course has been developed to support
knowledge dissemination. The OLC modules are centered
around the flagship’s chapters.
PROGRESS TO DATE: Regulatory Watch Initiative I & II

The multidimensional framework to categorize the bot- Ultimately, this activity will contribute to leveraging
tom 10 percent in different countries based on literature public and private collaboration toward connecting the Start Date: February 2017 | Window: Internet Access for All | Status: Closed | Region: Global
and publicly available data and indicators for availability, last 10 percent and supporting implementation of a new,
affordability, skills, quality of service, and local adaption repurposed, and efficient USAF model, which will be fully
and use has been drafted. aligned with the objectives of reaching full connectivity PROGRAM GOAL: The Regulatory Watch Initiative (RWI) The objective of the overall activity was to support the
access by 2030, closing the digital divide, and setting is a flagship product of the World Bank’s Community of second phase of the ICT RWI which added two new the-
The report builds on prior work on "Innovative Business the foundations for the digital economy. Practice on Regulation. The RWI is an easy-to-use and ef- matic clusters on spectrum regulation and regulatory gov-
Models to Extend Fiber-Optic Networks and Close the fective platform designed to help countries optimize their ernance. The geographic coverage of RWI Phase 2 was
Access Gaps" and is looking at any technology solutions This is part of a joint effort between the World Bank and regulatory frameworks and reap the benefits of the digital expanded from ECOWAS countries to include a number of
suitable to provide broadband access. the UN/ITU Broadband Commission, including key con- economy. It currently covers regulatory practice across MENA countries (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan,
sultations with GSMA. 27 countries located in the West Africa, East Africa, and Lebanon, Iraq, and Palestine) and East African countries
The specific country case studies have been developed Mediterranean MENA regions. The RWI provides a number (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Rwanda).
through country engagement, consultative and of important operational inputs for regulatory reform: a
iterative process, and ongoing advisory support with the knowledge database, regulatory attainment levels, digital
authorities. development snapshots, country profiles, and an interac-
tive data dashboard.
This activity allows to conduct coun-

try-level assessments and diagnostic
reviews, compile international best
practices, and suggest a framework and
recommendations to address broadband
connectivity obstacles for the last 10%.
This mix of options seeks to be an efficient and agile

instrument, replicable in other regions and countries,
to support the targets of increasing broadband connectiv-
ity, especially in rural areas and for vulnerable
populations, closing the gender, social, and geographical
digital divide and toward reaching full access by 2030.
This advisory and analytical engagement is also inform-

ing government policy, operationalization and design of
the USAF, broadband deployment, and digital economy
strategies.
PROGRESS TO DATE: The RWI covers five main regula- Ethiopia: Telecom Sector Reform
tory themes as follows: licensing and authorization, fair
markets, international access, spectrum management, Start Date: November 2018 | Window: Internet Access for All | Status: Closed | Region: Africa
and regulatory governance.
The second phase of the RWI has provided: PROGRAM GOAL: In June 2018, the Government of in June 2021, was made following a competitive selec-
Ethiopia requested advice from the World Bank cover- tion process, in which ECA was assisted by the IFC
1. A thorough regulatory and competitive assessment
ing state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform in four areas:
and diagnosis of the impact of Regulatory Watch 3. Launch of the process for partial privatization of Ethio
telecoms, aviation, transport/logistics, and energy. For
Initiative on regulatory regimes, OTT, International Telecom, the state-owned incumbent, with an initial call
telecom, this activity aimed to deliver technical advice to
Gateways Liberalization, Spectrum Management and for expressions of interest, which closed in July 2021
prepare for telecom privatization, market liberalization,
Regulatory governance (including universal service
and creation of an independent regulator. 4. Approval by the World Bank Board of Executive
funds management and data-driven regulation) in 27
Directors of the Digital Ethiopia investment project, in
countries in MENA and Sub-Saharan Africa
PROGRESS TO DATE April 2021, with a value of US$200m
2. Guiding principles, main regulatory bottlenecks, oppor- Work on a Telecom Sector Reform has contributed to the
tunity costs, policy recommendations and remedies realization of the Government of Ethiopia’s vision of a The Proclamation for the Regulation of Communications
pertaining to Regulatory Watch Initiative on regulatory competitive telecommunications sector and resulted in a Services and the creation of an independent regulator in
regimes, OTT, International Gateways Liberalization, new telecom proclamation, the opening of the sector to Ethiopia are critical milestones toward market competi-
Spectrum Management and Regulatory governance competition, and partial privatization of the incumbent, tion and the establishment of independent, accountable
(including universal service funds management and with expected results of reduced prices for consumers, institutions. Having this legal framework in place helps
data-driven regulation) in 27 countries in MENA and sustained growth in the economy, increased competition foster healthy competition, promote investment, and
Sub-Saharan Africa in the sector, and the opening of Ethiopia to foreign direct make sure all Ethiopians can access modern digital ser-
investment (FDI). Thus, all the original goals of the pro- vices. More broadly, sustained digital development will
3. Identification of bottlenecks and regulatory trends, gram have been realized. More specifically, the following unlock a wealth of opportunities to transform the entire
together with the elaboration of an “attainment level” achievements have been recorded: economy and support a variety of sectors, from agricul-
to identify the gap between existing practices with best ture to health and education.
regulatory practice 1. Communications Service Proclamation No.
1148/2019, a new law adopted in September 2019
4. Provision of reports including the regional competitive This could serve as the starting point for Ethiopia to
2. Establishment of the Ethiopian Communications achieve the Digital Transformation vision, which aims to
and regulatory analysis, the methodology, and results
Authority (ECA) in 2019, as the independent sector expand high-speed internet and bring the benefits of the
5. Realization of a communication plan to disseminate regulator. The award of a second license to a new digital economy to all African countries by 2030.
the RWI index and annual report. full-service telecom operator, led by Safaricom (Kenya),
Future releases of RWI are currently under consideration.

These are likely to include expanded geographical and
thematic scope , as well as publications containing de-
tailed analysis, trends, snapshots, assessments, country
profiles and an up-to-date regulatory database.
Digital Government
PROGRESS TO DATE:
Through its Digital Government workstream, DDP supports client governments in Several research and data collection and systematization • Fraud Detection in Africa Procurement and ICT
the development of digital government infrastructure platforms and shared ser- activities have been conducted and technical background Procurement
vices. Work areas include digital government leadership, public sector IT architec- papers produced. Databases include:
• Competition Advocacy for Digital Markets in Africa
ture and governance, data and analytics platforms, and interoperability.
• Main market players and market structure of the digital
• Competition Policy in Digital Markets in Africa
sector in Africa to understand market dynamics that
can affect the governance of the digital sector • Taxes and Parafiscal Fees on Digital Infrastructure in
Grant Portfolio Progress18 Africa Corporate Governance of Major Digital state-
• Taxes and parafiscal fees covering 20 countries in
owned enterprises (SOEs) in Africa
Africa to inform analysis on governance, and levels and
Africa Digital Economy Governance and Anticorruption complexity of taxes and fees in the digital sector with • Regulation for Data Governance in Africa
emphasis on digital infrastructure
Start Date: October 2019 | Window: Digital Government | Status: Active | Region: Africa • Internet Access and Trust Towards Public Institutions:
• State-owned enterprises in the digital sector in African Evidence from the African Continent
countries to inform analysis on the role of state-owned
enterprise (SOE) in the governance of the digital sector • Background Notes: Conceptual frameworks, litera-
PROGRAM GOAL: The objectives are to:
ture review on technology adoption and governance
• Document digital tools that can help improve gover- A synthesis report on Reaching the Potential for the
• Cross-country indicators of the use of digital tools for outcomes
nance outcomes, including control of corruption, and Digital Economy in Africa—Addressing Governance and
improving governance in Africa, as well as analog com-
identify critical governance risks that can limit digital Corruption Risks will draw on technical background
plements and supporting institutions Based on these background notes, the team will produce
technology adoption and dampen its effects papers, and will examine the promise that digital tech-
two reports (Digital for Governance and Governance of
nologies hold for improving governance in Africa and • Key characteristics of data governance and cyber-
• Provide recommendations of operationally relevant Digital) which will be combined into a Synthesis flagship
curbing corruption, as well as the factors that pose risks security frameworks for the analysis of measures to
government actions to mitigate opportunities for report. This work is under way.
to that ambition, with a focus on the emerging digital mitigate risks of digital technology use in more than 20
rent seeking, capture, and corruption that come with
economy. The report will examine the governance of the countries in Africa.
increased public and private investments in digital
digital economy itself, characterizing the current context
transformation and
in terms of market players and government actors across Technical Papers and Analytical Works (completed, but This project will inform operations and cli-
• Make publicly available the analytical underpinnings the region, highlighting factors that could limit the devel- still to be finalized incorporating additional comments): ent engagement in Africa under all Digital
regarding the enabling environment for the governance opment of efficient and competitive markets and increase Development and Governance units, in
of the digital economy in Africa and promote a broader • Adoption of e-government procurement (eGP) in Africa
the risks of capture and rent seeking, and include policy particular funds with actions related to
policy dialogue. recommendations on key selected areas. • ICT Procurement Practices digital economy.
Maximizing Financing for Development (MFD) in Global

Data and Cloud Infrastructure Study
Start Date: February 2020 | Window: Digital Government | Status: Active | Region: Global
PROGRAM GOAL: The study aims to conduct a com- PROGRESS TO DATE:

prehensive assessment of the enabling environment for During the past FY, the Advisory Panel was assembled
the development of a datacenter and cloud facilities in from selected private sector cloud operators to advise the
emerging markets and factors supporting cloud-enabled team on the practical side of the industry and technical
applications in the public and private sectors. It will aspects. Terms of reference for the study were developed
survey different cloud computing platforms and cloud-en- and advertised, and a consulting firm was hired to sup-
abled applications in low- and middle-income countries to port the team through the implementation of the study.
advance development goals. The decision was taken to expand the scope of Pillar 2 to
include a separate report dedicated to Cloud adoption by
The study will have three pillars: the public sector. Preparation of the report will be imple-
mented by the World Bank and co-funded by Microsoft.
• Pillar 1 will focus on an in-depth assessment of the
enabling environment for cloud computing - legal, regu- This is a joint activity between the WB and IFC where both
latory, and policy enablers and safeguards. institutions are bringing relevant perspectives and are
united by the overarching objective to seek development
• Pillar 2 will focus on governments’ decisions in tran-
of a vibrant cloud and data infrastructure market across
sitioning to the cloud – whether they should invest in
the developing world.
their own data center infrastructure, lease capacity on
a public cloud, or follow a hybrid approach – and what
parameters and considerations should inform this
decision making.
• Pillar 3 will focus on the potential for developing local

markets of cloud-enabled business models in emerg-
ing markets and help create an investment decision
framework based on critical factors that may affect the
viability and success of investments in this sector.
Digital Agriculture: New Frontiers for the Food System
Mainstreaming Digital
Solutions
Integration of advanced digital solutions in sectors such as health, education, social
protection, government services and back-office systems is a key to resilient COVID-19
recovery. DDP supports mainstreaming of digital technologies across sectors via
scaling-up digital and disruptive applications and fostering innovative solutions.
Agriculture: Digital Acceleration of

Agricultural Transformation • introducing an analytical framework that allows for a • Think piece "Harnessing the Digital Revolution to Set
more systematic analysis of a country’s constraints Food Systems on a Better Course" was produced as
Start Date: April 2018 | Window: Mainstreaming Digital Solutions | Status: Closed | Region: Global and capabilities in leveraging the technologies, and part of the World Bank Sustainable Development series
outlining role of public policy in maximizing benefits of
digital agriculture while mitigating its risks. • “What’s Cooking” Digital Agriculture learning series
PROGRAM GOAL: The proposed activity aims to: PROGRESS TO DATE:
• One-Stop-Shop on Digital Agriculture to share knowl-
The report provides development practitioners with an
edge, analytics, innovations, tools, and best practices
1. Develop an economic framework to assess how digital The flagship report “What’s evidence-based and readily applicable framework for
among practitioners, policymakers, innovators, re-
technologies can impact the efficiency, equity, and Cooking: The Digital country analysis. Knowledge sharing and exchange was
searchers, and experts in the area of data-driven Digital
environmental sustainability of the agricultural trans- Transformation of the Agrifood fostered thanks to a lively BBL series that featured more
Agriculture has been created. It is available only to
formation, and System investigates digital tech- than 50 speakers from academia, international organi-
World Bank staff to support policy advice, analytical
nologies in agriculture beyond zations, and the private sector. These BBLs helped raise
reports, diagnostics, project and program design, and
2. Identify the relevant public policies and instruments to their technical capabilities, by: awareness of the potential of digital agriculture among
investments in the area.
facilitate the diffusion, maximize the positive impacts, operational teams and facilitated connecting them with
and mitigate the downside risks of digital technologies • studying their economic ef- relevant stakeholders.
fects on the agri-food system, The main impact of the activity was defining and
in agriculture.
spearheading the digital agriculture agenda within and
Other key deliverables:
outside the World Bank by filling a key knowledge gap
• Blog series "What’s Cooking: Re-thinking Farm and on digital agriculture, enhancing knowledge sharing and
Food Policy in the Digital Age" - six blogs were pro- exchange on this topic, operationalizing it in World Bank
duced by the team in FY21 projects, and shaping the agriculture policy dialogue at
19 Sample of active projects and projects closed in FY21. the highest level.

Climate Change: Digital opportunities for Education: Digital Skills Capacity

Climate Change Building in Africa
Start Date: February 2021 | Window: Mainstreaming Digital Solutions | Status: Active | Region: Global Start Date: August 2019 | Window: Mainstreaming Digital Solutions | Status: Closed | Region: Africa
PROGRAM GOAL: Addressing climate change is a top The digital development opportunities for climate change PROGRAM GOAL: The objective of this activity was to • Peer review of the Country Action Plans. A group of
priority globally, including for developing countries and will be analyzed in the format of a flagship report support 16 countries in Africa to finalize detailed Digital 16 countries - Burkina Faso, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, DRC,
digital technologies can play an important role. However, supported by several background studies, including a Skills Country Action Plans to contribute to the DE4A Ethiopia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Mali, Mauritania,
in order for this to happen, developing countries need: literature review and a background report on greening ICT. target for digital skills of 6 percent of youths and adults Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, and
acquiring advanced digital skills by 2030. The technical Tanzania - has been identified to receive technical assis-
• a clearer understanding of the ways in which digital
PROGRESS TO DATE: assistance aimed to cover: tance in developing their Country Action Plans.
technologies affect climate change (GHG emissions,
Resources for the team have been recruited including
mitigation, and adaptation); and • A detailed guidebook to help assess demand, set goals,
onboarding of external experts. The team has produced PROGRESS TO DATE:
an extended synopsis of the flagship report – outlining plan for different strategies, identify indicators, and This DDP-funded program supported an analysis and the
• a more comprehensive strategy for the digital sector
the main content and structure. The literature review undertake costing development of a comprehensive, multi-component pro-
that incorporates and enables its national strategy on
climate change. and the background report were available as a first draft gram for the 16 countries to finalize detailed Digital Skills
• Planning and costing templates
during the summer. A number of consultations have been Country Action Plans to contribute to the Digital Economy
The objective is to analyze and understand how digital held with various internal and external stakeholders. In • Workshops to launch the plan preparation in selected for Africa (DE4A) target for digital skills of 6 percent of
technologies directly and indirectly impact climate change addition, a follow-up activity has been initiated on how countries, and youths and adults acquiring advanced digital skills by 2030.
and suggest policy recommendations for lowering the car- to operationalize the findings from the report into Bank
bon footprint from ICT and for mitigation and adaptation operations as a separate workstream.
strategies enabled by digital in developing countries.
The Digital Skills Country Action Plan is
an important resource for Rwanda and will
definitely help improve the digital skills of
students” stated Eng. Pascal, Director of
the Workforce Development Authority for
Rwanda. His words were echoed by Prof.
Lourino Chemane, Chair of the National
Planning Team for the Digital Skills Country
Action Plan for Mozambique.
Participants at the workshop in Kigali, Rwanda-Photo: PASET Secretariat

Technical Assistance consisted of: Other participants included universities, technical educa- The program enabled Mozambique, Rwanda, and
tion, and vocational training (TVET) institutions, the private Ethiopia to develop plans which are now serving as ex-
• Development of the guidebook to help assess demand, set DDP Supported Country Action Plans sector, and regulatory bodies. The workshops provided an amples to other countries and regions.
goals, plan for different strategies, identify indicators, and Burkina Faso opportunity to raise additional questions on the definition
costing Chad of digital skills, the differing levels of demand for various Additionally, the Country Action Plan initiatives have
Côte d’Ivoire categories of digital skills, and the feasibility of online enabled World Bank teams to expand their understand-
• Planning and costing templates;
Democratic Republic of Congo learning for students with little to no exposure to self- ing of how digital skills and programmatic interventions
• Demand study for digital skills in Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya, Ethiopia paced and individual learning. Issues raised from these are required in tertiary education, and to support the
Mozambique, Nigeria, and Rwanda, jointly funded with IFC Ghana workshops also addressed the usability of technology development of digital skills programs.
Guinea – such as laptops and computers – if high-speed internet
Accompanying workshops were conducted where partici- Kenya connectivity is not available, and how African universities Digital skills are important in how populations prepare for
pants took part in a hands-on scenario planning, and where Mali can obtain affordable, reliable internet connectivity. the economy of the future and this program is an import-
clear targets were established on the number of students Mauritania ant step in preparing Africa for a robust digital economy.
needed across the country to acquire various levels of digital Mozambique
skills to support the country’s development goals. Niger
Nigeria
Rwanda
Building digital skills is essential to building an inclu-
Senegal
sive digital economy across the African continent. DDP
Tanzania will continue to support this and other efforts as part
of the Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) initiative to
drive digital transformation on the continent.
Our intention is to take the work

done in the past two days forward
and improve the digital skills of
students in our country.
Dr. Celso Laíce

Participants at the workshop in Kigali, Rwanda-Photo: PASET Secretariat Permanent Secretary of the Ministry
of Science and Technology, Higher
Education of Mozambique

Feature Initiative: Digital Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) aims to ensure that
every individual, business, and government in Africa will
Economy for Africa be digitally enabled by 2030 in support of the African

Union Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa.

