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This event took place on April 20, 2022

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00:12 [SPRING MEETINGS 2022 - WASHINGTON DC IMF - WORLD BANK GROUP]
00:15 [CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESS]
00:18 [DIGITAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES]
00:20 [DIGITAL SKILLS]
00:23 [DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE]
00:25 [FINTECH & DIGITAL PAYMENTS]
00:28 [SPRING MEETINGS 2022 THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
00:31 FOSTERING INCLUSION & RESILIENT GROWTH]
00:38 Welcome viewers around the world.
00:40 We're glad you could join us for the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
00:43 And for this event, the Digital Revolution, Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth.
00:49 I'm Lana Wong. And I'm coming to you live
00:51 from the World Bank Group's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
00:55 Two years after the onset of COVID-19,
00:58 it is clear that some things are here to stay.
01:01 In addition to its tragic toll on lives and livelihoods
01:05 the pandemic has brought about deep changes in the way we all live,
01:08 the way that companies do business, how governments interact with citizens,
01:13 and how people communicate with each other.
01:16 New digital tools were deployed in record time
01:19 over the past two years, often for uses that we had never imagined.
01:23 They enabled the continuation of businesses and education,
01:26 allowed governments to provide services,
01:29 and accelerated the adoption of digital financial tools.
01:33 As digital technologies develop,
01:35 they are also expanding inclusion, reaching remote and vulnerable populations
01:41 and helping to strengthen resilience to future crises.
01:44 Digital innovation is driving economic transformation
01:48 by accelerating connectivity, access to finance and job creation.
01:53 These are all important engines of growth,
01:55 and in times of enormous economic shocks, they are even more relevant.
02:00 But despite an increase of digital usage during the pandemic,
02:04 nearly half of the global population is still unconnected.
02:08 And at the same time,
02:09 we need to mitigate the risks related to data privacy and cyber security.
02:14 Over the next 90 minutes, we're bringing together a select group of experts
02:18 to discuss these important issues.
02:20 Let's take a quick look at what we have lined up for you.
03:04 Quite the line up.
03:05 There are lots of ways for you to participate in this event.
03:08 It's being streamed in English, French,
03:11 Spanish and Arabic at live.worldbank.org.
03:14 That's also where our experts are answering your questions in the live chat.
03:18 Here are a few of them already hard at work.
03:21 Share ideas on the potential of technology
03:24 to transform economies for the better using #PowerOfDigital
03:29 You can follow and watch this event
03:31 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
03:34 And before we launch into our first discussion,
03:37 let's take a closer look at the digital divide.
03:40 The number of people with access to the Internet
03:42 increased during the pandemic, but that access is not equal.
03:46 Data shows how the digital divide
03:48 is actually becoming wider as a result of COVID-19.
03:52 Let's take a look at the impact on businesses.
03:56 The World Bank surveyed just under 25,000 firms
04:00 operating in 38 countries to see how they were being affected by the pandemic.
04:04 It showed that firms of all sizes
04:06 were seeking digital solutions for their operations
04:09 but there were wide gaps in firms' ability to deploy technology.
04:14 Let's look at how the investment varies by size of firm.
04:17 Micro and small firms reported increased investment in digital technology,
04:22 15% and 25% respectively.
04:25 But the share of medium and large firms
04:28 reporting increased investment in digital technology
04:30 was quite a bit higher: 34 and 45%, respectively.
04:35 The digital divide is also present in other ways.
04:39 Worldwide, 76% of people living in cities use the Internet,
04:44 compared to just 39% of people in rural areas.
04:48 While 90% of people in developed countries use the Internet,
04:51 the figure for developing countries was just 57%.
04:55 And in the least developed countries it is just 27%.
05:00 And the gender divide is widest in the least developed countries.
05:03 31% of men report using the Internet, but just 19% of women.
05:09 This compares with gender parity in Internet usage
05:12 in the developed countries.
05:16 How can we address these divides
05:17 and open digital opportunities for more small firms,
05:21 more women, and more people living in rural areas?
05:24 That's the question for our next two guests,
05:27 who have blazed a trail for digital development
05:29 that drives economic transformation:
05:32 Omobola Johnson and Michael Miebach.
