The disparities in access to education, employment and health were exposed during the COVID- 19 pandemic, highlighting the need for policies to bridge the digital divide. In response, the significance of digital public service utility has increased. This paper focuses on bridging the divide, offering policy recommendations based on a rhetoric “Big Tent” approach, where relevant stakeholders are brought under an integrated platform to address the challenges of 60% of the population across the Global South who lack access to e-government services.
The Global Digital Public Infrastructure Repository was proposed in G20 Brazil 2024, but the operational model with an integrated system to address the local digital public service delivery requirements is absent. Therefore, this paper through the big tent approach proposes a Digital Public Infrastructure Council, to support a unifying stage in collaborating with the established policy and field operations of the AU, BRICS and ASEAN, to meet the growing demand for financial inclusion and equitable digital access in the Global South.
With interoperable ICT interventions and market infusion, the paper proposes projections to accelerate access to tele-medicine by 30%, access to employment by 40%, provision of digital identities to over 850 million people and a reduction in carbon emissions up to 4% by 2030.
By utilising open and reusable technology frameworks, the DPIC would promote SDGs by eliminating structural and gender bias. The proposed DPI platform, guided by universal and uniform coherent tools, would reach the ‘last mile citizen’ for an effective public service delivery system. The approach taken in this paper aligns with the G20’s agenda of sustainable development and inclusive economic growth. It highlights successful e-governance initiatives across India, Russia, Brazil, France, South Africa, and others to establish a precedent for these policy recommendations, demonstrating the transformative capability of inclusive DPI. To conclude, this paper presents an evidence-based approach to ‘Bridge the Digital Divide’, ensuring this transformation is equitable, sustainable and inclusive through financial collaboration with the New Development Bank (NDB).