Once-in-a-Generation Opportunity About Digital Economy for Africa
The rise of digital technologies and the digital economy Yet, the pandemic increased the digital divide and un- The Digital Economy for Africa is WBG’s flagship initiative
offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to unlock derscored the challenges for those who lack the access, that supports the Digital Transformation strategy for
new pathways for rapid economic growth, economic opportunity, or skills to operate in the digital world. Seven Africa (2020-2030) prepared by the African Union. The
mobility, innovation, job creation, and access to quality million university students in Africa could not continue initiative sets an ambitious vision to ensure that every
Digital Economy
services which would have been unimaginable even a their education in 2020 due to closures during lockdowns. individual, business, and government in Africa will be
decade ago. The accelerating pace of technology diffu- The crisis also underscored emerging risks around pri- digitally enabled by 2030. This initiative connects the
for Africa pillars
sion, the convergence of multiple technologies, and the vacy and cybersecurity, emphasizing the importance of African continent to spur inclusive growth and develop-
emergence of global platforms are disrupting traditional promoting a safe, secure digital transformation. ment while addressing emerging risks associated with
Digital Infrastructure
development models. digital transformation. We could not have known how
As a response, countries have scaled up efforts toward critical access to digital technology was about to become
Even before the realities of the global pandemic took universal broadband access mobilizing the private sector, with the advent of the global pandemic. But in its wake,
Digital Public Platforms
hold, Africa was not in step with the digital revolution and to offer people the skills and resources they need to we are stepping up our commitment to support Africa’s
and too many Africans could not access the technol- participate fully in the digital economy. digital transformation.
ogy they needed for school, work, health, or financial
Digital Financial Services
services. The pandemic highlighted the vulnerability Through our work under the Digital Economy for Africa DDP has supported the development of a comprehensive
of the digitally excluded who have less chance to ac- initiative, we are committed to helping countries in- ecosystem approach to support developing countries fos-
cess vital information including health, education, and crease bandwidth and manage congestion; ensure the ter innovation through digital transformation. Articulated
Digital Businesses
e-commerce. continuity of critical public services; prevent and miti- around five foundational pillars – connectivity, digital pub-
gate cyber risks; power financial technologies; facilitate lic platforms, digital financial services, digital businesses,
The development of digital technology offers African innovation and create new job opportunities; and equip and skills – this ecosystem approach emphasizes build-
Digital Skills
countries the ability to accelerate socioeconomic de- necessary digital skills to drive demand for services and ing key foundational elements of a digital economy that
velopment. It also connects their citizens to many more implement the transformation. are synergistic and require the use of both public and
services and opportunities. Data and digital innovation private sector solutions. The foundational pillars of digital
are transforming the way governments operate and in- We are developing robust regional and country action economy have some common and cross-cutting themes
teract with citizens, increasing transparency and service plans with measures tailored to each country to increase such as digital economy / agile regulation, competition
delivery. Thanks to digital technologies, more people—no access to and adoption of digital tools. policy, gender, cybersecurity, consumer protection, and
matter their income level or where they live—can access data privacy.
unprecedented amounts of information, take online
jobs, enroll in e-courses, and even receive life-saving To reap the benefits of digital
care through telemedicine. Mobile money is providing transformation, abundant, low-cost
an easy and secure alternative to the traditional banking connectivity is essential as broadband drives
system, as well as increasing financial inclusion. productivity, innovation, and growth.
Dr. Amani Abou-Zeid

African Union Commissioner for
Infrastructure and Energy

DDP support to DE4A Digital Economy Country Digital Economy Country Diagnostic Tool
Diagnostics
DDP support has been critical for amplifying the impact Country diagnostics provide a snapshot of a country’s The revised DE4A diagnostic tool (version 2) provides a
Digital Economy Country Diagnostic Tool 2.0 includes
of the Digital Economy for Africa initiative. Since the ini- digital economy status, examining each of the five strengthened and integrated framework for assessing
tiative was launched in 2019, digital economy country digital economy pillars (infrastructure, public platforms, the enabling environment and level of development of • Analytical framework for digital economy
diagnostics have been conducted in 35 countries. DDP financial services, businesses, and skills). Key levers the digital economy in each country in Africa. A standard- • Assessing Foundations of digital economy
has directly supported nearly half of all diagnostics that drive the development of digital economies are ized methodology adopted an ecosystem approach by • Digital infrastructure
thus far, in addition to funding to the following areas. assessed as well as challenges and opportunities. strengthening linkages between the foundational pillars
• Digital Platforms
Overall, DDP support to the Digital Economy for Africa Findings of the diagnostic provide practical, actionable and by emphasizing the need to mitigate risks associated
• Digital Financial Services
initiative includes: recommendations to government and stakeholders on with digital transformation. World Bank country teams are
priority areas of development, with a mix of possible provided with a set of indicators and assessment tools as • Digital Entrepreneurships
Formulation of the DE4A Strategic Framework
policy reforms and financing needs. Data from these well as guidance on how to engage more effectively with • Digital Skills
DE4A Diagnostic Reports evidence-based diagnostics also inform potential areas clients, and prepare and communicate the findings. • Recommendations for the digital economy
DE4A Monitoring and Evaluation Framework of WBG and DDP support as well as current projects.
Analytical Underpinnings to Inform DE4A Country

Operations DDP-Supported Digital Economy
Country Diagnostics
Egypt
Chad
The Gambia
Senegal Sudan
Nigeria
Only with clear metrics and monitoring South Sudan

Côte d’Ivoire
& evaluation tools will country leaders
Guinea-Bissau Uganda
be able to develop and execute concrete
strategic plans. With DDP support, DE4A Rwanda
has developed a number of tools to sup- Botswana
port monitoring and evaluation of the
initiative to track progress made towards Angola
Lesotho
each country’s goals.
Completed
Ongoing
*Complete list of all DE4A country diagnostics is available here.

Digital Economy Scorecard

Digital Economy Diagnostics: Emerging Lessons Learned and Recommendations
Achieving digital transformation requires setting an and performance indicators of the digital transformation
As more African countries are covered by the Digital Economy Country Diagnostics, specific issues emerged easy-to-understand mechanism to track progress toward efforts. This can help concentrate efforts, catalyze action,
as common across diagnostics. An initial Systematic Review of 29 Diagnostics synthesized insights and digital enablement, along with ambitious targets, across and enable progress toward implementation and achieve-
recommendations for the World Bank teams, to provide a regional and sub-regional overview of the digital five foundational pillars of the digital economy. DE4A ment of the objectives to be tracked.
economy status and priority areas of interventions. Key findings include: Scorecard provides an overarching view of the results
• While eliminating prohibitions on market entry and competition for broadband services remains a main
priority in many countries, more efforts are required to ensure proper management and oversight of the To view the comprehensive Digital Economy Scorecard, click here
existing Universal Service Funds (USFs), which aims to encourage deployment of infrastructure in under-
served areas. Unbundling the network functionalities and increasing the infrastructure sharing are also
seen as critical opportunities to ensure infrastructural foundations of the digital economy.
• An effective delivery of public services requires government to develop an interoperability framework and
to encourage the use of shared services on digital public platforms. Another priority recommendation
includes a set of legal and regulatory reforms to facilitate online transactions. The development of public
sector applications for core government functions is also identified as a critical enabler to increase the
demand uptake.
• Implementing digital financial services should be supported with appropriate policy measures and in-
centives as well as a consumer protection framework to safeguard financial transactions and electronic
communications. Main recommendations by teams also include ensuring interoperability of payments
or deployment of a national switch for transactions. Establishing a credit registry is another initial step to
establish the foundational financial pillar of the digital economy.
• While digital business represents both early-stage start-ups and more established firms, governments
need to increase their support to improve the general business environment to provide incentives
and foster innovation. The support to digital start-ups can be leveraged through indirect support to
Entrepreneurship Support Organizations (ESOs) or by providing direct financial and advisory incentives.
• Further, in order to develop foundational digital skills, the national curriculum framework and accordingly
the national budgeting need to incorporate digital literacy and education as a strategic priority. Strategic
partnerships with the industry and academia are encouraged to crowd-in multiple providers of digital Digital technologies cut across many areas and require the ability for different
skills training. Establishing stable, affordable, and high-quality internet connectivity, as well as the provi- sectors to work together as well as collaboration and partnerships between public
sion of devices for pedagogical purposes, is another identified prerequisite. and private players. At the World Bank we are stepping up to this challenge.
• Across the pillars, a coordination and engagement of multiple stakeholders, often beyond national part- Isabel Neto
Practice Manager, Digital Development,
ners, was highlighted as a key priority to establish the digital economy.
Africa East/ South

Digital Economy for Africa Dashboard Analytical Underpinnings to Inform

DDP has supported the development of the Digital and aims to provide Bank Group staff with easy-to-use DE4A Country Operations
Economy for Africa dashboard - a one-stop shop for in- analytical tools and customizable datasets. Phase 2 will
stantly accessing information about the initiative, country continue to improve its features and functionalities, allow- Regional Outlook from Country Diagnostics For example, Feasibility Study To Connect All African
diagnostics, key policy recommendations, WB and IFC ing to open some of its data sets to external stakeholders DDP supported a regional analysis to provide an overview Higher Education Institutions To High-Speed Internet
operations, measuring progress, tracking results, and visu- as well (upcoming later in FY22). of common challenges and barriers to digital transforma- provided a vision and an approach to connect higher
alizing trends. The platform in its Phase 1 is internal only tion at the sub-regional and continental levels in Africa. education institutions to the internet to participate in the
The DDP-funded diagnostics also made a significant global sciences, technology, and innovation space. The
number of recommendations to each country. With the research illustrated that there is no one-size-fits-all ap-
assessment covering more countries, the number of proach and identified that digital technology integration in
recommendations has grown and necessitated the de- higher education requires a provision of end-user access
velopment of a database to provide a quick reference. A devices, high-quality campus networks as well as national
database of all recommendations has been incorporated and regional network connectivity.
into the internal Dashboard.
Digital Skills Country Action Plan Initiative supported
Regional Analytical Studies by DDP produced a methodological guidebook to help
While DE4A is a continent-wide, cross-GP, cross-WBG um- countries develop actionable plans for national digital
brella program, DDP has supported a number of regional skills building and communication brochures in three lan-
analytical studies that ensure multisectoral, integrated guages (English, French, and Portuguese). The Guidebook
research reflecting a foundational DE4A framework and provides a how-to guide to building one of the key founda-
strategic regional or country priorities. tional pillars of DE4A.
Digital Economy for Africa’s ecosystem approach for

digital development and strong focus on inclusion help
narrow the digital divide.
Michel Rogy
Practice Manager, Digital Development,
Middle East and North Africa, Africa West

Check out more information on DE4A

Lending Leveraged
• DE4A operations
• DE4A Website
• AU strategy
which
= • Full list of diagnostic reports
(publicly available)
in lending
Funds disbursed by for every
DDP through DE4A have US$1
leveraged more than invested
in World Bank lending and

external co-financing
The following lending projects are linked to knowledge

leveraged through DDP grants:
Nigeria Digital
West Africa
Eastern Africa Identification for
Regional Digital
Regional Digital Development Project
Integration Project
Integration Program $115,000,000
Senegal Digital Program on Uganda Digital Ethiopia Digital

Economy Regional Digital Acceleration Foundations
Acceleration Integration in the Program Project
Project Horn of Africa $200,000,000 $200,000,000
Pipeline Active

Strategic
Communications and
Knowledge Management
Effective strategic impact communications are critical to the work of DDP has been developed by the DDP part-
for the success of the program. Over the past year, DDP ners through their own global and country-level technical
has stepped up its efforts in communications and knowl- engagements. To leverage this knowledge and ensure
edge management to be able to capture and disseminate that it informs the implementation of the DDP grants, we
the results from the programs more effectively. The focus have stepped up our efforts in partner outreach, including
remains on telling our impact story by highlighting the institutionalizing DDP Technical Deep Dives – regular
human angle of the DDP grants and connecting projects learning sessions between the World Bank teams and
with people on the ground whose lives they improve. We DDP partners.
continued to integrate the use of innovative digital tools
and approaches to communicate the program’s results Dissemination of the results and impact stories have
effectively – through short videos, photos, data visualiza- been at the core of our renewed focus on communica-
tion, infographics – so that reporting on our key results tions over the past FY. A new knowledge web platform,
supports our partners in relating the DDP story more DDP newsletter, updated social media strategy, improved
effectively to their own constituents and serves as a key brand/partner visibility framework, and enhanced gover-
vehicle for the partnership’s strategic outreach. nance processes around publishing DDP products have
now established a solid foundation for continuous knowl-
Strategic engagement of DDP partners into the technical edge capture and effective dissemination, both internally
work of DDP has become one of the key priorities over and externally.
the past FY. The vast array of knowledge directly relevant

New DDP Web Platform

Portfolio Directory
DDP
Supporting the communication objectives of focusing on instant access to impact stories, results, publications, www.digitaldevelopmentpartnership.org
Curious about a grant?
impact and results, regularly engaging our partners, and toolkits and e-learning, portfolio information, data tools, Review the comprehensive
amplifying the successes of the programs around the portfolio section for sum-
news features, videos, and more.
maries of all DDP programs
world, DDP launched a stand-alone online knowledge plat-
form in September 2021. The objective was to have a cut- The dynamic and comprehensive website provides an
ting-edge, interactive site to match the innovative nature overview of DDP and its partners, short summaries of
of our projects. DDP has seen a tremendous growth over the entire portfolio, and a comprehensive catalogue of
the past years, advancing digital transformation globally all knowledge products. Additionally, program highlights,
and developing a significant amount of knowledge, now impact stories, videos, along with articles, blogs, and DDP
Knowledge Hub
www.digitaldevelopmentpartnership.org
available for our clients, partners, and colleagues at the news updates are assembled and frequently updated for Looking for a publication?
Thumb through the knowl-
touch of a button. The new web platform now offers an immersive and engaging storytelling experience.
edge hub to review DDP-
funded reports, publications,
dashboards, toolkits, and
e-learning courses
DDP
www.digitaldevelopmentpartnership.org DDP
Impact and Storytelling Hub

Immerse yourself in the
stories of the impact and
DDP
storytelling hub to learn about
results on the ground
News and Multimedia

Interested to know the most
recent happenings? Visit the
News & Multimedia section to
access videos, blogs, and more

DDP Newsletter Updated Brand and Partner

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Visibility Guidelines
DDP launched a bi-monthly newsletter in August 2021.
Each newsletter provides a portfolio update, showcases
impact stories, and assembles recently produced
knowledge and learning products. The initial newsletter
reached approximately 4,000 individuals and we look
forward to increasing our reach and expanding our sub-
scribers’ base in the upcoming year.
Click here to subscribe
DDP Technical Deep Dives

