DFID Digital Strategy 23 01 18a PDF
DFID Digital Strategy 23 01 18a PDF
DFID Digital Strategy 23 01 18a PDF
Doing Development in a
Digital World
January 2018
Contents
1. Introduction......................................................................... 6
5. Conclusion........................................................................ 21
Photo credits:
Title page and page 21: The GSMA, Mobile for Development Programme
Page 2 and 15: DFID – UK Department for International Development
Global Britain has a proud history of digital innovation – from the earliest days of computing
to the development of the World Wide Web – which is evident in today’s thriving global
digital economy. In government, we have led the world in transforming our services and
systems, using digital technology to make them easier, simpler and cheaper.
DFID leads the world at open, modern and innovative approaches to development and
digital technologies are at the heart of our work - using cutting-edge technology to lift millions
of people out of poverty. For example, UK aid and British business provided critical support
for the launch of M-PESA in Kenya, which has since driven a mobile money revolution in 93
countries.
This is why I am launching DFID’s Digital Strategy for ‘Doing Development in a Digital
World’, which will build on our rich legacy and support UK efforts to make sure the global aid
system is ready for the challenges of the 21st century. The new strategy will ensure that our
approach to development adapts and keeps pace with technological innovation and change.
We will use the latest digital technology to push the development system to become more
effective, transparent and accountable - enabling us to follow the money, the people and the
outcomes.
Britain leads the world in humanitarian response; digital technology helps us focus our aid
where the need is greatest. Satellite data is helping us to trigger digitally-enabled payments
before the worst effects of drought are felt by those who are most vulnerable, providing life-
saving support.
The Global Goals are ambitious, and rightly so. We can only achieve them by making best
use of the latest digital technology. To get the most out of digital technologies, we need to
ensure that the benefits are accessible to all. Small businesses, rural communities, women
and minority groups – all stand to benefit from the growth and job creation that innovation
We will work openly and collaboratively with others who share our digital vision; for a world
where digital technology will be accessible to all, and where no one will be left behind.
DFID’s Digital Strategy 2018-2020 sets out a vision and approach for doing
development in a digital world. Its aim is to establish DFID as a global leader in digital
technology and development, in order to have a bigger, faster and more cost-effective
impact on the lives of poor people.
Digital technologies have the potential to revolutionise the lives of the poor, unlock
development and prosperity, and accelerate progress towards the Global Goals. The
rapid expansion of mobile phones and internet access in poor countries offers unique
opportunities to:
stimulate growth, jobs and financial inclusion,
cut fraud and empower citizens to hold governments and other institutions to account,
provide better response in humanitarian emergencies,
improve learning outcomes for children in some of the poorest countries,
increase inclusion by providing access to services previously out of reach to
marginalised groups such as girls and women, and people with disabilities,
enhance traceability and transparency of aid funding throughout the delivery chain,
deliver real-time feedback and direct engagement with our beneficiaries and the UK
public.
However, significant barriers stand in the way of realising the full development
potential of digital technologies. Over four billion people around the world lack access to
the internet, and risk being left behind in a digital world. The benefits of the internet are also
being accompanied by new risks of harmful concentration and monopoly, rising inequality,
and state and corporate use of digital technologies to control rather than empower citizens.
DFID will work in an open and collaborative way with others who share our digital
vision. Together, we will support a transformed global aid system that is well-poised
to harness the opportunities, and ready to rise to the challenges, of a digital world.
We will make greater and better use of digital technology to tackle global poverty and
deliver on the Global Goals. We will:
Identify and embed good practice in using digital solutions in aid programmes.
Promote common principles and standards for digital development throughout the aid
system, to ensure that more digital products and services reach, empower and improve
the lives of poor people, particularly those at risk of being left behind.
Champion affordable, secure access to the internet in developing countries, so that the
benefits of digital technologies are accessible to all.
We will play our part in delivering on the vision of the UK Government Transformation
Strategy for digital, data and technology by:
Redesigning services around the needs of our users. This will result in more open,
engaging, and responsive interactions with the UK public, our suppliers and partners,
and beneficiaries.
