Setting the Scene

The field of international development and humanitarian assistance is increasingly adapting to the rapid development and adoption of digital technology. Large donors and multilateral organizations are adopting digital strategies in order to better support partner countries in their digital transformation. At the same time, governments are developing national digital strategies of their own. As a result of this growing recognition, the community of development practitioners, government officials, and private sector professionals focused on digitaldevelopment is growing.

Digital country ecosystems are inherently complex, consisting of stakeholders, systems, and enabling environments that together have the potential to empower people and communities to use digital technologies to more effectively communicate and access services and opportunities. To understand the dynamic digital ecosystems of the countries where they work, development practitioners, including USAID Missions and partners, require access to up-to-date data, evidence, and resources.

Although much of this information is already available online, whether through USAID-supported or partner sites, there is no one-stop-shop to find this information, especially for a country. As a result, development practitioners and USAID staff spend more time than necessary finding all of the relevant available information on a given country’s digital ecosystem.

Introducing DigitalDevelopment.org

DigitalDevelopment.org is a resource portal focused on country-level digital ecosystem data—bringing the most relevant data from different resources under one domain and organizing it by country. In doing so, it supports one of the key objectives of USAID’s Digital Strategy: to strengthen the openness, inclusiveness, and security of country-level digital ecosystems. It aligns the efforts of funders, civil society, and government bodies by drawing them to the national digital strategy and other key resources for a given country. It shifts the focus of digital development research and initiatives to local government strategies, systems, and institutions. It also empowers policymakers and industry players to make intelligent and informed strategic decisions about how and where to allocate resources.

Why DigitalDevelopment.org?

DigitalDevelopment.org supports USAID Missions, partners, and researchers by providing direct and easy access to country-level data currently fragmented among several other USAID-supported sites, including mAccess and the Digital Ecosystem Evidence Map (DEEM). These resources provide a comprehensive overview of a country’s digital development status, ongoing initiatives, and priorities. Through comprehensive country pages, DigitalDevelopment.org provides an overview of the country’s digital ecosystem, digital economy, and digital government. It also offers a resource library that includes reports, case studies, and other resources relevant to digital development. The portal also directs community members to the country-specific pages of existing resource hubs from external partners —providing information on specific products, projects, and organizations related to digital development.

Thank you for visiting DigitalDevelopment.org, the knowledge hub for country-level digital ecosystems.