This past year we launched DDP Technical Deep Dives as part of our Partner Discussions Series, an informal knowledge
series for DDP Partners to discuss emerging issues together, connect the dots between the respective work on a range
of topics, and brainstorm opportunities for collaboration.
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Ensuring communication efforts are consistent across The comprehensive brand guidebook for the DDP team
a portfolio of more than 100 programs requires clear leads now ensures cohesive and consistent design
systems and protocols. This past year DDP began imple- across all of the active DDP programs, projects, and
menting communication processes such as onboarding initiatives. The guidelines set out the design parameters,
meetings, communication strategies to support the acknowledgement requirements, and provide the strate-
Monday May 31 Meeting ID: 939 5947 9747
7:00-8:00 EST, 13:00 CET
Join us on
Passcode: ^L#W4q6a6+ launch of all activities, along with clear and explicit brand gic aims of prioritizing impact and results through visuals
DIGITAL OPPORTUNITIES
guidelines to be followed by all programs. These new and compelling storytelling.
FOR CLIMATE CHANGE
systems will ensure consistent communication and col-
Digital technologies are having a significant
impact on society, economies and the
physical world. These technologies are laboration with program leaders and make certain DDP
creating both challenges and opportunities
for the green agenda. The rapidly growing
use of digital technologies is increasing program results and impacts are widely acknowledged
GHG emissions through the increase of
energy usage. But can digital technologies
create new opportunities for governments
and promoted.
to design and implement their climate
change strategies?
ABOUT THE REPORT: The upcoming DDP flagship report “Digital Opportunities for Climate
Change” will analyze how digital technologies directly and indirectly impact Climate Change and
suggest policy recommendations for lowering the carbon footprint from ICT and for mitigation
and adaptation strategies enabled by digital in developing countries. In particular, the report
will analyze 1) the GHG emissions from the digital sector and options available for reducing
GHG emissions for sustained long-term growth in the use digital in developing countries; 3) the
122 role of digital technologies in designing and implementing mitigation strategies in key GHG
emitting sectors 4) common themes relating to digital technologies that cut across the different TABLE OF CONTENTS 123
sectoral climate change applications, and 5) policy options available to developing countries
seeking to ensure that digital technologies provide the right foundations for their national
climate change strategies.
Strategic Priorities Toward green, inclusive, and

resilient recovery
for FY22 The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates the need for contin-
ued efforts to improving integration of technology in
the linkages between digital and climate change, and
the policy recommendations for the digital sector that
development solutions. DDP’s support remains critical to would support developing countries’ climate change
facilitate deployment of digital infrastructure and adop- strategies. In parallel, the team is undertaking an exercise
tion of technologies to expand connectivity, coverage, and to understand how climate change considerations can
quality of service, while safeguarding data privacy, gov- be integrated into the operations from design to imple-
ernance, and online security. To Build Back Better from mentation and reporting. Stronger partner cooperation
the crisis, DDP has adopted an ecosystem approach to around the agenda will be prioritized in FY22, to maximize
digital transformation, focusing on both the foundational cross-learning opportunities and capture best practices.
elements of the digital economy, including digital infra-
structure, digital platforms, digital skills, as well as digital DATA ECOSYSTEMS
applications across critical sectors, while ensuring protec- World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives
tion of personal data, mitigating cybersecurity risks, and emphasized the pressing need for all countries to estab-
aiming for a truly inclusive digital economy for all. The lish new social contracts to guide the appropriate use of
approach includes an enhanced focus on mainstreaming data. Most developing countries do not have sufficient
new approaches to digital technologies and their appli- legal frameworks on data governance and data protec-
cations to cope with the aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis tion, while high-income countries have adopted different
and ensure a green, inclusive, and resilient recovery.20 In approaches. Best practices are emerging, and it is critical
line with the renewed approach, a few strategic priorities for DDP to support developing countries in implementing
have emerged over the past year and will drive the imple- secure and reliable data ecosystems. The WDR developed
mentation of DDP programs in FY22, see below. a broad range of conclusions and recommendations relat-
ing to data and its role in development. DDP will continue
DIGITAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE building on its existing work in this area and incorporate
A strong focus on sustainability and the green agenda is the insights from the WDR into its advisory services and
essential when driving digital transformation. While digital analytics in FY22. This work includes data regulation,
technologies are having a significant impact on society, including economic regulation, data protection, and se-
economies, and the physical world, they are creating both curity, as well as data economy, including research and
challenges and opportunities for the climate agenda. analysis of the data economy in developing countries,
An upcoming flagship report will focus on describing impact of data, adoption and usage, among other topics.
20 The approach is in line with the World Bank Group’s framework for Supporting Green, Resilient and Inclusive Development (GRID).
For more information, please click here.

CYBERSECURITY GENDER
Cybersecurity risks are growing rapidly with digitalization, As the digital transformation affects economies and
affecting all sectors. Given the mission-critical role of changes the nature of work, strategies to make sure
cybersecurity for the digital agenda, cybersecurity contin- technology becomes a great equalizer—rather than a
ues to be a priority area. FY21 has seen the launch of an divider—are essential. Digital inequalities can exacerbate
Associated Cybersecurity Trust Fund under the DDP um- other inequalities, hampering women’s opportunities to
brella, to help build cyber- and digital security capability contribute to the labor force, attain new skills, and access
and capacity and make sure countries and their citizens information. DDP will continue to increase the ambition
can safely take full advantage of ongoing digital transfor- and scope of gender-focused activities and strive to em-
mation and development. With initial contributions from bed a gender lens across all of its programs, to be able to
Estonia, Germany, Japan, and the Netherlands, the work effectively address persistent gender gaps in the access
on the first set of activities has started. Activities ongoing and use of technology.
under the current DDP cybersecurity window will be com-
pleted during the first half of the FY22, as planned. MAINSTREAMING DIGITAL
APPLICATIONS ACROSS SECTORS
FROM DIGITAL ACCESS TO DIGITAL ADOPTION Mainstreaming technology solutions across sectors is
A key lesson learned from COVID-19 is that access to the key to a resilient COVID-19 recovery. DDP has significantly
internet alone is not sufficient as there is a critical need to scaled up its work program around the mainstreaming
go beyond access and focus on usage, affordability, and agenda in FY21, as integration of advanced digital solu-
inclusion. With a lack of reliable and affordable access to tions in key sectors such as health, education, social
digital services, there is both an infrastructure deficit as protection, and government services became increas-
well as technical support needed to enable people and ingly critical in the context of the pandemic. During the
businesses to adopt digital technologies. The crisis high- COVID-19 recovery stage, a stronger focus on main-
lighted the need to go beyond digital access toward digital streaming digital technologies across sectors will help
adoption by facilitating innovative approaches and busi- build resilience for future shocks while creating lasting
ness models for increased internet usage tackling barriers efficiencies.
around affordability, inclusion, digital skills, and relevant
online content. DDP advisory and analytical activities in
FY22 will be focusing on tackling these barriers and facili-
tating innovative approaches for increased digital usage.

Annex 1: Main Donor Annex 2:

Contributions
WITH SUPPORT FROM:
Portfolio Status
The following table indicates DDP donor contributions, as received or expected in any given fiscal year. The World Activity Year Scope Start Date Closing Total Remaining
Window
Bank’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. For example, July 1, 2020, to June 30, 2021, is FY21. Some of the contri- Date Allocation balance
bution figures are approximative, as some contributions reach DDP in other currencies than United States Dollars. For as of Aug 2021
easier reference, all contributions are indicated in their United States Dollars exchange value and rounded. Armenia: Supporting National Data Strategies 4 Country 19-Nov 21-Jun $100,000 $11,289
Specific
Bridging the Gender Divide through Inclusive 4 Global 19-Oct 22-Jan $600,000 $367,059
Digital Development Knowledge
Donors in FY17 in FY18 in FY19 in FY20 in FY21 in FY22
Fragility, Conflict and Violence as a Context for 4 Global 19-Sep 22-Oct $500,000 $324,917
Denmark, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 2,144,287 2,953,686
the Development of Digital Economies Knowledge
Finland, Ministry for Foreign Affairs 320,070 620,000 222,040
Kazakhstan (Artificial Intelligence for 4 Country 20-Mar 20-Dec $150,000 $65,016
Germany, Federal Foreign Office 180,000 Development) Specific
Germany, Bundesministerium für wirtschaftliche 593,570 Leveraging Data for Development 4 Global 19-Aug 21-Jun $360,000 $61,555
Zusammenarbeit und Entwicklung (BMZ) Knowledge
Google 250,000 Poverty and Welfare Effects of Digitization 4 Global 19-Dec 21-Dec $500,000 $248,361
Knowledge
GSMA 247,323 252,372 245,647
Uzbekistan: Supporting National Data Strategy 4 Country 20-Apr 21-Dec $150,000 $68,228
Israel, Ministry of Economy and Industry 1,000,000 Specific
Japan, Ministry of Internal Affairs and 2,000,000 Development Implications of Artificial 5 Global 21-May 22-Jun $640,000 $570,537
1. Digital Data for Development

Communications, Ministry of Finance Intelligence (AI) Knowledge
Korea, Ministry of Science and 3,000,000 1,500,000 1,800,000 1,800,000 A rights-based approach to digital skills train- 5 Country 21-Feb 22-Dec $200,000 $176,307
ICT, Ministry of Finance ing for women and girls in fragile and conflict Specific
Microsoft Corporation 1,000,000 1,000,000 250,000 100,000 settings
Norway, Ministry of Foreign Affairs 7,526,390 Mobile Big Data for Decision Making on Critical 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $250,000 $250,000
Information Infrastructures During Crises Knowledge
Norway, The Agency for Development Cooperation 2,294,762
(NORAD) Leveraging the Power of Data for Building Back 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $250,000 $250,000
Better: Africa-Specific Report Knowledge
Swedish International Development Cooperation 1,795,332 1,730,703
Agency (SIDA) Window 1 Total Allocated $3,700,000
The Netherlands 1,177,000

United Kingdom, Foreign and Commonwealth Office 324,050 2,176,209 481,950
TOTAL 3,567,393 7,016,659 2,296,090 15,508,932 4,770,852 5,825,465

Activity Scope Start Date Closing Date Total Remaining Activity Scope Start Date Closing Total Remaining
Window
Window
Allocation balance Date Allocation balance
Year
Year
as of Aug 2021 as of Aug 2020
Iraq: Developing the Digital Economy 3 Country Oct-20 Sep-21 $150,000 $108,681 Africa: Cyber Security Capacity Building in Africa 2 Country Jul-18 Mar-22 $1,250,000 $120,325
Specific Specific
3. Cybersecurity
Pakistan: Developing the Digital Economy 3 Country May-19 Jun-21 $100,000 $3,031 Cybersecurity in Critical Infrastructure Protection 4 Global Oct-19 Jun-22 $1,000,000 $920,011
Specific (CIPP) Knowledge
Central Asia/Belarus: Technical Assistance to 4 Country Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming Engagement with Global Forum for Cyber 4 Global Sep-19 May-22 $400,000 $200,298
foster the update of Digital Technologies Specific activity Activity Activity Activity Expertise (GFCE) Knowledge
Central Asia/Ukraine: Technical Assistance to 4 Country Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming Upcoming Total window 3 allocated $2,650,000
foster the update of Digital Technologies Specific activity Activity Activity Activity
5G Flagship Activity: 5G as an Opportunity to 4 Global Aug-19 Jun-20 $825,000 $86,547
Digital Economy for Africa: Impact and 4 Country Mar-20 Mar-22 $400,000 $258,514 Leapfrog Development Knowledge
Evaluation Specific
Feasibility Study to Comprehensively Connect All 4 Global Dec-19 Dec-21 $300,000 $15,564
Digital Regulation Handbook and Toolkit online 4 Global Oct-19 Sep-21 $500,000 $73,140 African Universities to High-Speed Internet Knowledge
Knowledge
Reaching the Bottom 10%: Financing Policy and 4 Global Jan-20 Jun-21 $530,000 $291,809
Effective Regulation for Digital Development 4 Global Nov-19 Dec-21 $500,000 $33,454 Regulatory Models and Country Case Studies Knowledge
Knowledge
Innovative Models Broadband and Private 5 Country Upcoming Upcoming $75,000 Upcoming Activity
MENA TECH: Data Governance Case Studies 4 Country May-20 Jun-21 $150,000 $5,020 Capital Mobilization in the MENA countries – Specific Activity Activity
Specific Phase I
South Asia Digital Economy Assessments for 4 Country Jan-20 Dec-21 $1,050,000 $753,519 Mapping Africa’s Broadband Infrastructure 5 Country Jan-21 Jun-22 $500,000 $456,506
eight countries in SAR Specific Specific
Africa - Single Digital Market (SDM) initiative 5 Country Jan-21 Oct-22 $200,000 $200,000 Namibia: Reaching Universal Internet Access 5 Country Upcoming Upcoming $250,000 Upcoming Activity
Specific Specific Activity Activity
4. Internet Access for All

Chad DE4A 5 Country Jun-21 Nov-22 $30,000 $30,000 Regulatory Watch Initiative Phase 3 5 Country Jan-21 Nov-21 $500,000 $500,000
Specific Specific
Estimating Socioeconomic Impacts of the Shift 5 Country Upcoming May-22 $300,000 $300,000 Small Loan Guarantee Facility for Affordable 5 Global Jun-20 Apr-22 $300,000 $265,582
to Teleworking and e-Commerce Specific Activity Broadband Capable Device Ownership Knowledge
Gambia: Digital Economy for Africa 5 Country Jan-21 Jul-21 $70,000 $4,115 Spectrum Planning and Management for 5 Global Dec-20 Jun-22 $250,000 $17,065
Specific Emergency Preparedness and Response Knowledge
Guinea-Bissau DE4A 5 Country Jun-21 May-22 $50,000 $50,000 Total window 4 allocated $3,530,000
Specific
Latin America and the Caribbean | Digital 5 Country Upcoming Nov-21 $250,000 $231,708
Economy for LAC Region (DE4LAC) Specific Activity
South Sudan: Digital Economy for Africa 5 Country Jan-21 Jun-22 $200,000 $194,856
2. Digital Economy
Specific
Sudan: Digital Economy for Africa 5 Country Jan-21 Jun-22 $230,000 $158,179
Specific
Tunisia: Digital Development Model to comple- 5 Country Upcoming Upcoming $350,000 $350,000
ment COVID-19 Response Specific Activity Activity
Total window 2 allocated $4,600,000

Activity Scope Start Date Closing Total Remaining Activity Scope Start Date Closing Total Remaining
Window
Window
Date Allocation balance Date Allocation balance
Year
Year
as of Aug 2020 as of Aug 2020
AFR Digital Economy Governance and 4 Global Oct-19 Sept-21 $500,000 $50,919 Digital opportunities for Climate Change 5 Global Jan-21 Jan-22 $600,000 $545,142.39
Anti-Corruption Knowledge Knowledge
Cloud Systems for Digital Government 4 Global Jan-20 Apr-22 $500,000 $320,860 Digitization of Health Sector in Africa 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $150,000 Upcoming Activity
Development Knowledge Knowledge Activity Activity
Maximizing Financing for Development (MFD) in 4 Global Feb-20 Nov-21 $600,000 $460,608 Digitization of the Education Sector in Africa 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $150,000 Upcoming Activity
Global Data and Cloud Infrastructure Study Knowledge Knowledge Activity Activity
Agile Regulation for Digital Transformation 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $590,000 Upcoming Activity Digitization of the Education Sector in Africa 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $150,000 Upcoming Activity
5. Digital Government
Capacity Building Program Knowledge Activity Activity Knowledge Activity Activity

Digital Solutions and Approaches to COVID-19 5 Global Oc-20 Dec-21 $300,000 $151,631 Digitization of the Maritime Sector 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $250,000 Upcoming Activity
6. Mainstreaming Digital Technologies