Above all, we will champion a view of digital, data and technology as enablers rather
than an end goal: the goal is in the material benefits delivered to people, particularly
those who are most vulnerable and marginalised.
Sehat Kahani is one example of the inclusive power of digital technology: in Pakistan, around
70% of medical school graduates are women. However, socio-cultural expectations and
pressures around the role of women mean that only 30% even begin practising medicine, and
many of those that do soon stop. In total only 13% of licensed female doctors are registered as
physicians. Meanwhile, 108 million people (60% of the population) do not have access to quality,
affordable healthcare. Sehat Kahani is a health solution that provides female healthcare
professionals with the tools to work remotely, such as video conferencing, transmission of still
images, e-health patient portals, remote monitoring of vital signs, and continuing medical
education. This enables the delivery of high quality healthcare to rural and low income urban
communities via small local healthcare centres, while circumventing socio-cultural barriers that
restrict women to their homes. Trained community-based nurses, health workers and midwives
simultaneously assist in physical evaluation of patients.
Funded by DFID through SPRING: www.springaccelerator.org/about-spring/
This area of the strategy is directed at DFID’s that aims to harness mobile technology to
use of digital technologies in support of better provide life-enhancing services (Box 4).
development outcomes. Focus is placed on:
Collaborating across government:
Enabling and leading: supporting an DFID will align closely with other
environment that maximises the government departments working on
development impact of digital international digital issues - such as
technologies. internet access, digital inclusion and skills,
the digital economy, data privacy, cyber
Sharing and scaling: making sure security and internet governance.
proven digital models are widely shared
and replicated, to reach more poor and Building capacity and providing
marginalised people in developing technical assistance: This might include
countries. offers to ‘match make’ recipient
governments to learn from each other; or
Systematising and standard setting: transferring UK expertise to developing
identifying and embedding good practice countries, extracting lessons from the
in using digital solutions in development public and private sector.
programmes, to deliver better value for
money and impact. Advocating and influencing: DFID will
play an active role in digital policy
2.1 Enabling and leading discussions, domestically and
internationally. We will aim to ensure a
Aims strong focus on inclusion and poverty
reduction within digital policy. This will
DFID will support affordable access to the help ensure marginalised and excluded
internet and digital technologies in developing people and communities have equal
countries. We will foster conditions that opportunities, voice and choice to benefit
maximise the impact of digital technology on from digital technologies.
reducing poverty and achieving the Global
Goals. Desired outcomes
Activities DFID’s leadership role in partnerships will
influence the creation of better enabling
Developing strategic digital environments and standards.
development partnerships: For
example, DFID is aligning with partners Programmes will be able to reach
across UK government and the marginalised people faster to ensure they
international donor community in support are not left further behind by digital
of affordable, secure internet access; transformation.
serves as an anchor partner on the Global
Partnership for Sustainable Development Digital delivery of programmes will provide
Data; and is part of a strategic partnership open and transparent data.
DFID is an anchor partner of the new Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
Data. The partnership aims to exploit the opportunities from the data revolution, by fostering
the development and application of innovative approaches to filling critical data gaps, and
engaging a wider set of stakeholders in the private sector and civil society.
Standards and quality assurance: DFID already drives high standards in digital
programming by running a process that requires any digital elements of programmes be
reviewed at the earliest possible stage by our advisors and approved by our Digital Spend
Panel. In the past four years, this process has enabled our programme staff to be ‘intelligent
customers’ of digital solutions and save money by applying our guidance. DFID requires our
suppliers and partners to adhere to the Principles for Digital Development. DFID also plays a
leading part in the International Aid Transparency Initiative, a global open data standard for
international development and humanitarian data.
Box 5. Bridging the disability divide through digital technologies (Source: World Bank 2016)
Over 1 billion people around the world have disabilities, and 80 percent of them live in developing
countries. People with disabilities face barriers to communicate, interact, access information, and
participate in civic activities. Digital technologies are helping overcome some of these barriers. Voice
recognition, magnification, and text-to-speech functionality benefit people with visual, cognitive,
learning, and mobility disabilities. Text messaging, telephone relay, and video captions reduce
communication barriers for persons with hearing and speech disabilities. Hands-free navigation and
gesture-controlled interfaces assist people with severe mobility impairments in using digital devices.