05:35 Dr. Johnson is the former Minister of Communication Technology of Nigeria,
05:39 a current member of the Alliance for Affordable Internet,
05:42 and a private equity investor.
05:44 Mr. Miebach is the CEO of Mastercard.
05:49 So welcome to you both.
05:51 I'm thrilled that we have you here with us today
05:54 and I'm really looking forward to a great conversation.
05:57 So, Omobola, let's start with you.
05:59 Nigeria has come a long way in terms of expanding Internet connectivity,
06:04 but there continues to be a persistent gap between the urban and rural populations.
06:10 How can Nigeria and other countries facing similar challenges
06:13 help to expand Internet access for all?
06:17 Thank you very much, Lana.
06:18 And you're absolutely right.
06:19 Nigeria has made tremendous progress in terms of expanding connectivity.
06:24 Today, 2G coverage is 90%, 3G coverage is 80% of the country and 4G is 70%.
06:30 But as you say, the gaps, whether it's 10%, 20% or 30%, those gaps are in the rural areas.
06:35 And that's where the challenge is, really get those rural areas connected.
06:39 But I think what I would like to say is,
06:41 to borrow from a term that the Alliance for Affordable Internet uses.
06:44 And that is a term that is called meaningful connectivity.
06:47 And that's what we need to be worrying about, not just connecting the rural areas,
06:51 but ensuring that that connectivity is meaningful.
06:53 And that means a fast connection, at least 4GB, 4G sort of speed.
06:59 It means ownership of devices.
07:01 It means having daily access to the Internet
07:04 for work, for business, for sociable communication,
07:06 and finally it means you have enough data, and you can afford that data.
07:10 Now to your point around what regulations can be put in place in Nigeria
07:14 to ensure that everybody has meaningful connectivity.
07:17 I think there are a number of them, and some of them really,
07:19 to be fair to Nigeria,
07:21 we are actually doing some of those things already.
07:23 Firstly, faster connection, encouraging collaborations
07:27 between the community networks and the national networks,
07:29 where the community networks can build towers
07:32 based on subsidies given by the Universal Service Provision Fund.
07:35 And the national networks can expand their spectrum,
07:38 expand their ranges, expand their connectivity
07:40 to those community networks and share revenues based on that.
07:43 The second thing that we need to do is around smartphone ownership.
07:46 And that is really, first of all, reducing the taxes
07:48 because we import most of the phones that come into this country,
07:51 reducing the taxes and the duties that are placed on those smartphones,
07:56 and also actually supporting or encouraging the manufacturing of devices locally,
08:01 because that takes all the taxes, takes all the customs duties,
08:04 and really making those smartphones more affordable for the average Nigerian.
08:07 I think the third thing that we need to do is affordability,
08:10 and that's just the daily absence of meaningful connectivity.
08:13 If it's affordable,
08:14 people can get on when they want, for as long as they want
08:17 and how they want to.
08:19 So making it more cost effective,
08:21 roll out considerations, the right of way, all those kind of charges
08:24 that are placed on telecoms companies as they roll out the networks.
08:28 And also things like data bundles are very important,
08:31 zero rating for some of the very important content that we have on the Internet,
08:36 and data bundles that allow you to actually provide the services cheaper.
08:40 And finally, enough data, having enough spectrum that is affordable,
08:45 enough spectrum that will enable us to roll out the data requirements
08:49 because literally as soon as the data is rolled out, it's all gobbled up.
08:52 But having spectrum available
08:54 for the telecommunications company, but having it available at a cost
08:58 that is not as exorbitant as it is now.
09:01 We just completed our 5G options in Nigeria.
09:03 We raised about, Nigeria is about half a billion dollars.
09:06 And I would put it to the government that if we just saved
09:09 a small fraction of those dollars and instead of having spectrum expenses,
09:13 making sure that we reduce the cost of spectrum,
09:16 but then give the national communication companies
09:20 roll out obligations for getting that spectrum,
09:22 forcing them to roll out into those rural areas,
09:25 as opposed to them doing it at their pace
09:27 at their time, by partnering with the community networks.
09:30 That's great. Thank you.
09:32 I think your point about meaningful connectivity
09:34 and also affordability is critical.
09:37 So that also really brings us down to making it meaningful for the consumers.