Vaccine Distribution and Handling Knowledge Knowledge Activity Activity
The Economic Impact of Digital Platforms 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $500,000 Upcoming Activity Joint Research Notes with IFC on Disruptive 5 Global Jan-21 Dec-21 $200,000 $200,000
on Developing Countries and Policy Options Knowledge Activity Activity Technologies in Vocational Training Knowledge
Available to Governments Maximizing Finance for Development for 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $70,000 Upcoming Activity
Total window 5 allocated $2,990,000 Educational Technologies Knowledge Activity Activity
Agriculture: Developing an Economic Framework 3 Global Dec-18 Jan-21 $58,760.00 $737.73 Technology Readiness Framework and Sectoral 5 Global Jan-21 Dec-21 $200,000 $200,000
Applying Digital Technologies to Agriculture Knowledge Guidance Notes on Digital and Disruptive Knowledge
Technologies
Southeast Asia: Data-driven digital skills devel- 3 Country Mar-19 Aug-21 $200,000 $28,880.84
opment strategies Specific Using AI to optimize Energy Grid supply/demand 5 Global Upcoming Upcoming $70,000 Upcoming Activity
to improve uptake of renewable energy sources Knowledge Activity Activity
Agriculture: Pilot Engagement for Moonshot 4 Country Oct-19 Oct-21 $300,000 $169,441.46
Lending Project Focused on the Agri Sector Specific Total window 6 allocated $4,091,260
Education: Developing the Skills Components of 4 Country Aug-19 Dec-21 $617,500 $1,749.00 Total Active All Windows $21,561,260
10 African Country Interventions Specific
Energy: Infrastructure Frontier Analysis 4 Global Jan-20 Sep-21 $400,000 $185,834.60
and Engagement Framework for Digital Knowledge
Transformation
Environment: Digital Opportunities for Blue 4 Global Upcoming Upcoming $150,000 Upcoming activity
Economy Knowledge activity activity
Transport: Flagship report: Digitalization of 4 Global Jul-20 Sep-21 $300,000 $272,021.34
Transport Knowledge
Transport: Regional Program for Digital 4 Global Jan-20 Dec-21 $300,000 $135,256.40
Innovation to Support Public Transport and Knowledge
Sector Growth
Digital and Disruptive Technologies in Human 5 Global Jul-21 Jun-22 $75,000 $75,000
Development Knowledge

Closed Activities
Activity Status Year Scope Start Closing Total Remaining
Activity Status Year Scope Start Closing Total Remaining Date Date Allocation balance
Window
Date Date Allocation balance as of Aug
Window
as of Aug 2021
2021 Development of the Enabling Closed 1 Global Apr-17 Sep-18 $269,925 $0
Doing Business Digitally Closed 1 Global Mar-17 May-20 $188,728.93 $0 Environment for the Digital Knowledge
Knowledge Economy
ICT4D Report Closed 1 Global Feb-17 Jun-19 225,000 $0 Digital Economy: SE Asia Closed 1 Country Aug-17 Oct-19 $249,992 $0
Knowledge (Indonesia Framework for Digital Specific
Econ)
Tanzania Data Diagnostics Closed 1 Country Feb-17 Dec-19 $176,388 $0
Specific SENEGAL DECA Closed 1 Country Nov-17 Jun-19 $193,177 $0
Specific
Survey on use of digital technol- Closed 2 Global Mar-17 Mar-20 $199,816.34 $0
ogy by SMEs Knowledge Central Asia: Designing and Closed 2 Country Nov-17 Apr-19 $99,987 $0
Piloting Digital Economy eXpress Specific
Developing the General Regulatory Closed 3 Global Nov-18 Jun-20 $121,077 $0 Assessments (DEXA)
and Governance Framework for Knowledge
Disruptive Technologies (Artificial Egypt: Developing the Digital Closed 3 Country Nov-18 Jan-21 $349,067 $44
Intelligence for Development) Economy Specific
Engendering ICT Toolkit Closed 3 Global Mar-19 Sep-20 $48,544.33 $0 Nigeria: Developing the Digital Closed 3 Country Nov-18 Jun-19 $45,005 $0
Knowledge Economy Specific
Niger: Assessing Migration using Closed 3 Country Nov-18 Dec-19 $10,842.59 $0 Rwanda: Accelerating the Digital Closed 3 Country Oct-18 Jun-20 $149,988 $0
CDR data and Other Geo-spatial Specific Economy Specific
technologies South Africa: Accelerating the Closed 3 Country Feb-19 Apr-20 $71,143 $0
Operationalizing Big Data Closed 3 Global May-19 Jun-21 $99,924.55 $0 Digital Economy Specific
Knowledge Angola: Digital Economy Closed 4 Country Nov-19 May-20 $135,764 $0

Developing the General Regulatory Closed 4 Global Jul-19 Dec-20 $107,013 $0 Assessment Specific
and Governance Framework for Knowledge Central Asia/Tajikistan: Technical Closed 4 Country Nov-19 Jun-21 $150,000 $0
Disruptive Technologies (Artificial Assistance to foster the update of Specific
Intelligence for Development) Digital Technologies
Phase II
Côte d'Ivoire: Digital Economy Closed 4 Country Sep-19 Dec-20 $150,000 $226
Kazakhstan: Supporting Design of Closed 4 Country N/A N/A $0 $0 Assessment Specific
2. Digital Economy
National Data Specific
Southern Africa: Digital Economy Closed 4 Country Mar-20 Mar-21 $150,000 $18,163
Window 1 closed activities total $1,177,336 Assessment Specific
Uganda: Digital Economy Closed 4 Country Nov-19 May-20 $149,961 $0
Assessment Specific
Window 2 closed activities total $2,164,009

Activity Status Year Scope Start Closing Total Remaining Activity Status Year Scope Start Closing Total Remaining
Date Date Allocation balance Date Date Allocation balance
Window
Window
as of Aug as of Aug
2021 2021
Cybersecurity Global Knowledge Closed 2 Global Jul-18 Jun-20 $361,647 $0 Digital Government Readiness Closed 1 Global Apr-17 Sep-21 $549,926 $0
3. Cybersecurity
and Engagement Knowledge Assessment Knowledge
Asia: Cybersecurity Capacity Closed 2 Country Jul-18 Jun-21 $148,076 $0 Massive Open Online Course Closed 1 Global Mar-17 Oct-17 $80,000 $0
Building in Asia Specific (MOOC) on Digital Dividends Knowledge
Myanmar: Advanced Digital Closed 1 Country Feb-17 Oct-18 $149,984 $0
Solutions Specific
Window 3 closed activities total $509,723
Cambodia: Supporting Digital Closed 2 Country Sep-17 Jun-19 $31,730 $0
ECOWAS: Regulatory Watch Closed 1 Country Feb-17 Apr-21 $250,000 $643.82
Government Enablers Specific
Initiative Phase I Specific
Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan / Closed 2 Country Mar-18 Aug-19 $99,980 $0
Innovative Business Models for Closed 1 Global Feb-17 Jun-21 $435,000.00 19,709
Digital CASA: Rapid Assistance to Specific
expanding Fiber-Optic Networks Knowledge
Support Digital Government Lending
and Closing the Access Gaps
Projects
Malawi: Telling its Digital Story Closed 1 Country Feb-17 Jun-18 88,096.53 $0
Window 5 closed activities total $1,002,101
Specific
Grant 1 - Digital Acceleration of Closed 1 Global Dec-20 Jun-21 $341,240 $0

Peru: Innovative Use of Spectrum Closed 1 Country Mar-17 Sep-18 $98,587.16 $0
Agricultural Transformation Knowledge
Specific
Transport: Better Data for Smarter Closed 1 Global May-17 Jan-19 $244,974 $0
Action Plan for Doubling Broadband Closed 2 Country Nov-18 Apr-20 $75,000 $0
Transport Knowledge
Connectivity Specific
Energy: Digital Technologies / Closed 2 Global Feb-18 Sep-20 $200,000 $204
Jordan - Broadband Infrastructure Closed 2 Country Sep-18 Dec-19 $251,350 $0
Assessment Methodology Knowledge
and Services, Fiber-Optic Network Specific
PPP Tanzania: Autonomous Aerial Closed 2 Country Jul-18 Jun-20 $550,696 $0
East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Closed 3 Country Nov-18 Jun-20 $231,844.92 $0 Systems in Tanzania Specific
Uganda): Pre-Investment Support Specific

Peru: Connected Roads Technical Closed 3 Global Jul-18 Aug-19 $234,725 $19,710
for East Africa Single Digital Market
Assistance Knowledge
Ethiopia: Telecom sector reform Closed 3 Country Nov-18 Apr-20 $442,153.73 $0
Specific Window 6 closed activities $1,571,635
ECOWAS: Regulatory Watch Closed 4 Country Dec-19 Jun-21 $347,400 $1,104 Total Active All Windows $8,644,236
Initiative Phase II Specific
Window 4 closed activities $2,219,432 Total spent from DDP
inception in 2016 until today
DDP Program Management and General Program Administration $850,000.00

Administration Communications and Outreach $500,000.00
Program Management and Logistics $900,000.00
Monitoring and Evaluation $250,000.00

Annex 3: Portfolio Activity Status Scope Year/ Description
Window
Tranche
Description Tanzania: Data

Diagnostic
Closed Country
Specific
1 The impact of ICT on economic growth has been well documented and
there is growing consensus that broadband internet services, in partic-
ular, are a key driver of modern competitiveness and economic growth.
However, the impact of ICT on poverty reduction and more specifically
on the well-being of the bottom 40% of the population has been less
Activity Status Scope Year/ Description evident. This project conducted a household survey to obtain data on ICT
Window
Tranche usage among the bottom 40% of the population in Tanzania, at home, at
school and at work. The team collaborated with the World Bank Poverty
Economists working on household surveys and poverty assessments spe-
ICT4D Report Closed Global 1 This activity delivered the 2018 edition of the Information and cifically in Tanzania, as well as with relevant Tanzanian stakeholders. The
Knowledge Communication for Development (ICT4D) Flagship Report, focused on activity met its objective to conduct a nationwide ICT household survey
Data-driven Development. The report examines how better information can across Tanzania and informed WB lending operations.
foster better policies. It aims to help firms and governments in developing
countries unlock the value in the data they hold to improve service delivery Use of Digital Closed Global 2 Firms that adopt digital technologies can accelerate product and process
and decision making, and empower individuals to take more control of their Technologies by Knowledge innovation, increase productivity, and create high-skilled jobs. Increasing
personal data. The report was formally launched during the DDP workshop SMEs the levels of adoption could assist governments the world over who are
in Seoul, October 16-17, 2018, with a DC launch on October 30, 2018, in looking for ways to boost productivity while also promoting innovation and
the context of the DDP Speaker series. At the time of publishing, around mitigating inequality. Yet, it is increasingly clear that firms in developing
35 economies around the world were drafting data protection legislation countries—and among those SMEs—are lagging in the adoption of these
(source UNCTAD), and are therefore able to benefit from the analysis and technologies and in using them to drive innovation and growth. This
recommendations presented in the report. activity produced a note that aims to improve understanding of the use of
digital technologies by smaller and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It
Doing Business Closed Global 1 The objective of Digital Business Indicators initiative was to measure the summarizes the results of surveys in 2019 on the use of digital technolo-
Digitally Knowledge laws, regulations, and bureaucratic processes that affect digital busi- gies by SMEs in Moldova and Armenia. In each country, around 400 SMEs
nesses in 21 pilot countries. Five topics are covered: connectivity, data operating in different industries and geographical areas were interviewed.
1. Data and Indicators
privacy and security, logistics, payment, and digital market regulations.

The proposed methodology follows the established methodology of the Harnessing Artificial Active Global 3 Artificial intelligence (AI) has rapidly emerged as an important topic for the
annual Doing Business series of reports, which is one of the World Bank's Intelligence for Knowledge global development agenda, and the COVID-19 pandemic is also yielding
most popular and most visible initiatives. The development of the indica- Development new and innovative AI applications and solutions. However, the develop-
tor/assessment methodology was conducted as a joint effort between the ment of AI technologies remains heavily concentrated in a small number of
World Bank’s Digital Development and Research units, in collaboration with advanced economies which have access to a strong local talent pool, a ro-
other World Bank Global Practices. bust research and development base, and access to capital to fuel growth
through investment. Many countries that have seen broad development
and adoption also have a national strategic direction for AI defined by their

governments. This activity produced a working paper exploring some of
these approaches to AI across 11 countries at different stages of digital
maturity and economic development, mapping initiatives to different policy
domain areas and identifying the tools and instruments that have been
proposed to implement AI strategies. This activity also produced several
workshops and seminars that explore innovative applications of AI for
development.

Activity Status Scope Year/ Description Activity Status Scope Year/ Description
Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Operational-zing Big Active Global 3 This activity supported the scaling up of IoT Big Data Analytics in World Poverty and Active Global 4 While enthusiasm for digital solutions as a driver for development has
Data Knowledge Bank lending projects. The activity explores enabling policy dialogue that Welfare Benefits of Knowledge grown over the past few years, questions remain in some parts of Africa
could pave the way for data policy reforms. The activity, conducted in Digitalization and elsewhere as regards possible welfare gains or losses. In this context,
collaboration with the GSMA, also produced several knowledge-sharing the main risk identified – possible job losses – is viewed differently by
workshops, seminars, and training courses on IOT use cases. different experts, as it remains open if digital technologies will replace
existing jobs, or – particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa – rather reduce in-
Engendering ICT Active Global 3 This activity developed an online toolkit that can help World Bank task
formality and spur economic activity in the informal sector. This work will
Toolkit Knowledge leaders ensure their digital development projects are sensitive to the
explore these questions as a strategic study to underpin the DE4A initiative
needs of women. The activity therefore advances the digital development
and help expand it to those parts of Africa still lagging behind in digital
/ gender agenda by practically integrating gender concerns into digital
adoption. This activity is ongoing.
development World Bank lending projects. The toolkit was completed, has
been well utilized, and is publicly available at: https://ddtoolkits.worldbank- Leveraging Data for Active Global 4 Building on the DDP-funded report “Data-Driven Development” (2018),
group.org/gender-toolkit/ Development Knowledge this activity produced a follow-on report, "Unraveling Data’s Gordian Knot:
Enablers and Safeguards for Trusted Data Sharing." The report finds that
Fragility, Conflict Active Global 4 The activity aims to better understand the ways in which digital tech-
unlocking data for reuse need not be at odds with individual rights—data
and Violence as Knowledge nologies interact with FCV societies and document the risks that are
sharing can uphold data protections and enhance individual agency and
a Context for the associated with the introduction and uptake of digital technologies in FCV
trust. The report emphasizes that the ability of data to be a force for posi-
Development for countries, particularly in remote, rural, and nomadic communities. The
tive development is dependent upon how the value and control of data are
Digital Economies findings will inform the DE4A and the operations of the World Bank and
distributed across the data lifecycle. Getting that distribution right necessi-
other development partners on how they may leverage the potential of
tates modalities for the trusted sharing of data. The report examines how
digital technologies to further the transition of FCV countries from fragility
countries are approaching data governance by drawing on country-specific
and violence to stability, while mitigating associated risks. As part of the
experiences.
work, a few specific country experiences will be looked at. This activity is
ongoing. Armenia: Supporting Active Country 4 This activity is part of a regional initiative that will assist three client
National Data Specific countries in Central Asia to jumpstart data-driven development by identi-
Gender Dimensions Active Global 4 The objective of this activity – which will be carried out in full partnership
Strategies fying data management challenges and new data sharing, analytics, and
of the Digital Knowledge with the EQUALS Initiative and GSMA – is to squarely put the gender
cognification opportunities. The activity focuses on Armenia.
Economy dimension on the digital development map, in particular in Africa as part
of the DE4A initiative. In Africa, more than half of the communities and Tajikistan: Active Country 4 This activity is part of a regional initiative that will assist three client
individuals who still need to be connected are women and girls. Experience Supporting National Specific countries in Central Asia to jumpstart data-driven development by identi-
has shown that this gap will not close on its own without specific and Data Strategies fying data management challenges and new data sharing, analytics, and
concerted gender-focused efforts. Against this background, this activity cognification opportunities. The activity focuses on Tajikistan.
is developing a plan and implementation support to address ownership
Harnessing Artificial Active Global 4 This second phase activity follows on the work previously undertaken
of internet-enabled devices, promotion of gender-focused content, and
Intelligence for Knowledge to understand policy and regulatory considerations around Artificial
roll-out of the plan in collaboration with telecom providers. This activity is
Development Intelligence and their applications to development. This phase II activity
ongoing.
A New Policy produced a working paper that provided review of Emerging Practices in AI
and Regulatory Policy and National AI Strategies.
Framework

(Phase II)
Assessment of the Active Country 4 The project aims at assessing the enabling environment for developing the
digital enabling Specific digital economy in Kazakhstan, including the strategic, legal, regulatory,
environment in and institutional framework for digital development. This task is linked
Kazakhstan to the preparation of the upcoming Resilient Digital Kazakhstan Program
(PforR).

Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Bridging the Digital Active Global 5 This activity will build on the existing partnership with the EQUALS initia- Leveraging the Active Country 5 The World Development Report 2021 (WDR21): Data for Better Lives
Gender Gap Knowledge tive and ongoing pilots addressing the digital gender divide. It aims at Power of Data Specific emphasizes the urgent need for countries to establish comprehensive
designing targeted interventions to ensure women and girls are included for Building Back data regulatory frameworks that facilitate the use/reuse of data while at
in the digital transformation of economies and societies, have access and Better: Africa- the same time safeguard the rights of stakeholders and the security of
use of digital technologies and the internet, and develop skills needed to Specific Report the systems and networks involved in data-related economic activities.
use digital technologies and to participate in their design and production. The report sets out an analytical framework for understanding the impact
of the data revolution on businesses, governments, and civil society. The
Development Active Global 5 AI is a rapidly developing field of technology. There is an ongoing debate
COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of data governance
Implications Knowledge about the potential implications of the technology for businesses, society,
in Africa. This activity will develop an Africa-specific report looking at
of Artificial and public policy. Much of this debate is focused on high-income countries
how African economies can leverage the power of data for building back
Intelligence (AI): with relatively little focus on the implications for developing countries.
better. The report would offer recommendations for policymakers on, for
This study looks at this issue, starting with a review of the technology,
instance, efficient and effective data management by African governments;
outlining the economic framework for assessing its development implica-
good practice policies, standards, and guidelines for the growth of re-
tions, reviewing existing evidence on this impact with a particular focus on
gionally interconnected data economy hubs in Africa; strategies, policies,
developing countries, and outlining possible policy responses.
and institutional frameworks for achieving these goals; stimulation and
Mobile Big Data for Active Global 5 The World Bank Group COVID-19 Mobility Task Force seeks to facilitate support of the business sector to develop innovative data-driven goods
Decision Making on Knowledge access to mobile Big Data for decision making on critical information infra- and services and regionally harmonized data protection frameworks to
Critical Information structures, during health or environmental disasters. This activity therefore safeguard personal data. To secure the systems, networks, and applica-
Infrastructures aims at a global adjustment of Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) licens- tions required to achieve this vision and defend investments from cyber-

During Crises ing agreements such that call detail records (CDRs) can be requested by crime and attacks, recommendations for cybersecurity will be explored
governments (or will automatically be provided) in cases when national as part of the requisite enabling environment. The report may undertake a
emergencies are pronounced by governments for epidemic or environ- series of country case studies and will look, in particular, at the continuing
mental disaster reasons. This would involve an a priori agreement of the relevance of the Malabo Convention on Cybersecurity and Personal Data
telecom data that will be shared, which level of aggregation and ano- Protection, which dates from 2014, to examine to what extent it may need
nymization is acceptable, where the line to data privacy is drawn, in what revisiting or alignment with the Council of Europe’s Budapest Convention
previously agreed formats it will be shared, and where/ how/ to whom the on Cybercrime.
data insights will be made available. Work would include two components:
Development Closed Global 1 This activity has played a key role in developing, conceptualizing, and
i) Setting the stage for facilitated technical access to MNO Big Data during
2. Digital Economy
of the Enabling Knowledge launching the work in the Digital Economy area. It has helped develop a
times of national emergency, and ii) Preparing for policy and regulatory
Environment for common framework for digital economy assessments, define critical indi-
permissions to access MNO big data during times of national emergency.
Digital Economy cators for the main building blocks of the intervention area, and boosted
international, regional, and national interest in the topic. As such, it has
Impact Assessment Active Global 5 With the goal of creating demonstration effects of DDP projects, the
and Capturing Knowledge program will develop an M&E framework, including a robust impact assess- helped pave the way for the DE4A initiative, and has underpinned the first
Lessons Learned ment program to continuously assess systemic impact, distill operational round of country assessments, such as in Senegal and in Tajikistan.
learnings and systematically feed the findings back into the program
design. It will particularly focus on the successes and lessons learned
during the first phase of COVID-19 emergency response with the aim of
informing subsequent activity planning.

Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Digital Economy Closed Country 1 With rapidly increasing access to affordable broadband internet, the emerg- South Africa: Closed Country 3 South Africa stands out for its large digital economy potential, but its
Enabling Specific ing middle-income countries of Southeast Asia eg Indonesia, Thailand, Accelerating the Specific economic growth and transformation is suffering from the inability to lay
Environment – Philippines, Vietnam, and Malaysia, are interested in furthering their Digital Economy the infrastructure for the digital economy, to create an enabling ecosystem
Southeast Asia economies by boosting digital businesses from e-commerce to the sharing for entrepreneurship and innovation, and to produce the skills needed. This
economy to app development and outsourcing. Yet, while technologies may activity assesses the state of the digital economy in South Africa, includ-
offer such opportunities, many of these countries are still lagging in terms ing providing analysis on: (i) extending connectivity and internet access
of “digital adoption” and policymakers are facing new and fast-emerging for all, (ii) strengthening South Africa’s entrepreneurship and innovation
policy and regulatory challenges, on top of existing business/investment ecosystem, (iii) scaling up digital skills development, and (iv) advancing
climate issues. This activity is engaging in a range of awareness-raising and digital platforms for service delivery. The assessment is part of the DE4A
capacity-developing activities in policy areas such as: (a) data protection, initiative.
including cross-border data flows; (b) digital economy taxation issues; and
Rwanda: Closed Country 3 This activity carries out the standardized Digital Economy for Africa as-
(c) regulatory treatment of non-traditional communication services provid-
Accelerating the Specific sessment in Rwanda. This assessment analysis benchmarks the country’s
ers. The main report on The Digital Economy in Southeast Asia: Building the
Digital Economy situation across five dimensions – digital infrastructure, digital skills, digi-
Foundations for Future Growth was published in June 2019. Background
tal platforms, digital financial services, and digital entrepreneurship - as a
papers were also prepared on connectivity, skills, and logistics as inputs to
first step to develop and implement a comprehensive digital infrastructure
the main report.
and policy-related lending activity. This assessment is part of the DE4A
Senegal: Digital Closed Country 1 The objective of this activity was to support Senegal in gaining a holistic initiative and results can be found on the DE4A website.
Economy Specific perspective of the country’s readiness for a digital transformation in line
Rwanda: Closed Country 3 This activity carries out the standardized Digital Economy for Africa as-
with the October 2016 adopted national strategy for the Digital Economy
Accelerating the Specific sessment in Rwanda. This assessment analysis benchmarks the country’s
("Sénégal numérique") that establishes clear policy orientations to pro-
Digital Economy situation across five dimensions – digital infrastructure, digital skills, digi-
mote competition and establish an improved governance model for the
tal platforms, digital financial services, and digital entrepreneurship - as a
ICT sector. To achieve this objective, the activity had carried out a Digital
first step to develop and implement a comprehensive digital infrastructure
Economy Country Assessment (DECA) in Senegal, and identified two pri-
and policy-related lending activity. This assessment is part of the DE4A
ority sectors eligible for World Bank interventions. Part of the results also
initiative and results can be found on the DE4A website.
include the recent (December 2018) adoption of the Code on Electronic
Communications, which ends a long period of regulatory uncertainty. Egypt: Developing Closed Country 3 The Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) of
the Digital Economy Specific the Government of Egypt is responsible for overseeing the development
Central Asia: Closed Country 2 This activity carried out a range of digital economy country assessments,
of the Egyptian ICT sector. In particular, it is seeking to boost investor
Designing and Specific to help governments and key stakeholders gain a holistic understanding of
confidence in the sector as well as enhancing Egypt's positioning in the
Piloting Digital the current state of the digital economy in their country and identify exist-
global marketplace. Accordingly, MCIT is seeking the support of the World
Economy eXpress ing gaps and opportunities. In Kyrgyzstan, the findings and policy recom-
Bank Group in devising a detailed roadmap and providing implementation
Assessments mendations have guided the development of the Digital Kyrgyzstan 2019-
support for the ICT Sector Strategy 2025. This should include a workplan
(DEXA) 2023 concept and its implementation roadmap. These efforts have also
2. Digital Economy
that outlines specific programs to achieve the required outcomes by 2025.
contributed to the preparation and approval of the Digital CASA-Kyrgyzstan
Under this activity, the Bank provided technical assistance support to the
2. Digital Economy
project that was officially ratified by the Parliament of the Kyrgyz Republic
Government of Egypt through a comprehensive “Digital Economy for Egypt”
in 2019. In Uzbekistan the government is using the assessment to inform
package, including the following advisory and technical assistance aspect
the Digital CASA KG project preparation and the Digital Uzbekistan 2030
on telecom infrastructure development, digital transformation/transforma-
strategy design. In Armenia, the work has informed the digital economy
tion into digital society, and innovation and entrepreneurship.
strategy (DATA – Digital Armenia Transformation Agenda) in preparation
by the Ministry of High-Tech Industry.

Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Iraq: Digital Active Country 3 This activity is an early needs identification activity to start a conversation Digital Regulation Active Global 4 The objective of this activity – to be carried out in full partnership with
Connectivity Specific with the Government of Iraq on the opportunities and specifications of Online Handbook Knowledge the ITU – is to contribute to the shaping of the global ICT regulatory
Assessment digital connectivity models. The activity aims to support the government landscape. The activity has supported the development of a new regu-
in formulating a roadmap for developing green, resilient, inclusive, and latory handbook, replacing the successful but dated main ICT regulatory
integrated digital connectivity infrastructure through private sector part- handbook which has, for many years, served as the global reference book
nerships that can catalyze growth, investments, and private sector job for ICT regulation. The new handbook is a review and update of a range
creation. of regulatory content ranging from regulatory basics, guidelines, and body
of evidence on collaborative regulation for digital transformation, the
Pakistan: Active Country 3 This activity identified the early needs to start a conversation with the
ITU market and regulatory metrics (IDI and ICT Regulatory Tracker) and
Developing the Specific Government of Pakistan on the opportunities and specifications of digitally
related analysis, the interactive broadband maps, as well as case studies,
Digital Economy enabled business models.
best practices, and inputs from open and closed-door discussions at the
Nigeria: Developing Closed Country 3 This activity carries out the standardized Digital Economy for Africa Broadband Commission and other standard-setting/regulatory bodies.
the Digital Economy Specific assessment. This assessment analysis benchmarks the country’s situa- Client countries will benefit from access to a comprehensive package
tion across five dimensions – digital infrastructure, digital skills, digital of ICT policy and regulatory information on a digital platform, which will
platforms, digital financial services, and digital entrepreneurship - as a first support them in their digital transformation journey. In addition to the
step to develop and implement a comprehensive digital infrastructure and development of the updated handbook and the accompanying toolkit, this
policy-related lending activity. activity also developed a series of learning courses and seminars.
Digital Economy in Active Country 4 Southeast Asian countries are keen to better leverage digital technologies Effective regu- Active Global 4 As the digital development agenda unfolds, awareness of its specific
SE Asia Specific to support their development objectives, including investing in more ef- lation for Digital Knowledge characteristics increases and fosters a lively international debate on an
fective institutions and supporting a more dynamic private sector. With a Development effective competition framework for the digital sector. Against this con-
full section in its 2014-2018 National Strategic Development Plan (NSDP) text, low- and middle-income countries are raising questions as to good
dedicated to ICT, Cambodia has made the development and better use of practices in competition policy in digital markets – practices that are often
ICTs a priority. To assist with the implementation of this high-level strat- only nascent in developed markets themselves. To respond to the need for
egy, this DDP-funded activity will assist Cambodia in particular as regards more engagement and more discussion, this activity will mostly create a
discussion forum to listen to the voices of regulators, the private sector,
2. Digital Economy
opportunities for higher use of ICT in government services. The activity will
help identify priority areas and key services to be digitized in the country and experts as to latest trends in competition policy. All DDP partners will
context of Cambodia, and conduct feasibility studies and cost-benefit be very welcome to play a strong role in the discussion.
analyses for shared infrastructure and e-services. There is a possibility
Angola: Digital Closed Country 4 The DE4A activity is driven forward through operational engagement at
that the work will lead to a request for an investment project funding from
Economy Specific client level. The objective of this activity is to help relevant sectors and
the World Bank.
projects in selected African countries (specifically, Angola, Côte d’Ivoire,
Côte d’Ivoire Digital Closed Country 4 Uganda, and Botswana) to increase and improve their use of digital and/
Economy Specific or disruptive technologies for development, using toolkits and assessment
2. Digital Economy
methods developed by DDP in earlier funding rounds, for quick identifica-
Southern Africa: Closed Country 4 tion of key digital challenges and opportunities, for tactical and operational
Digital Economy Specific advice, and with the aim to help develop World Bank lending projects in
these countries for transformational impact. It will also include work on
Uganda: Digital Closed Country 4 the impact evaluation of the DE4A initiative.
Economy Specific

Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Digital Economy for Active Country 4 This activity supports the methodology of the DE4A initiative by developing Estimating Upcoming Country 5 This activity aims to assess the state of digital connectivity infrastructure
Africa: Impact and Specific a more robust and long-term monitoring and evaluation framework. This Socioeconomic activity Specific readiness in Ukraine post-COVID to highlight gaps and priority actions for
Evaluation is essential to track progress over time and achieve the objective of full Impacts of the Shift the Ministry of Digital Transformation. The assessment aims to estimate
digital inclusion by 2030. to Teleworking and socioeconomic impact of the shift from paper-based processes and
e-Commerce face-to-face interactions to telework and e-commerce in small and medi-
MENA Tech Active Country 4 The premise for this activity is building trustworthy data governance
um-sized businesses, with an objective to broaden the Ministry’s vision on
Initiative Specific systems that enable effective harnessing of data for development in the
the ways to promote digitalization of businesses through fiscal incentives
MENA region.
and other means. This assessment will thus build capacity of the central
South Asia: Active Country 4 The World Bank is engaging with countries across Asia to identify new executive branch to jumpstart economic recovery through tailored support
Digital Economy Specific opportunities for growth and inclusion from the digital economy. These to digitalization. As a by-product, the Bank will estimate the high-speed
Assessments for engagements have resulted in most cases from ongoing policy dialogue broadband connectivity needs of public institutions, especially in the
eight countries in or investment lending programs and they reflect an interest from these education and healthcare sectors, which are currently unconnected to
SAR countries to identify the public policies and investments that can promote high-speed broadband internet and thus cannot benefit from e-education
their national digital economies. At the same time, there are opportunities and e-health applications and systems launched during the period of
to be realized through regional programs that could improve connectivity, restrictions (or before).
access to markets, and grow the regional digital economy. The objective
Digital Economy Active Country 5 The World Bank Group is accelerating the operationalization of the Digital
of this activity is to carry out eight digital economy assessments for South
for Africa Country Specific Economy for Africa (DE4A) initiative in engagements (investments and
Asian countries as a starting point for stronger IDA engagements in the
Diagnostics in times support to reforms), building on the support gained from the African
SAR region. Complementary to these comprehensive assessments to be
of COVID-19: The Union (AU) and following up on the recommendations of the DE4A country
carried out in South Asia, this activity will investigate matters of informal-
Gambia diagnostics. This operationalization fully embeds digital technologies and
ity and digital inclusion in South Asia.
relevant digital policies as playing a key role in mitigating the COVID-19
Central Asia / Upcoming Country 4 Similar to other regions, the objective of the activity is to help relevant crisis through digital connectivity and essential digital solutions. Following
Ukraine: Technical Specific sectors and projects in Europe and Central Asia, increase and improve their up on the revision of the Digital Economy Country Diagnostic tool (version
assistance to foster use of digital and/or disruptive technologies for development, using tool- 2) and the definition of a DE4A high level scorecard, the Bank will continue
the update of Digital kits and assessment methods developed by DDP in earlier funding rounds. to conduct Digital Economy Country diagnostics to cover the full continent.
Technologies This will help develop World Bank lending projects in these countries for This activity covers a DE4A assessment in the Gambia.
more transformational impact.
Digital Economy Active Country 5 The World Bank Group is accelerating the operationalization of the Digital
2. Digital Economy
Central Asia / Closed Country 4 Similar to other regions, the objective of the activity is to help relevant sec- for Africa Country Specific Economy for Africa (DE4A) initiative in engagements (investments and
Tajikistan: Technical Specific tors in Tajikistan increase and improve their use of digital and/or disruptive Diagnostics in times support to reforms), building on the support gained from the African
assistance to foster technologies for development, using toolkits and assessment methods of COVID-19: Sudan Union (AU) and following up on the recommendations of the DE4A country
the update of Digital developed by DDP in earlier funding rounds. This will help develop World diagnostics. This operationalization fully embeds digital technologies and
Technologies Bank lending projects in Tajikistan for more transformational impact. Digital Economy Active Country 5 relevant digital policies as playing a key role in mitigating the COVID-19
2. Digital Economy
for Africa Country Specific crisis through digital connectivity and essential digital solutions. Following
Diagnostics in times up on the revision of the Digital Economy Country Diagnostic tool (version
of COVID-19: South 2) and the definition of a DE4A high level scorecard, the Bank will continue
Sudan to conduct Digital Economy Country diagnostics to cover the full continent.
These two activities will launch DE4A assessments in Sudan and South
Sudan.