Doing development in a digital world - this focuses on the opportunities and risks presented to
international development by an increasingly digital world, and the implications for operational
planning, policy and research, and programme design, delivery, monitoring and evaluation. There is
a particular focus on guidance for procuring digital solutions in line with the Principles for Digital
Development. This element of the curriculum will build basic understanding of various digital
solutions, combined with in-depth modules focusing on particular functions, sectors or groups.
Transforming as a digital department - this will focus on building capability in open internet tools
and systems; effective use of data management platforms; online safety and security; and digital
communications and social media.
The digital curriculum will add to DFID’s existing capability offer, which includes:
Digital Ninjas - a rewarding and successful peer network of over 200 digital experts across all
teams and offices in DFID that support staff in improving their digital capability.
Digital Quiz - digital skills self-assessment tool that measures knowledge and experience and refers
individuals to resources to learn about new digital tools and techniques; available for open source
reuse by anyone.
This area of the strategy supports delivery of and product managers and ensure
the Government Transformation Strategy, services continue to meet the Technology
which outlines a cross government vision for Code of Practice and the Digital Service
digital, data and technology. It aligns with and Standard.
incorporates aspects of DFID’s work in digital
services, data and technology. This is outlined Cloud hosting: we will continue to move
in more detail in DFID’s Data Roadmap and DFID services to cloud hosted
Technology Strategy respectively. environments where appropriate, in line
with the government’s Cloud First Policy,
This area of the strategy includes a focus on: to benefit from assured performance and
innovation.
Service design: re-designing whole
services to meet user needs in a modern Cyber security: we will continue to
and efficient way. monitor threats to DFID systems and
service. We will develop our security
Shared platforms and technology: capability to build the appropriate cyber
collaborating across government to speed and information safeguards into design
up transformation and make it easier to and delivery of our infrastructure,
build, iterate, reuse and retire services. platforms, applications and processes.
Where aid programmes are implemented
Data availability, quality and use: with a by partners DFID will require these
focus on data for development; data for partners to apply the secure ways of
decision making within DFID; and data to working promoted by the Principles for
strengthen DFID’s accountability. Digital Development.
Internal services:
● Management Information (MI) tools provide visibility of key information to all staff within DFID.
● Aid Management Platform focuses on improving the quality of information and visibility of
international development programmes through modern digital tools.
● Vault - DFID’s new electronic document and records management system.
● Service Anywhere - DFID’s corporate support system (HR, finance, IT, facilities) is being
developed into a one-stop knowledge service, providing all the information staff need to know
about our corporate systems and processes.
External services:
● International Development Funding Finder makes it easier for people to find funding for
international development work.
● UK Development Tracker uses International Aid Transparency Initiative (IATI) open data to trace
the flow of funding from donors to implementing agencies.
● UK Aid Direct is a new online grant application portal and learning environment, launched in
2016. It provides comprehensive information for potential applicants, and learning resources such
as videos and case studies for existing grant holders.
DFID will make good use of data to deliver the DFID will be recognised as a data-driven
UK Aid Strategy, directly and through strategic organisation, offering transparency of
partnerships. This will require improvements delivery through our supply chain using
in the availability, quality and use of data, in open data from partners. More efficient
ways made possible by better digital capturing of results data will free time for
technology. analysis and use.
Examples of how these four principles will Advising on and approving digital spend
translate into a practical delivery model are and delivery in projects and programmes
outlined below. through DFID’s Digital Spend Panel.
The strategy is designed to lay the foundations for transforming how we, and our partners, approach
development in a digital world. It runs until 2020 but transformation will be an ongoing process. We
will ensure we are adaptable and responsive to change in order to keep pace with changing
technologies and their use.
We will work in an open and collaborative way with others who share our digital vision, in pursuit of
our common objectives. Together, we will support a global aid system that is both ready to rise to
the challenges - and well-poised to harness the opportunities - of a digital world.
Above all, we will champion a view of digital, data and technology as enablers rather than an end
goal: the goal is in the material benefits delivered to people, particularly those who are most
vulnerable and marginalised.
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UK
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