09:42 So let me turn to Michael on that topic.
09:46 Michael, how can the private sector help bring the innovation and expertise
09:51 needed to support financial health and prosperity?
09:54 I think financial prosperity needs to be the goal that we keep in mind.
10:00 We were clear as a private sector player
10:03 that it starts with access to that digital economy.
10:05 It actually starts with everything Omobola just said.
10:08 You got to have fundamental access to become online.
10:12 But then building from there on, what is your access to the digital economy?
10:16 It was actually here at the World Bank stage
10:20 seven years ago that we took a leap of faith
10:22 and we said, well, with 5 billion people not being part of the digital economy
10:27 we have to do our part as a private sector player.
10:30 And we committed to put half a billion people,
10:34 500 million people into the digital economy.
10:37 Fast forwarding into COVID.
10:40 That was just about the time in 2020
10:43 that we had actually delivered against that goal.
10:46 And building on what Omobola just said, government does its piece,
10:50 but the private sector comes in and uses the infrastructure, uses the access,
10:54 uses the spectrum that you just talked about
10:56 to deliver financial services access
11:00 and then start to build towards prosperity.
11:02 How do we do that?
11:03 What are some of the learnings?
11:05 Some of the learnings are that across the private sector you need partnerships.
11:10 I'll give you an example, to bring all of this to life.
11:12 What does financial prosperity mean with a model at scale?
11:17 Let's go to Egypt.
11:18 I worked in the Middle East for a long time.
11:21 One of the largest industries in Egypt is the garment industry,
11:24 it employs one and a half million workers.
11:27 Salaries have been given in brown bags.
11:29 Today they're coming on a digital wage account.
11:32 A digital wage account leaves a data trail
11:35 that allows you to get better access to credit,
11:37 which will smoothen out purchases
11:39 you want to do as a family, as an individual, as a small business.
11:43 And then the virtual circle closes.
11:45 This is in partnership with Levi's, with a local set of local banks in Egypt.
11:49 That is a private sector government model at scale,
11:53 because the garment industry obviously matters in other countries as well,
11:56 for example, Bangladesh.
11:58 Now we've doubled down.
11:59 We took all of those learnings and we said,
12:02 well, there are still over 2 billion people
12:04 that are not in the formal financial system,
12:06 that are not in the digital economy.
12:08 What else can we do? We double down, we up the goal to 1 billion.
12:12 So I hope to be back on your stage at some point in time.
12:15 Instead, we achieve that as well.
12:17 And here are the learnings.
12:18 But the private sector is critical
12:20 because the private sector does look for commercially sustainable models.
12:26 We cannot rely on grants.
12:28 The private sector will look.
12:29 Does this make sense?
12:30 Does it pull other players into the ecosystem at Telco, for example,
12:34 to provide financial services into rural areas
12:37 without commercial sustainability?
12:39 It's not going to happen.
12:40 The private sector will look for economies of scale,
12:43 to make it commercially sustainable.
12:45 The private sector will drive for innovation
12:47 leverage technology and competition, and all of that is needed.
12:51 And that's why I think we are playing a critical role.
12:54 We want to be a role model.
12:56 Fantastic.
12:57 Well, no, that's why these partnerships,
12:59 public, private, government, philanthropic, they are critical.
13:03 So thank you for that.
13:04 But that does bring us to jobs, job creation.
13:08 So let's talk about job creation.
13:10 We know it's not only unemployment that needs to be tackled,
13:13 but underemployment,
13:15 which disproportionately affects women.
13:17 So how can we ensure that women
13:20 and marginalized populations are included in this new digital economy?
13:25 Omobola.
13:27 Thanks Lana,
13:28 I think, first of all,
13:29 to talk about the structure of an emerging economy that is going digital.
13:35 If I give the example of Nigeria, which is a proxy for most African economies
13:39 where most of the jobs are created by smaller micro businesses.
13:44 In Nigeria, for example,
13:46 40% of the GDP is contributed by small and medium businesses,
13:50 90% of businesses are micro, small and medium,
13:54 and 84% of jobs are in these small and medium businesses.