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Latin America and Active Country 5 The activity aims to support selected client countries in the LAC region Cybersecurity Closed Global 2 This umbrella activity is supporting a range of knowledge and engagement
the Caribbean | Specific with data analytics, baseline analysis, and targeted advice to identify Global Knowledge Knowledge activities to foster cybersecurity awareness and capacity building. On the
Digital Economy bottlenecks in the foundations of the digital economy, identify COVID-19 and Engagement knowledge side, it is preparing a cybersecurity in IoT guide aimed at (i)
for LAC Region recovery solutions, and drive policy changes and operations to maximize determining a relationship between security classifications for services
(DE4LAC): benefits and manage the risks. The deliverables will complement and build and data applicability of IoT specific, (ii) identifying steps involved in the
on ongoing efforts in various countries across the region to establish the decision making on data classification and IoT/cloud architecture, and (iii)
baseline and understanding of where each country stands in their digital providing recommendations on security risks and mitigation measures. On
transformation. It will identify gaps in the foundations of the digital econ- the engagement side, this activity is supporting study tours to DDP partner
omy and develop a concrete plan to close these gaps within short- and countries, exposing representatives from low- and middle-income coun-
medium-term horizons. The activity focuses on the impact of the COVID-19 tries to the latest technology and approaches for a secure cyberspace.
outbreak (eg. network and services resilience and continuity, barriers for
Asia: Cybersecurity Closed Country 2 Levels of digital adoption and cybersecurity vary in Asia, and many
accessing online learning or e-health solutions, existing digital divides
in Asia Specific Asian countries urgently need to develop cybersecurity frameworks that
(urban vs. rural, and high vs. low income, education level, gender and
encompass policy, legal, regulatory, and technical matters and protect
age-related), etc.) and provide further recommendations at the regional
their critical infrastructure. As in Africa (above), this activity is supporting
and country level, emphasizing measures that could be taken to accelerate
national and regional cybersecurity strategies through assessments of the
social and economic recovery and future proof against future shocks.
maturity of legal and regulatory frameworks, skills, governance structures,
Tunisia: Digital Active Country 5 Through this activity, the World Bank supports Tunisia’s Ministry of and necessary institutions such as CERTS and SOCs. Country commitment
Development Model Specific Communication Technologies (MCT) with capacity building around the and ownership will be nurtured by encouraging member states to lead
to complement implementation of its digital strategy 2025, based on international best this initiative by identifying their own individual challenges, priorities, and
COVID-19 Response practices. The proposed technical assistance activities will also include solutions.
design and implementation of a future digital transformation operating
Africa: Active Country 2 Africa is seeing a range of efforts to develop digital economies and region-
model that will supervise and coordinate government digital initiatives.
Cybersecurity Specific ally integrate digital markets. While these efforts are laudable, the ad-
The Ministry’s capacity and ability to implement its digital strategy will
Capacity Building in vancement of digital infrastructure has exposed states to serious, intercon-
be upgraded in both the response to and the recovery from the COVID-19
Africa nected cybersecurity threats. Recently reported cyberattacks have shown
2. Digital Economy
pandemic, and the population will be provided with better digital services
the devastating consequences of the loss of personal data, finances, and
and employment opportunities. The activity builds on a strong dialogue
livelihoods. African countries are therefore under extreme pressure to
established with the Government to keep its digital strategy up to interna-
develop cybersecurity frameworks that encompass policy, legal, regulatory,
tional standards. The project has a strong COVID-19 focus and comes at
and technical matters and protect their critical infrastructure. Against this
a time when the government’s capacity and ability to implement its digital
background, this activity is supporting national and regional cybersecurity
strategy is critical for both the response to and recovery from COVID-19.
strategies through assessments of the maturity of legal and regulatory
3. Cybersecurity
frameworks, skills, governance structures, and necessary institutions such
as CERTS and SOCs. Country commitment and ownership is critical for
this process and will be nurtured by encouraging member states to lead
this initiative by identifying their own individual challenges, priorities, and
solutions.

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Cybersecurity Active Global 4 This activity seeks to expand the work the World Bank has been doing in Malawi: Telling its Closed Country 1 This activity has contributed significantly to developing both political
Issues in Public Knowledge building national-level cybersecurity frameworks to individual sectors that Digital Story Specific will and country commitment for Malawi’s digital economy agenda both
Utilities are particularly vulnerable – like the power sector. The activity will there- through the video which illustrated Malawi’s digital future but also by
fore build a partnership between clients which either have concerns about providing objective economic and financial analysis during the design of
cybersecurity in their power systems – or even have been attacked – with the project. In particular, the activity supported an economic and financial
agencies which have experience in securing operational technology (OT) analysis for the recently approved and effective $72.4 million IDA-financed
necessary to modern power systems. The goal of the activity is to ensure Digital Malawi project, which illustrated the strong return on investment
that pilot client utilities – tentatively identified in Brazil, India, and Turkey – expected under the project and helped build the case for its approval with
understand the threats facing them, develop tailored utility-specific re- the Ministry of Finance and Members of Parliament. The economic and
sponse frameworks that help identify and respond to intrusions to OT, and financial analysis models, designed and created under this window, are
can secure their systems. The lessons learned from these partnerships being replicated for similar new digital economy investments.
will be consolidated into a toolkit that can help other utilities in emerging
Peru: Innovative Use Closed Country 1 The main activity under this TA was the development of the innovative
markets build up their own capacity.
of Spectrum Specific Spectrum Management in Peru. The studies allowed to determine the
Engagement in the Active Global 4 This activity will strengthen the partnership dimension of cybersecurity status quo of current spectrum usage in Peru and provide advice on ap-
Global Forum for Knowledge development support, under the umbrella of the Global Forum on Cyber plicable innovative spectrum-sharing practices as well as efficient use of
3. Cybersecurity
Cyber Expertise Expertise (GFCE). The activity aims at enabling greater international collab- spectrum management, based on conducting and subsequently analyzing
(GFCE) oration in the area of cybersecurity by bringing together partners from the results of a spectrum measurement survey and expectations of future
private sector, academia, development institutions, and governments. This demand, and supporting the project team in conducting stakeholder inter-
program is intended to serve as a platform for catalytic capacity-building views and consultations.
activities; more detailed planning is in progress.
In addition, two workshops were delivered, (i) one to present best practices
Innovative Business Closed Global 1 As more than 4 billion people live without internet access and 90 percent
on the digital agenda regarding spectrum innovation in the region, and (ii)
Models for Knowledge of them are in developing countries, it is clear that significant investment
a second discussed regional efficiency spectrum policies and regulations
Expanding Fiber- and creative business and operating models need to be put into practice
researched by Peru and implemented in Mexico. The panelists described
Optic Networks and quickly to bridge today’s digital divide. In collaboration with the IFC’s
the main challenges for Peru and some best practices from Mexico.
Closing the Access Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Team, this activity
Gaps has evaluated the recent history of the multiple business models that
Due to the analytical work carried out, along with the workshops developed
have been implemented in the build-out and operation of international
in Peru, the MTC has implemented the following activities: (i) from January
and national fiber-optic networks (“backbone networks”). The analytical
to June 2019 the MTC started a consultation with the private sector for the
work discussed successes, failures, and lessons learned from the diverse
reframing of specific bands aiming at promoting the entry of new operators
business models and it has proposed innovative business models for
as well as the use of new technologies (5G or TV white spaces), (ii) policy
fiber-optic network deployment. The main deliverable of the activity – a
changes for promoting spectrum leasing and spectrum secondary markets,
comprehensive report – was launched in January 2019 and it has since
and (iii) reduction in the license prices for operators that deploy infrastruc-

been disseminated at global, regional, and national levels.
ture in rural, poor, and remote areas.
Action Plan for Closed Global 3 A Working Group part of the UN Broadband Commission took up its work
Doubling Broadband Knowledge in September 2018, to produce a global reference report which prescribes
Connectivity a strategic action plan to achieve the universal connectivity goal with
estimates of the investment needs. This is informing the DE4A strategy in
its digital infrastructure pillar, and is underpinning the World Bank Group’s
infrastructure investment and lending offering pipeline.

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Ethiopia: Telecom Closed Country 3 The Government of Ethiopia requested, in June 2018, advice from the Feasibility Study to Active Global 4 What would it take to advance the digitization of the African continent
sector Reform Specific World Bank covering state-owned enterprise (SOE) reform in four areas: Comprehensively Knowledge through an approach that focuses on universities as centers of education,
telecoms, aviation, transport/logistics, and energy. The privatization of Connect all African development, and promotion of the youth, by comprehensively connecting
EthioTelecom, and potential introduction of competition, would represent Universities to High- all African universities with high-speed internet? This study will undertake
a major step forward for a country that is the last remaining major market Speed Internet this thinking exercise to offer a different perspective on the broadband
untouched by market liberalization. Within the multi-sector effort, telecom agenda. It will include a detailed plan, cost estimates, and feasibility
privatization will be the flagship deliverable. Against this background, this considerations to make universities development hubs in Africa through
activity delivers (i) technical advice to prepare for telecom privatization, the availability of high-speed internet.
market liberalization, and creation of an independent regulator; (ii) an ICT
Reaching the Active Global 4 The objective of this activity is to conduct country-level assessments
sector survey to create a baseline against which to measure the impact
Bottom 10%: Knowledge and diagnostic reviews, compile international best practices and suggest
of the reform process; and (iii) a study of how information security can
Financing, Policy a framework, action plan, and recommendations for a new model for
be reconciled with further market liberalization, to respond to government
and Regulatory Universal Service Fund (USF) repurposed for accelerated access and
concerns in this area.
Models and Country the wider Digital Economy (eg. considering new market entrants such
East Africa (Kenya, Closed Country 3 At the end of June 2018, the Heads of State of the Northern Corridor Case Studies as OTTs). This new model should be an efficient and agile instrument,
Rwanda, Uganda): Specific (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, South Sudan) committed their countries to replicable in other regions and countries, to support the targets of increas-
Pre-Investment forming a Single Digital Market (SDM). The aim of a SDM is to create a ing broadband connectivity, especially in rural areas and for vulnerable
Support for East more deeply integrated and dynamic digital investment, innovation, and populations, closing the gender, social, and geographical digital divide
Africa Single Digital trade hub in East Africa - unlocking the growth potential of the East African towards reaching full access by 2030. The outputs will inform the DE4A,
Market Digital Economy. This commitment by the Heads of State is a direct result government policy, operationalization and design of the USF, broadband
of earlier analytical work and dialogue by the Bank in support of the East deployment, and Digital Economy strategy.
Africa Single Digital Market Initiative, such as a strategic framework and
5G Flagship Active Global 4 The new generation of 5G mobile networks, often touted as one of the
‘digital roadmap’ of policy reforms and investments critical to achieving
Activity: 5G as Knowledge most radical technological revolutions, is widely regarded as the engine
the SDM; a results framework for tracking progress; and an economic
an Opportunity underpinning economic development and competitiveness of countries.
and jobs impact analysis which quantifies the benefits of an SDM (up to
to Leapfrog 5G technology will disrupt the traditional mobile business ecosystem and
a $2.6 billion boost in GDP and 4.5 million new jobs). Based on this work,
Development transform entire industries around the internet of things (IoT), enabling
the Governments of Kenya and Rwanda have requested support from the
$12.3 trillion of global economic output and creating 22 million jobs by
World Bank for implementation of the SDM initiative. Similar discussions

2035. However, there is inconclusive evidence of the potential impact
are under way with the Government of Uganda. The proposed activities
of 5G in the development context. Disruptive technologies can act as
support the implementation process through technical assistance towards
enablers to growth as well as inhibitors from their tendency to exacerbate
project identification and regional coordination activities, and are expected
the digital divide. With such a revolutionary technology, the effects of the
to lead to a regional World Bank investment or development policy opera-
digital divide from 5G may be irreversible. The primary aim of this activity
tion in Fiscal Year 2020. A regional IDA development operation would be a
on 5G technology is to bring about awareness around the technology and
first of its kind within the World Bank.
to provide a platform to discuss the implications of the technology for
ECOWAS: Closed Country 4 The African Regulatory Watch Initiative (ARWI), launched by the World development both in terms of opportunities and limitations.
Regulatory Watch Specific Bank two years ago, is aimed at helping ECOWAS Member States move to-
Initiative I & II wards a second phase of reform, after the adoption of the Supplementary
Acts in 2006, to remove the remaining bottlenecks resulting from closed
markets or monopolies as well as unnecessary regulatory barriers to entry
in the market. Initiatives in this area also need to take into account new
actors in OTT services, hurdles to regional harmonization, and tax burdens
on the sector.

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Affordable Active Global 5 This activity will have three objectives: 1) Identify and evaluate various Regulatory Watch Active Country 5 New dynamics of competition and regulatory challenges call for a new deal
Broadband Devices Knowledge approaches and programs to bring down the costs of broadband-enabled Initiative Phase 3 Specific in regulation and competition policy. The ICT Regulatory Watch Initiative
devices at multiple stages across the supply chain from manufacturing (RWI) launched by the World Bank at the beginning of the life cycle of DDP
to distribution. 2) Carry out a proof-of-concept activity for a small loan is aimed at making selected West Africa, East Africa, MENA, ECA, and
guarantee facility in select countries to inform the design of related com- LAC countries move toward a second phase of reform to remove the last
ponents in pipeline lending operations. The facility would provide a partial bottlenecks due to monopolies or dominant positions and unnecessary
loan guarantee to allow customers to pay expensive device costs with regulatory barriers to entry in the market, remove gaps in regional harmo-
installment plans. 3) Develop a standard component on affordable device nization, take into account new actors such as OTT, avoid excessive tax
ownership in projects under preparation by leveraging lessons learned burden, spectrum management, regulatory governance, data protection
from past programs and the pilot activities. This proposed activity would and governance. The objective of the overall activity is to support the
complement the efforts of the planned interventions of upstream policy second phase of the ICT RWI which will focus on spectrum regulation and
reform and network deployment by contributing to demand stimulus and data governance. The geographic perimeter of the RWI Phase 3 will include
increased utilization of networks to achieve universal, affordable, and good ECOWAS, MENA, East-African countries and separately selected ECA and
quality broadband access to people. While this is a general development LAC countries.
objective, it is likewise a core mitigation for the COVID-19 crisis.
Modularization Active Global 5 Several online repositories, including ITU’s REG4COVID Platform, crowd-
Mapping Africa’s Active Country 5 The activity aims to develop a dynamic Open Source map of terrestrial con- of Emergency Knowledge source projects and initiatives that governments or the private sector are
Broadband Specific nectivity, including dark fiber across Africa, that is continuously updated Response and Crisis introducing. The World Bank Group has established the COVID-19 Fast
Infrastructure and used by a range of private and public sector stakeholders. Existing Management for Track Facility and multiple operations have already been approved and
efforts in mapping linear digital infrastructure will be leveraged through Telecommunications are being prepared to support emergency measures to help countries
strategic partnerships and standardization of data sources. The activity respond to the immediate needs. Meanwhile, the repositories are yet
will be implemented in a phased approach starting with data collection a list of various experiences and applications. A modularized program
and development of standards for mapping and platform. This will be leveraging lessons learned from various measures would inform any future

achieved through partnership with key stakeholders including Network pandemic / emergency response operations. This activity will comprise
Startup Resource Center (NSRC – University of Oregon), Mozilla, the three sub-components: i) develop a live internal repository on different
African Telecommunications Union (ATU), and UKE (Office of Electronic actions taken by various stakeholders in the telecommunications sector;
Communications, Poland). This will be followed by publication of the ii) modularize technologies, business models, financing mechanisms, and
standards and conversion of existing sources of data to a single unified policy measures for emergency response and crisis management; and iii)
map and supporting open data platform. The activity will also include deliver the findings through a series of thematic workshops with industry
development of a traffic flow map and analysis tools for researchers and and public sector practitioners to facilitate knowledge exchange and offer
regulators, and awareness raising and capacity building among regulators capacity building for client government officials.
and policymakers through three workshops. The medium-term plan is to
extend the data-mapping platform to a global scope.
Spectrum Planning Active Global 5 With the surging demands for internet traffic, spectrum resources made
and Management Knowledge available by governments can quickly ease the congestion. This activity
for Emergency seeks to support client governments and regulators in optimizing the
Preparedness and mobile network infrastructure and granting short-term access to available
Response: spectrums to provide additional mobile broadband capacity. Therefore,

the team aims to develop a national demand forecast model for spectrum
in emergency situations by identifying key factors and assumptions. The
analytical work will then carry out research to review and evaluate different
spectrum-related mechanisms that are being implemented to respond to
such increased demands. In addition, the team will also establish success
and risk factors that should be considered in design and implementation
of the emergency spectrum measures.