13:58 So to unlock this sort of job creation,
14:01 whether it's women or men, and I'll speak about women in a minute,
14:04 to unlock the capacity for job creation in any economy or any merchant economy,
14:08 you've got to figure out how do I scale these micro and small businesses?
14:12 These are businesses that are, there is tremendous fragmentation.
14:15 As I said, in Nigeria,
14:16 we have 20 million of them, employing less than 10 million people.
14:19 They're fragmented. They're small.
14:21 They are ignored because you just can't serve them
14:24 because they just don't have the capacity for scale.
14:26 And so being able to unlock what is in those estimates is important.
14:30 And the way that we're seeing that, and I speak as a bench capital investor now,
14:35 is around companies that are serving those small businesses.
14:39 They're the companies that we call the "B-to-small-B",
14:41 not "B-to-B" to "B-to-small-B".
14:42 And these are companies that are aggregating
14:45 the demand of small-scale businesses
14:47 and using technology
14:49 to provide services to meet that demand and allow them to scale and to grow.
14:54 And to explain this better,
14:55 to illustrate this point better, let me speak about Trigger.
14:58 One of our portfolio companies.
15:00 Trigger is a company in Nairobi that serves what we call tabletop entrepreneurs
15:05 small-scale retailers, the way that Africans shop for food.
15:07 We don't go to hypermarkets or the Tescos or Sainsburys of this world.
15:12 We shop in small corner shops, tabletop entrepreneurs,
15:15 people that put their wares by the roadside.
15:17 This is how we shop.
15:17 And Trigger is addressing...
15:19 And these are all entrepreneurs.
15:20 They're all small-scale entrepreneurs.
15:21 Trigger has served over 130,000 of these small-scale entrepreneurs.
15:26 And how do they do that?
15:27 They are able to deliver fresh produce and dry goods
15:30 to those 130,000 entrepreneurs across Kenya
15:34 simply by them ordering by a mobile app.
15:37 So they place their orders for bananas, oil, whatever it is.
15:40 The produce is delivered to them, as opposed to them going to the market.
15:43 Secondly, they pay, of course, everyone knows about M-Pesa.
15:46 So let's just say mobile money.
15:47 They pay with mobile money.
15:48 With those payments in mobile money
15:50 and payment for the goods in mobile money, and also selling the goods with mobile money,
15:55 there is now digital transparency.
15:57 So there's transparency on their cash flows.
15:59 We know how much they buy. We know how much they sell.
16:01 Trigger is then able to offer working capital
16:05 to these sort of informal retailers because they understand how their money flows
16:10 and they know that they can actually develop a credit score based on that
16:13 based on the flow of capital, flow of money in these businesses.
16:17 Now, the point about saying all this, most of these tabletop entrepreneurs,
16:22 most of these retail, small-scale entrepreneurs are women,
16:26 and they have been largely excluded from this digital economy.
16:29 But this is one way of including them by allowing them to buy their produce online,
16:34 accept payments and make payments online,
16:36 and offer them much needed capital online as well,
16:38 to be able to scale and grow their businesses.
16:40 There are many more examples like this.
16:42 If I could just have a minute to give another example
16:44 of another portfolio company, which is Pula.
16:47 Pula offers insurance to small-scale farmers, basically reducing their vulnerability
16:52 by allowing them to buy insurance, then if their crops fail,
16:54 if their crops fail they get an insurance payout.
16:56 These are millions of farmers.
16:58 No major insurance company wants to deal with one farmer
17:00 that is producing 2 ha of maize.
17:02 But Pula aggregates all these farmers,
17:04 does all the actual calculations and puts them in front of insurance companies,
17:08 and they can then insure them and reduce their vulnerability.
17:11 Again, Lana, half the entrepreneurs, small-scale farmers are women
17:16 in this part of the world,
17:18 in Africa and specifically in Nigeria.
17:20 So these are the ways, it's really around private capital
17:23 to Michael's point, private capital really providing capital
17:26 to companies that are looking to serve these small-scale entrepreneurs
17:29 where most of our jobs are created and most people work in Africa,
17:32 and Nigeria in particular.
17:34 That's great. Thank you Omobola.
17:36 I actually lived in Kenya,
17:38 in Nairobi for five years, and spent a lot of time working in Mathare.
17:41 So I do know the kind of trajectory
17:44 of the whole M-Pesa success on the digital economy.
17:47 So let's hope that we can just keep that moving forward.
17:50 But let's turn to Michael now related to all of that, I guess, of course,
17:56 COVID has shown us with increased urgency the need to tackle this digital divide.
18:01 So what are some concrete actionable ways to narrow that divide?
18:06 What do you think are the greatest threats that we need to address?
18:13 So since we're all exchanging our street cred on how we're involved with the continent
18:18 for example, I've been involved with Africa for ten years,
18:23 in Kenya, in Nigeria and other places,
18:26 and the inequalities that COVID highlighted, they were there all along.
18:30 COVID put a stark light on them and accelerated some of them.
18:36 I think that is what's happening.
18:39 To turn this into a positive,
18:42 this is a golden opportunity for us
18:44 to take those learnings and make sure that all the goodness that comes out
18:48 of a race towards a more digital life is actually taken.
18:52 But we avoid some of the downsides to your questions or threats.
18:55 The digital divide is a reality.
18:58 So what do we do?
19:00 What do we do to avoid that?
19:02 People who are in the digital economy, who are the digital haves,
19:07 have a whole set of better choices than the digital have nots.
19:10 I mean, that is just not how the world can work.
19:12 If everybody's in, that will be good for us,
19:14 and then if not everybody is in, that will not be good of us.
19:17 Now be very practical.
19:19 Everything I just said, there might not be an answer,
19:22 but fortunately there are answers because we have been working on it.
19:25 And to look at this through four dimensions, really,
19:29 starting off with technology.
19:30 We're a tech company and I believe in technology
19:34 and I believe in technology
19:35 being something good that can actually help address some of these issues.
19:39 The examples that Omobola just talked about, Trigger, for example, Pula.
19:44 Those are technological solutions that are provided by fintechs
19:47 that are out there today in our industry.
19:51 And the creativity of all these engineers
19:56 can be helped with if a company like us
19:59 provides a base for them to unfold all of their creativity.
20:05 Meaning we have digital tools that matter for everybody.
20:09 For example, cybersecurity tools.
20:11 How does the small business actually get online
20:13 and can compete in that kind of a market?
20:16 Yes, it's that one app.
20:18 But how do you actually get online?
20:19 How do you build a website?
20:20 How is this all very straightforward?
20:22 Once you're online, how do you find new customers?
20:25 How do you keep your business safe?
20:27 Because there's cybersecurity threats out there.
20:29 So there's a whole range of standard solutions
20:31 that we provide to the world of the Triggers and the Pulas
20:36 and other people around there, and other players in our industry do the same.
20:40 If I look across the board,
20:41 there's a PayPal, there's other people who focus on enabling the ecosystem,
20:45 so the ecosystem can help all of those small businesses,
20:48 which make up 90% of all businesses around the world.
20:51 So that's point number one on technology.
20:53 Point number two is, I think it is important that more companies
20:58 come to the conclusion
21:00 that I just put up as such an easy statement:
21:02 If everybody thrives, then we all thrive.
21:05 If that is not a realization in the private sector,
21:09 then that's problematic.
21:10 With the focus of the investor base
21:13 to say we will invest and put our money into companies
21:16 that actually value ESG,
21:18 that are putting out reporting on ESG and all of that.
21:22 I think that mindset needs to be propagated and more companies need to do that,
21:26 and we will want to continue to be a role model.
21:28 So technology, mindset, focus on sustainability.
21:32 Inclusive growth is important.
21:33 The third dimension that I think is important here
21:36 is back to partnerships.
21:38 This issue of the digital divide is so big, nobody can solve this by themselves.
21:42 Government cannot.
21:44 Private sector cannot. NGOs cannot.
21:46 But across the board we can.
21:47 The Egypt example that I gave is one that cuts across the board.
21:51 And these public-private partnerships are important.
21:55 That's an important element of the whole mix.
21:58 The last one is, it comes to your question of threats.
22:02 There is a starting point of eyeing technology with some skepticism.
22:07 Where is my data?
22:09 Is my data safe?
22:10 Where is my money?
22:11 Is my money safe?
22:13 If I have it under the mattress, I can see it.
22:15 I can feel it.