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Innovative Models Upcoming Country 5 Large parts of MENA’s unconnected population are in areas where tradi- E-Government Closed Global 1 This activity has prepared a Digital Government Readiness Assessment
Broadband and activity Specific tional high-speed broadband infrastructure is economically unfeasible Master Toolkit Knowledge (DGRA) toolkit, which assesses the current state of readiness of a govern-
Private Capital for private operators to develop through traditional means of financing. ment to adopt and leverage disruptive technologies toward better online
Mobilization in the To address this issue, governments regularly devise programs that rely public service delivery. As a strategic planning tool, the DGRA aims to
MENA countries – on public interventions and subsidies and public-private partnerships. evaluate the current potential for digital government development across
Phase I In most cases, however, these programs target support to existing and eight key dimensions: leadership and governance; user focus; business
well-established operators and are not yet able to address the digital divide process change; capabilities, culture, and skills; shared infrastructure;
between rural and urban areas. The aim of this program is to maximize data driven; cybersecurity, privacy, and resilience; and enabling a national
private capital mobilization while providing support to local communities ecosystem. First applications of the toolkit have already been carried out
and subnational governments in the MENA region and facilitate the flow to test it and refine the methodology.
of investments into broadband connectivity projects in underserved areas.
Massive Open Closed Global 1 Beyond infrastructure and policy reforms, a widespread recognition of
The technical assistance will focus on supporting small to medium com-
Online Course Knowledge the development enhancing effects of digital technologies are necessary
munity-led projects in developing sound technical and financial broadband
(MOOC) on Digital for a country to reap digital dividends. To foster a large uptake of infor-
access business models. In this role, the World Bank team will work
Dividends mation on digital technologies and the opportunities offered by digital
with selected community projects in developing feasibility studies and
development, DDP supported the development of a Massive Open Online
innovative and efficient technical solutions, preparing sound business and
Course (MOOC). This course, named Digital Dividends and hosted through
financial plans, and responding to investors’ requests and requirements.
the World Bank’s Open Learning Campus (OLC), is based on the World
The overall objective is to bring these projects to a maturity level that
Development Report 2016. In its initial cycle from November to December
would enable them to receive funding from various financial partners
2017, it was made available to more than 3,000 people from 147 countries.
(private commercial banks, national and international development banks,
specialized equity funds, public financing, etc.). The team will also liaise Myanmar: Advanced Closed Country 1 This activity has assisted the Government of Myanmar (GOM) in analyzing
with policymakers and regulators to support the development of enabling Digital Solutions Specific the investment feasibility of a proposed $100 million Digital Myanmar
policies and regulations that can make these investments more efficient project. The activity also analyzed and provided strategic advice to GOM
and facilitate the deployment of infrastructure in less profitable areas. This for the project’s successful implementation; including options for institu-
work has both a general development ambition and a COVID-19 angle, as it tional structure, political economy stakeholders and issues, and key risks
will foster digital inclusion as needed to effectively fight off the pandemic. and suggested mitigations. While project preparation took more time,
enthusiasm for such a project is alive and may materialize in the future.
Namibia: Reaching Active Country 5 The activity will provide technical assistance to the Government of
Universal Internet Specific Namibia to support the work toward reaching universal access to the Kyrgyz Republic Closed Country 2 This activity aimed at supporting preparation, technical design, and early
Access internet. In particular, the activity will cover the following components: (1) and Uzbekistan Specific implementation support of Digital CASA (Central Asia – South Asia)
a demand analysis/geospatial planning for the country to identify areas / Digital CASA: projects in Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. This was done through conduct-
where the market will not be going to without incentives, (2) identification Rapid Assistance ing digital government readiness assessments and related just-in-time
of policy actions and innovative business and financial models to expand to Support Digital technical assistance to client agencies in both countries to ensure more
infrastructure in rural areas and improve affordability to connect the
Government effective project design and implementation. For Kyrgyzstan, a digital
bottom 20 percent. Lending Projects government readiness assessment was carried out in fall 2018, with key
recommendations shared with the government in February 2019. Digital
government readiness assessments followed in Uzbekistan in spring 2019,
complemented by just-in-time technical assistance on digital government
provided to the client on its draft digital government strategy and relevant
DCASA components.

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Vietnam: Digital Closed Country 2 This activity has helped assess the readiness of the Government of Advanced Cloud Active Global 4 The objective of this activity is to respond to specific government requests,
Government Specific Vietnam on the enabling environment for digital government around Systems for Digital Knowledge to provide best practice options and recommendations for cloud-based
Implementation of key capabilities including leadership and governance, user focus, data, Government government e-service delivery. Depending on the status of the develop-
Cloud-Based G2C infrastructure, etc. and prioritized institutional and technical areas that Platforms ment of the cloud-infrastructure, this may include early advice and feasi-
Services require government investment and support. A comprehensive action plan, bility, advanced knowledge on expanding existing cloud capacities, as well
highlighting concrete next steps to introduce user-centered service design; as critical policy issues and procuring cost-effective digital infrastructure.
transform business processes to make them digital end-to-end; provide Work will include whole-of-government and citizen/business perspectives
mobile-based access to services; introduce and use common data and and is typically expected to lead to a World Bank lending operation.
shared services consistently across government; renew and upgrade the
Digital Solutions Active Global 5 The success of vaccines is largely dependent on participation from the
ICT architecture toward secure cloud technology; as well as bring to appli-
and Approaches to Knowledge majority of the population. User-friendly digital technology, providing
cation accompanying leadership, change management, and governance
COVID-19 Vaccine flexible and customizable solutions and citizen-focused digital programs,
models, was presented to the government in early 2019.
Distribution and offers a tremendous potential for governments to proactively engage with
Digital SE Asia Closed Country 2 This activity builds on prior work done in Southeast Asia on Digital Handling: their residents before, during, and after the COVID-19 vaccination process.
Specific Economy and Digital Government readiness. The activity supports in-coun- This activity explores various digital solutions and approaches that can
try engagement, workshops, and analytical engagement in Cambodia, Lao assist governments with COVID-19 vaccine distribution and handling,
PDR, Indonesia, and Vietnam. building on the lessons learned from the use of technologies in COVID-19
testing and monitoring processes. This activity has informed COVID-19
Maximizing Active Global 4 The objective of this assistance is to fill a specific analytical gap existing
related financing in 7 countries across the MENA, SAR, African and Latin
Financing for Knowledge in the area of data and cloud infrastructure in emerging markets at the
American regions.
Development (MFD) interface of public sector development support and private sector infra-
in Global Data and structure financing. To this end, this study will be carried out jointly by a The Economic Upcoming Global 5 The study will begin by looking at the role of digital platforms in the econ-
Cloud Infrastructure World Bank and IFC team, and it will (i) estimate the size of the cloud/data Impact of Digital activity Knowledge omies of developing countries. It will start with an analytical framework
Study market in Africa and other emerging regions; (ii) benchmark metrics for Platforms on that distinguishes between different types of platforms and will evaluate
financial, technical, and operational performance; (iii) undertake economic Developing their role in impact on areas of the economy such as labor markets,
analyses of the impact of the cloud economy; and (iv) offer regulatory Countries and Policy e-commerce, and financial services. It will also include a review of current
recommendations for emerging markets. Eventually, the work will provide Options Available to market structures and competitive dynamics between digital platforms,
timely input to operations under preparation by both the World Bank and Governments particularly the role of local innovation and entrepreneurship in driving
IFC, and it will advance the discussion on global public goods in the digital competitive outcomes. The study will then outline current and future
age and financing models at the public-private sector interface. challenges facing developing countries in relation to digital platforms and
analyze policy options. The objective of the study is to understand how the
Governance Active Global 4 This activity will take a government perspective on the ongoing upgrading
role of digital platforms in developing countries could be different from
of the DE4A Knowledge of the digital infrastructure in African countries through the DE4A and
high-income countries and if/how trends in policy and regulation emerging
Implementation in apply a common methodology framework to understand the political

in Europe and the US could be applied in low-income countries.
Africa economy implications underlying this development. The objective is to
improve the understanding of best practices for an enabling environment Agile Regulation Upcoming Global 5 The World Bank will develop a capacity-building program on agile regulation
and governance framework for digital infrastructure, providing inclusion, for Digital activity Knowledge for digital transformation in Africa aimed to equip policymakers with a
cost-effectiveness, and operational efficiency in a country, and mitigating Transformation mindset and concrete tools that would help them apply a new model of pol-
governance risks such as capture or inappropriate rent-seeking by individ- Capacity Building icymaking in their countries in order to facilitate digital transformation. The
ual stakeholders. Program activity will build on the ongoing DE4A initiative and the African Union Digital
Transformation Strategy. The program will focus on building the capacities
(in the form of new principles, protocols, rules, and policies) of public
authorities and other stakeholders to choose appropriate regulatory tools
and, where needed, to design and implement policy initiatives under each of
the five DE4A foundational pillars. The concept of agile regulation aims to
change the way policies and rules are developed and implemented, keeping
pace with the rapid development and deployment of emerging technologies.

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Transport: Better Closed Global 1 This was the first activity that aimed to mainstream digital technologies Transport: Closed Country 2 Experimental use of emerging and next generation Internet of Things (IoT)
Data for Smarter Knowledge in the transport sector. It has delivered (i) content for the Transport Digital Spectrum Analytics Specific technology can shed light on how short wave, low power, spectrum-sensing
Transport Data Toolkit: https://www.tidigitaldata.com/, (ii) a detailed report on trans- - Connected Roads devices can responsibly expand spectrum usage opportunities on existing
port data innovations and solutions, classified by subsector (urban trans- Pilot in Peru bands without causing harmful interference. This pilot project is utilizing
port, rural accessibility, road maintenance, road safety, etc.). Examples existing satellite connectivity to model an IoT usage case related to road
of the solutions featured include: Crash Data Tool (DRIVER), Rural Area asset management and monitoring of rural roads that could be supported
Accessibility Tool, Urban Transport Accessibility Tool and Pavement by fiber or mobile broadband once terrestrial infrastructure is deployed in
Evaluation Tool (RoadLabPro) that were developed by the World Bank and Peru’s more isolated areas. Successful collection and analysis of data is
widely used in operations, (iii) a working prototype of an integrated geo- demonstrating the viability of additional use cases for IoT-based remote
spatial platform that brings together all the identified transport data tools sensing that responsibly use license-exempt or secondary use spectrum.
(http://itstools.net). The integrated platform allows transport professionals Specifically, the activity is developing (i) a data analytics platform, data
and policymakers to visualize on one map multiple layers of data, which analytics, and ideation/hackathon related to other use cases; and (ii) in
were previously isolated, such as data on congestion, crash information, collaboration with Airbus, deployment of three “connected transport”
vehicle locations in public transport, and a variety of infrastructure and buses equipped by Airbus, including Wi-Fi routers, flat panel antennas, and
safety data from multiple data sources, so that a comprehensive decision cost of bandwidth for the pilot.
can be made with information from multiple aspects of transport infra-
Transport: Closed Country 2 Lake Victoria’s shores and islands are home to more than 30 million
structure and services.; and (iv) a pilot platform to monitor information
Autonomous Ariel Specific people – one of the most densely populated rural areas in the world. Vital
on gender-based violence (GBV) focused on mining social media data
Systems in Tanzania health supplies and other urgent goods often face significant challenges
and blending it with geospatial information related to World Bank-funded
due to rugged terrain, remote islands, and limited road networks. Enabling
transport projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
cargo drones as a digitally enabled transport paradigm has tremendous
Mobile Data for Closed Global 1 This activity fostered the partnership with mobile network operators, fo- potential to alleviate supply chain burdens. This activity is bringing together
Development Knowledge cusing on IoT for development. This activity was a precursor to the window global teams at Lake Victoria to compete on real-world cargo problems,
1 operationalizing big data activity. and launch a set of technical assistance activities in pilot countries in the
region. The activity catalyzes industrial policy and innovation strategy, and
Energy: Digital Closed Global 2 With unprecedented speed and scale, digital transformation is having
connects international investment with local innovation. A competition –
Technologies/ Knowledge significant impact on multiple industries, including the energy sector. The
inspired by similar technology challenges from solar cars to rocket industry
Assessment digital agenda in the energy sector is being driven by a combination of
– is helping to surface emerging technologies for deployment in supply
Methodology technologies and a more complex world demanding greater agility, speed,
chain strengthening projects.
and digital competences. So far, the activity has delivered a workshop to
World Bank Group staff (WB and IFC) exploring the synergies between digi- Agriculture: Active Global 3 How can we put digital technology to work for agricultural transformation?

tal connectivity, energy access, and digital technologies, and how they can Developing Knowledge Satellites are driving tractors, sensors are turning irrigation systems on
be leveraged to close energy and connectivity access gaps. This activity an Economic and off, sophisticated logistics are enabling small hyper-specialized
also supports the development of an "off-grid-solar" pay-as-you-go toolkit. Framework for producers to reach new consumers, and blockchain is undoubtedly chang-
Digital Technologies ing the way we think about the food we put in our bodies. And while these
in Agriculture changes are inevitable, policymakers need a framework to make digital
a positive force for transformation and minimize its downside risks. The
activity is therefore (i) developing an economic framework to assess how
digital technologies can impact the efficiency, equity, and environmental
sustainability of agricultural transformation, and (ii) identifying the relevant
public policies and instruments to facilitate the diffusion, maximize the
positive impacts, and mitigate the downside risks of digital technologies in
agricultural transformation.

Window
Window
Tranche Tranche
Education: Active Country 3 Low and middle-income countries face the challenge to adapt to and Energy: Active Global 4 This activity will identify and better characterize the range of digital
Southeast Asia: Specific anticipate skills demands from the rapidly developing digital economy. Infrastructure Knowledge innovations and solutions of relevance to the energy sector. To this end,
Data-driven Digital Another is finding appropriate models for public-private partnership in Frontier Analysis it will i) analyze the emerging experience and evaluate the (economic)
Skills Development skills development and planning. More systematic data analysis and track- and Engagement impact associated with the implementation of some of the most prominent
Strategies ing on skills trends, availability, and possible matching opportunities would Framework innovations; ii) assess the reforms that need to accompany promising
help to address these challenges. As part of our SE Asia and Indonesia for Digital innovations (governance, institutional, policy and regulatory frameworks,
digital economy program, an initial review of the skills challenges has been Transformation structural market changes, jobs, and other), and iii) assess the baseline
undertaken, in cooperation with institutions in Malaysia and Singapore that conditions (how digitized are the utilities and grids) of World Bank client
are trying to position their economies for the “digital skills future”. This im- countries. The results of this flagship work will inform future energy sector
pacts both the mainstream education sector, and the lifelong/continuous lending operations, promoting the uptake of digital technologies.
learning sector. Outcomes of the work will be an: analytical framework for
Transport: Flagship Active Global 4 The objective of this activity is to support the digital transformation of
skills tracking and planning; guidelines on database development; capaci-
report on the Knowledge transport and the development of an intelligent transport sector, by leap-
ty-building for data analytics; improved job/skills matching; and improved
Digitalization of frogging to advanced data collection and by using Artificial Intelligence
availability of data for decision-making and education resources planning.
Transport and big data. Central to the effort is the development of a crowd-sourcing,
Agriculture: Pilot Active Global 4 Agriculture is one of the key sectors identified by the African Union to multiplatform, integrated, open API, exploitable big data system for track-
Engagement for Knowledge benefit from digital technologies, making it a priority for development on ing traffic, congestion, and traffic accidents.
a DE4A Lending the African continent. This activity will therefore support the development
Transport: Regional Active Global 4 This activity will develop a pilot for the application of digital technology in
Project focused of a proof of concept and minimum viable product for a large-scale digital
Program for Digital Knowledge World Bank urban transport projects.
on the Agricultural platform for big data in agriculture that can power the adoption of sustain-
Innovation to Public
Sector able e-extension digital services for agriculture. This includes the estab-
Transport Sector
lishment of a statistical database, automated monitoring and evaluation
Reform
(M&E) systems, and granular georeferenced data for the agriculture sector.
The work will be piloted in Morocco. Joint Research Active Global 5 This activity is producing a series of research notes that aim to help pol-
Notes with IFC Knowledge icymakers and investors in developing countries accelerate the adoption
Education: Active Country 4 Building on the analytical work, this activity will support 10 African coun-
on Disruptive of disruptive technologies. The first research note focuses on “Unlocking

Developing the Specific tries which have completed their general DE4A digital economy assess-
Technologies in the Impacts of Vocational Ed-tech solutions in Emerging Markets”. This
Skills Components ments through dedicated skills development programs.
Vocational Training note will aim to provide an overview of the opportunities in vocational
of 10 African
ed-tech, particularly considering the labor market disruption caused by
DE4A Country
the COVID-19 pandemic. It will include a description of Ed-tech business
Interventions
models and market trends, evidence of these models on educational
Environment: Active Global 4 The use of digital technologies for a better protection of the world’s attainment and jobs, and tools to help policymakers adopt and procure
Piloting Work to Knowledge oceans is an innovative and emerging application of digital technologies. appropriate solutions.

Leverage Digital This activity, which is subject to further definition, will build a first bridge
Technology Active Global 5 As part of the World Bank Group’s engagement with the G20 Infrastructure
Technologies for to develop a closer relationship between digital and environmental devel-
Readiness Knowledge Working Group, the World Bank has developed a framework to assess the
Cleaner Oceans opment work programs, through a pilot application related to the ocean
Framework and readiness of different technology use cases for adoption given their technol-
economy.
Sectoral Guidance ogy readiness and prevalence of industrial applications. Technology readi-
Notes on Digital ness includes: i) capital and whole-of-life costs for the solution; ii) maturity
and Disruptive of technologies; and iii) implementation difficulty. Industrial applications
Technologies examine how widespread the industrial applications are within the sector or
industry, ranging from prototypes to widespread commercial adoption. This
activity will develop guidance that will extend and apply this framework to
assess current technology use cases in specific sectors as preparation for
an expansion of DDP’s Mainstreaming Digital Solutions work.

Annex 4: Lending Leverage Activity Scope Year Related Lending Project20
Window
Africa: Cybersecurity Country 2 • Digital Malawi (72.4M)
Activity Scope Year Related Lending Project20 Capacity Building in Africa Specific • Nigeria Digital Identification Project (115M)
Window
• Program for the Acceleration of the Digital Transformation of Cameroon
3. Cybersecurity
(Pipeline)
• Digital Cabo Verde Project (20M)
Engendering ICT Toolkit Global 3 • Niger Smart Village (105M)
• Niger Smart Village (105M)
Knowledge • Program on Regional Digital Integration in the Horn of Africa (Pipeline)
• Burundi Digital Foundations Project (Pipeline)
Kazakhstan (Artificial Country 4 • 'Kazakhstan Smart Cities and Artificial Intelligence (SCAI) Program • West Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (Pipeline)
Intelligence for Development) Specific (Pipeline)
# of projects supported by window 3 grants 7
Uzbekistan: Supporting Country 4 • Digital CASA – Uzbekistan (Pipeline)
Connect African Universities Country 1 • Mozambique Digital Acceleration Project (Pipeline)
National Data Strategy Specific
Access for All

Feasibility Study Specific
Poverty and Welfare Effects Global 4 • Second Ethiopia Growth and Competitiveness Development Policy
4. Internet
Small Loan Guarantee Facility Country 5 • Madagascar Digital Foundations Project (Pipeline)
of Digitization Knowledge Financing (750M)
for Affordable Broadband Specific
• Third Multi-Sectoral Structural Reforms Development Policy Operation -
Capable Device Ownership
Supplemental Financing (100M)

• Senegal Second Multi-Sectoral Structural Reforms Development Policy # of projects supported by window 4 grants 2
Financing (180M)
• Senegal Third Multi-Sectoral Structural Reforms Development Policy Cloud Systems for Digital Country 1 • Digital Nepal Acceleration (DNA) Project (Pipeline)
Government
Financing (180M) Government Development Specific
5. Digital
• Senegal Digital Economy Acceleration Project (Pipeline)
• Mauritania First Competition and Skills DPO (50M)
• Equitable and Resilient Recovery in Senegal Development Policy
Financing (Pipeline) # of projects supported by window 5 grants 1
• Senegal Jobs, Economic Transformation and Recovery Project (Pipeline)
Agriculture: Pilot Global 3 • Morocco Green Generation Program for Results (250M)
# of projects supported by window 1 grants 12 Engagement for Moonshot Knowledge
Pakistan: Developing the Country 3 • Pakistan: Digital Economy Enhancement Project (200M) Lending Project Focused on
Digital Economy Specific the Agri Sector
6. Mainstreaming Digital
South Asia Digital Economy Country 4 • Digital CASA – Afghanistan (51M) Digital Transformation of Global 3 • Sustainable Energy and Broadband Access in Rural Mozambique Project
Assessments for eight Specific • Digital Nepal Acceleration (DNA) Project (Pipeline) Energy Knowledge (Pipeline)
2. Digital Economy
countries in SAR • BD: Leveraging ICT Growth, Employment and Governance Project (70M) • Increased Digital Connectivity and Electricity Access (IDEA) (Pipeline)
Technologies
• Pakistan: Digital Economy Enhancement Project (200M) Transport: Regional Program Global 4 • Botswana Integrated Transport Project (186M)
The Gambia Digital Economy Country 4 • West Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (Pipeline) for Digital Innovation to Knowledge
for Africa (DE4A) Country Specific Support Public Transport and
Diagnostic Sector Growth
# of projects supported by window 2 grants 6 # of projects supported by window 6 grants 4
20 Pipeline projects are pre-board approval and do not include a total financing amount

Closed Activities Activity Status Year Scope Related Lending Project
Window
(Pipeline projects are pre-board approval and do not include a total
financing amount)
Activity Status Year Scope Related Lending Project
Window
(Pipeline projects are pre-board approval and do not include a total East Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda): Closed 3 Country • Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Program (Pipeline)
financing amount) Pre-Investment Support for East Africa Specific
Single Digital Market
Engendering ICT Toolkit Closed 3 Global • Uganda Digital Acceleration Program (200M)
Knowledge Ethiopia: Telecom sector reform Closed 3 Country • Ethiopia Growth and Competitiveness Development
1. Digital Data for
Specific Policy Financing (1.2 B)

ICT4D Report Closed 1 Global • Digital CASA – Kyrgyz Republic (50M)
Development
• Second Ethiopia Growth and Competitiveness

Knowledge
Development Policy Financing (750M)
Tanzania Data Diagnostics Closed 1 Country • Digital Tanzania Program Phase I: Digital Foundations • Ethiopia Digital Foundations Project (200M)

Specific Project (150M) • Digital Government Capacity Building in Africa (DigiCAP)
Project (Pipeline)
# of projects supported by window 1 closed activities 3
ECOWAS: Regulatory Watch Initiative Closed 4 Country • Digital Cabo Verde Project (20M)
Senegal DECA Closed 1 Country • Senegal Jobs, Economic Transformation and Recovery Phase II Specific • Mali Digital Transformation Project (Pipeline)
Specific Project (Pipeline) • Ghana Digital Acceleration Project (Pipeline)
Central Asia: Designing and Piloting Closed 2 Country • Digital CASA – Uzbekistan (Pipeline) • West Africa Regional Digital Integration Project
Digital Economy eXpress Assessments Specific • Digital CASA – Tajikistan Digital foundations (Pipeline) (Pipeline)
(DEXA) # of projects supported by window 4 grants 11
Nigeria Digital Economy for Africa Closed 3 Country • Nigeria Digital Identification Project (115M) Myanmar: Advanced Digital Solutions Closed 1 Country • Myanmar Digital Government Project (Pipeline)
Assessment; Specific Specific
Rwanda: Accelerating the Digital Closed 3 Country • Rwanda Digital Acceleration Project (Pipeline) Digital Government Toolkit Closed 2 Global • Resilient Digital Kazakhstan Program (RDKP) PforR
Economy Specific Knowledge (Pipeline)
Advancing Digital Transformation in Closed 4 Country • Digital CASA – Tajikistan Digital foundations (Pipeline) Kyrgyz Republic and Uzbekistan / Digital Closed 2 Country • Digital CASA – Tajikistan Digital foundations (Pipeline)
Tajikistan Digital foundations Specific CASA: Rapid Assistance to Support Specific
Côte d'Ivoire: Digital Economy Closed 4 Country • Cote d’Ivoire Northern Electricity and Digital Access Digital
Assessment Specific (NEDA) Project (Pipeline) Government Lending Projects
2. Digital Economy
Southern Africa DE4A Closed 4 Country • Lesotho Public Sector Foundations for Service Delivery # of projects supported by window 5 grants 3
Specific Project (Pipeline) Better data for smarter transport Closed 1 Global • Transit Corridor Improvement Project (250M)

Uganda DE4A Digital Economy Closed 4 Country • Uganda Digital Acceleration Program (200M) Knowledge • National and Regional Roads Rehabilitation (68.9M)
Assessment Specific • Khyber Pass Economic Corridor Project (460.6M)
• Road Sector Development Project (338.7M)
# of projects supported by window 2 grants 9 • Roads and Bridges Management and Maintenance
Program (73.6M)
ECOWAS: Regulatory Watch Initiative Closed 1 Country • Digital Cabo Verde Project (20M)
• Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Project (116M)
Phase I Specific • Mali Digital Transformation Project (Pipeline)
• Ghana Digital Acceleration Project (Pipeline)
Connected Roads Technical Assistance Closed 2 Country • Centralized Emergency Response System Project
• West Africa Regional Digital Integration Project Specific (36.3M)
(Pipeline)
Transport: Regional Program for Digital Closed 3 Global • Morocco Green Generation Program for Results (250M)
Malawi: Telling its Digital Story Closed 1 Country • Digital Malawi (72.4M) Innovation to Support Public Transport Knowledge
Specific and Sector Growth
Peru: Innovative Use of Spectrum Closed 1 Country • Centralized Emergency Response System Project # of projects supported by window 6 grants 8
Specific (36.3M)

Abbreviations and Acronyms

Annex 5: Financial Report AI Artificial Intelligence
AMs (World Bank - IMF) Annual Meetings
CASA Central Asia and South Asia
This is an abbreviated financial report. For detailed financial statements, please visit the Development
CERT Computer Emergency Response Team
Partner Center. For FY21 Trust Fund Single Audit Report, please click here.
DDP Digital Development Partnership
Receipts 07/11/2016 (date of inception) DECA Digital Economy Country Assessment

to 08/31/2021 DEC (World Bank) Development Economics Research Group
Cash Contributions 33,160,805.39 DGRA Digital Government Readiness Assessment

ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
Investment Income21 587,467.70
FCV Fragile, Conflict and Violent States
Transfers within Hierarchy 2,231,519.35 FDI Foreign Direct Investment
FY Fiscal Year (FY18: July 2017-June 2018; FY19: July 2018–June 2019)
Contributions via Transfers (2,231,519.35)
GP (World Bank) Global Practice
Other Receipts 50,805.04 ICT Information and Communications Technology
Total Receipts 33,799,078.13 ICT4D Information and Communication Technologies for Development
IFC (World Bank Group’s) International Finance Corporation
Total Disbursements (19,126,148.07)
IoT Internet of Things
Excess of receipts over disbursements / ISP Internet Service Provider
ITU International Telecommunication Union
(disbursements over receipts) 14,672,930.06
MOOC Massive Open Online Course
Fund Balance 14,672,930.06 OECD Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development
Fund Balance consists of: PPP Public-Private Partnership

RCIP Regional Communications Infrastructure Program
Share in pooled cash and investments 14,672,930.06
RWI Regulatory Watch Initiative
Undisbursed Commitments as of 09/13/2021 9,874,573.53 SDG (UN) Sustainable Development Goals
SME Small and Medium Sized Enterprise
TA Technical Assistance
TMT (IFC’s) Technology, Media and Telecommunications
UN United Nations
WEF World Economic Forum
WB World Bank
WBG World Bank Group
WDR World Development Report
21 Investment income of this trust fund is credited to TF072656 (Digital Development Partnership (DDP) Multi-Donor Trust Fund) in accordance with
administration agreement(s) and hence forms part of the fund balance of this trust fund.

Photography Credits
Cover Page: i_am_zews | Shutterstock p. 65: mavo | Shutterstock
p. 4: Tom Saater | IFC p. 69: Shahnewaz Khan | IFC
p. 7: FASAHA | World Bank p. 70: Visual News Associates | World Bank
p. 9: Franz Mahr | World Bank p. 75: Alhagie Manka | World Bank
p. 10: Nyani Quarmyne | IFC p. 77: Nyani Quarmyne | IFC
p. 12: Kehinde Olufemi Akinbo | Shutterstock p. 83: Kim Eun Yeul | World Bank
p. 17: greenaperture | Shutterstock p. 85: Suwin | Shutterstock
p. 20: Mukesh Kumar Jwala | Shutterstock p. 87: TippaPatt | Shutterstock
p. 24: Dominic Chavez | IFC p. 89: Blue Planet Studio | Shutterstock
p. 27: Alhagie Manka | World Bank p. 91-92: Tom Saater | World Bank
p. 29: i_am_zews | Shutterstock p. 99: IndianFaces | Shutterstock
p. 32: Simone D. McCourtie | World Bank p. 102: Wichy | Shutterstock
p. 34: arrowsmith2 | Shutterstock p. 105: Alhagie Manka | World Bank
p. 37: Tom Saater | World Bank p. 106: AYA images | Shutterstock
p. 38-39: Matthias G. Ziegler | Shutterstock p. 109: Suwin | Shutterstock
p. 40-4: Tom Saater | IFC p. 111: FASAHA | World Bank
p. 45: TippaPatt | Shutterstock p. 117: Tom Saater | World Bank
p. 46-47: Khakimullin Aleksandr | Shutterstock p. 118: Khasar Sandag | World Bank
p. 50: FASAHA | World Bank p. 124: Tom Saater | World Bank
p. 57: kkssr | Shutterstock p. 127: Charlie Shoemaker | World Bank
p. 60: hyotographics | Shutterstock p. 173: Tom Saater | World Bank

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ANNUAL 20

WITH SUPPORT FROM:

© 2021 International Bank for Reconstruction and

This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank

Feature Initiative: Digital Economy

Executive The COVID-19 crisis demonstrates the need for contin-

About Digital DDP FOCUS AREAS

Development Digital Development Partnership (DDP) offers a platform

DATA AND INDICATORS DIGITAL ECONOMY ENABLING CYBERSECURITY

Voice from Our Partners

The United Kingdom

INCEPTION LAUNCH STABILIZATION GROWTH CRISIS RESPONSE CRISIS RECOVERY

February 2017: DDP participation In the context of the COVID-19

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021

Geographic Coverage Mali Ukraine Uzbekistan

Digital data for 60 36

Internet Mainstreaming Digital data for Digital data for

17% Cybersecurity 9 Cybersecurity

4 (all years) as a % of total portfolio

Funding Growth by Year8

Year 3 Country Global

10 Includes approved and pipeline projects

Ethiopia Growth and Uzbekistan

120 events12 Data and Indicators:

• Unraveling Data's Gordian

from 50+ countries Evidence from Nigeria • Lesotho Digital Economy

• The Gambia Digital Economy

Digital Agriculture – New Frontiers Presentations of the case “The Welfare

Presented virtually at the Topics for Research

Presented virtually at the Research Conference

Participation in ITU Telecom World 2019 in Budapest,

5 virtual workshops on Digital Skills,

São Tomé and Príncipe | Guinea | Cameroon | Egypt | Malawi

Support to Country and Kazakhstan Country

e ric a & C South Africa

The new associated trust fund is much more than a

Voices from our partners

Cybersecurity must become an integral part of the digital agenda. Synergies

Operational Data and Indicators

Grant Portfolio Progress13

Bridging the Gender Divide through Inclusive

Photo: Fasaha 4.0 program implemented by Natview Technology

• Robust and resourced institutions capable of enforcing

• The second part examines the evidence on the poten-

• The final part presents a framework to support the

• This report will synthesize existing research and also

• climate change and AI

• data spaces approach and the AI value chain

Please see presentations from the webinar:

Watch a webinar organized by the team as part of the AI event series:

Fragility, Conflict, and Violence as a Context

Welfare Effects of Internet in Sub-Saharan Africa

Saharan African countries (Kenya, Mauritania, Ethiopia,

Armenia - Digital Data-Driven Development Strategy

Client partners acknowledge the importance and ur-

Digital Economy Enabling The program activities facilitated preparation of the

Digital Foundations Tajikistan Digital Economy in South Asia

• Lao PDR: completed analysis/recommendations/policy

• Lao PDR: digital economy implementation roadmap for