22:16 If it's somewhere in an app, I'm not quite sure.
22:19 So we need to deal with this trust deficit.
22:21 We need to really focus on creating digital trust.
22:23 And this is done in a few ways, making sure that from a cybersecurity side,
22:27 things are clear and things are safe.
22:31 There's a lot of technology to do that today,
22:33 and it doesn't have to be cumbersome biometrical security.
22:38 There's all sorts of things that can be put to play,
22:41 but I think that mindset of realizing that people are skeptical
22:45 and you have to address it from the outset so that you can leverage technology
22:49 because people trust it, I think it's important.
22:51 The second aspect is around data.
22:56 So the digital haves are the people that can put their data, their own data,
23:00 to their own good to get better choices and better services.
23:04 So people will only do that if they know that their data is treated safely.
23:10 So data principles as simple as my data is good for my own use
23:16 and I should benefit from it, and the industry, my government,
23:20 Mastercard, Trigger, somebody,
23:22 will make sure that it's always safe.
23:25 We put out these data principles
23:27 and say that is something that everybody should subscribe to.
23:30 We invited other private sector players
23:32 to say keeping data safe and in focus is important.
23:35 Across these four dimensions: tech, ESG mindset, partnerships and trust.
23:41 If we pull that off, that's pretty concrete.
23:44 It's not easy to do,
23:45 but I think we have enough learning of being on this journey
23:48 for the last ten years
23:49 that we can pull this off, and now is the golden moment,
23:52 with this race towards a more digital life. We should do it now.
23:57 We couldn't agree more.
23:58 Thank you so much, Omobola and Michael,
24:01 thank you so much for telling us
24:03 how we can accelerate this digital revolution to include everyone.
24:09 Hello, I'm Shegufta Shariar in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
24:11 and you are watching World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
24:19 [Lana Wong] What an engaging discussion.
24:21 Technology can really magnify the impact of economic reforms,
24:25 and both the private and the public sectors
24:28 have a role to play.
24:29 We heard how companies drive
24:30 the innovation needed to close access gaps,
24:34 while well-crafted policies and regulatory frameworks
24:37 must be in place for that to happen.
24:39 If you're just joining us, I'm Lana Wong.
24:41 You're watching the Spring Meetings events
24:43 on the Digital Revolution, Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth.
24:47 In a moment, we'll hear from the President of the Bank Group, David Malpass,
24:52 in conversation with Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President.
24:56 But before that, a reminder that you can join the conversation
24:59 on today's event at any time using #PowerOfDigital.
25:04 We're also inviting you to take part in a special poll.
25:07 We want to know which digital transformation
25:09 you think is the most critical
25:11 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth.
25:14 Option A is E-government and digital IDs.
25:19 If you think fintech and digital payments are the priority, it's option B.
25:24 Or is it C? Digital infrastructure and Internet access.
25:28 And your last option is D, EdTech and digital skills.
25:33 So which of these digital transformations is most critical
25:37 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth?
25:40 You can cast your vote right now at live.worldbank.org,
25:44 and we'll bring you the results at the end of this event.
25:48 We're going to hear now about the progress
25:50 in Rwanda's digital journey.
25:52 The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame,
25:54 joins the World Bank Group President, David Malpass,
25:57 to share his insights on digital transformation.
26:00 Over to you, David.
26:02 [David Malpass] Hello to everyone.
26:04 I want to welcome President Kagame of Rwanda.
26:08 He's joining us from Kigali.
26:10 Digitalization is a critical part of development,
26:14 and it's also an important part of our Spring Meetings this year.
26:18 So I'm very pleased to have President Kagame.
26:21 Rwanda's been in the advance of pushing digital technologies
26:26 both in Rwanda and in the region.
26:28 It's a way to enhance people's lives to increase connectivity.
26:33 And I want to welcome President Kagame to our meeting today.
26:38 President.
26:40 [Paul Kagame] President Malpass, thank you very much.
26:43 Much appreciated.
26:45 First of all, David,
26:49 I'm happy to be here with you for this conversation.
26:52 [David Malpass] Let's start off.
26:54 We know that it's important for people around Rwanda.
26:58 You've managed to expand the broadband coverage,
27:02 the digital services coverage.
27:04 What do you view as key steps that made it possible in Rwanda?
27:09 Was it infrastructure, the building of infrastructure?
27:13 Was it the regulatory authorities that were improved?
27:17 What are the key steps?
27:19 And then I'm going to ask the same for other countries in Africa.
27:23 Any advice that you want to give to countries
27:26 that are pushing forward with their digitalization?
27:29 Over to you.
27:31 [Paul Kagame] Thank you. I respond to that in general terms,
27:36 covering the broader question you've asked.
27:40 Over the years, Africa's digital transformation
27:43 has been driven...
27:46 in particular, by mobile financial services.
27:53 Africa is in many ways a global pioneer in this sector.
28:00 80% of Africa's population has a mobile phone,
28:07 but not everyone has access to high speed Internet on a smartphone.
28:14 Yet broadband is the key to unlocking the digital transformation.
28:21 On our continent, the immediate challenge continues to be
28:24 the insufficient reach of fiber optic cables in rural areas.
28:29 So if we address this, it means that the majority of Africa's population
28:35 does not have access to high speed Internet,
28:37 as you rightly mentioned,
28:39 and, therefore, these are key areas to focus on in dealing with the matter.
28:44 In Rwanda, we have made a significant investment
28:48 in broadband infrastructure.
28:50 We have been able to reach over 95% broadband coverage.
28:57 If you look at
28:59 our country's health sector, for example,
29:04 most of the facilities in Rwanda are connected to the Internet.
29:09 Just to give that example.
29:12 I should add that, therefore, our partnership with the World Bank
29:18 has helped us to tackle digital barriers.
29:20 And I wanted to take this opportunity
29:25 to appreciate you, President Malpass, and the World Bank,
29:29 for having been of great help in this.
29:35 [David Malpass] Thank you very much for that.
29:36 We want to push forward with that in your neighbors
29:41 and in Africa as a whole.
29:43 I was very interested, as you described,
29:46 the financial transactions and the payment systems
29:49 as being the backbone.
29:51 We find in many countries that people are eager to use
29:55 and to make digital transactions.
29:59 It's a way of having a very inexpensive form of services,
30:04 payment for services and for goods.
30:07 So, can I drill down on that a little bit?
30:11 The Rwandan franc is unique to Rwanda.
30:17 So...
30:18 How do you envision the importance of cross-border payments?
30:24 If someone drives a truck across a border,
30:27 they're not able to use the same digital payment system.
30:30 Do you think that will evolve
30:33 and is it important that there be a single currency
30:37 or how will that evolve do you think?
30:41 [Paul Kagame] It will evolve...
30:42 There has been effort across the region
30:46 during the integration process of a region.
30:51 For example, if you take the East African community,
30:56 there has been harmonization of a number of things,
31:02 including looking at, therefore, how that can be solved
31:08 to the point that from one place to another,
31:11 it's like moving within a country in itself.
31:17 So the East African community has more or less come closer together,
31:23 in the sense that it becomes one big country
31:27 that brings the number of countries
31:32 that are part of a state together.
31:36 So I think that we are underway, it's being discussed.
31:40 It's looking at how we can even have monetary union,
31:46 under that, therefore,
31:48 different harmonization activities and services will be undertaken
31:55 to ease on the movement, and, therefore, the currencies
32:00 and the payment within the payment system as it is.
32:06 [David Malpass] I imagine
32:08 that as there's more and more trade across borders,
32:12 among the East African countries, that will also draw along the idea
32:18 of transactions that are accepted in the various countries.
32:22 Mr. President, as you think about the challenges within Rwanda,
32:28 around the world, privacy is one of the issues that people consider.
32:33 How do people store data safely?
32:35 How do they avoid surveillance of their own data?
32:39 I wonder your thoughts on that
32:41 and also this challenge around the world
32:44 of having all information available to people.
32:48 There are some countries that are really closing the Internet
32:52 to certain flows of information.
32:55 What do you think about those issues?
32:57 [Paul Kagame] Well, first of all, one has to be aware of the risks involved
33:04 with these new technologies,
33:08 and, therefore, people have to take steps to make sure that the risks are mitigated,
33:15 but at the same time, harness the productivity and efficiencies,
33:22 and all the values entailed in these new technologies.
33:27 And, therefore, people have to think about safety in all forms, indeed,
33:32 and being aware of the risks, of course.
33:39 So within our own system, for example, in Rwanda,
33:45 we officially launched recently in Kigari,
33:49 the first Centre of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa
33:53 in partnership with the World Economic Forum.
33:56 This helps us to have a full grasp of the issues,
34:02 and, therefore, maximize on the benefits and also minimize on the risks
34:08 as well as any in-between allowing for the freedoms
34:12 to do with the management of data,
34:17 and allowing people to freely reap benefits from that.
34:26 I think it will be built on how people come together to discuss this,
34:31 put necessary laws in place,
34:33 not only just nationally, but rather regionally,
34:38 and also learning from the best practices across the globe.
34:44 It's not an easy thing, but I think it is doable.
34:49 It has just to be driven by the right politics as well,
34:54 so that people understand the benefits.
34:58 This is to people,
35:00 but also allow freedoms to prevail within,
35:07 but at the same time, manage these risks involved.
35:15 For example...
35:17 Let me give an example, last year,
35:20 Rwanda adopted a personal data protection and privacy law,
35:25 and the Centre played an instrumental role in its development.
35:31 So there are these laws that are being developed
35:36 to make sure that data protection is of essence,
35:43 and it will also allow...
35:47 fostering of trust...
35:50 which will, in turn, promote innovation and facilitate cross-border data flows.
35:56 [David Malpass] Do you have advice for other parts of Africa
36:01 on things that you would urge them to do?
36:05 And it can be with your neighbors as well, with Kenya.
36:08 Do you have good connection and can it be expanded?
36:13 How do you see that working?
36:14 And what advice do you have for anyone at large, including me?
36:21 [Paul Kagame] The more we expand
47:07 I am Ampumuza Esther in Uganda
47:09 and you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
36:23 countries getting together,
36:28 the benefit of that
36:29 it's not just the big market that we are interested in,
36:35 which is, of course, extremely important,
36:39 but it's also how we can learn from each other.
36:43 We can benefit each other.
36:45 We can work together to address these challenges.
36:50 Again, learning from the best practices that are out there.
36:55 And all that is necessary is to be frank with each other.
37:00 We tell people...
37:03 We discuss the importance of governance,
37:08 the importance of
37:12 putting people's interests here at the heart of what we are doing,
37:18 and whether it is Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda,
37:22 Tanzania, Burundi, DRC I mentioned,
37:26 we want to make sure that the strength we have,
37:31 The...
37:36 The resources that are in abundance benefit our citizens.
37:43 However, this potential will always be realized
37:48 if there is adequate funding
37:51 from investors and international financial institutions,
37:56 particularly for RSA ventures, because most of the...
38:02 efforts we see by small medium enterprises
38:12 and there is always lack of funding
38:17 for them to be able to accelerate what they are doing.
38:21 So it's a...
38:24 It's a cross section of things that we have to be looking at.
38:29 It's governance,
38:30 it's connectivity, it's funding, it's...
38:36 It's making sure that this market reaches
38:40 its full potential in what it can do for the people of our countries.
38:48 [David Malpass] I was pleased to read about the summit,
38:52 the meetings that you had in early April in Nairobi,
38:56 and the connection to Democratic Republic of Congo
39:00 is going to be important because of the size of that market.
39:03 So, the progress you're making, I think is very important.
39:07 I'll ask two questions.
39:10 Are there applications
39:12 that you yourself like, that you see emerging in Rwanda?
39:17 How do you use the Internet yourself in your daily activities?
39:26 [Paul Kagame] Well, we've been learning a lot,
39:30 a lot, at least recently, during COVID.
39:35 There are so many technologies,
39:39 applications that help connect people
39:43 with whatever they want, wherever it is.
39:47 And that's how people even embraced
39:51 working from home and
39:55 education delivered to homes as well,
39:59 because kids are not able to go to school,
40:05 health services benefiting from all these kinds of applications.
40:12 And for me personally,
40:14 the most important thing is not only to be...
40:21 ...to work together,
40:23 but also to deliver information that is required
40:29 or provision of that whenever you need it,
40:34 so that life becomes as normal as possible,
40:39 even with the absence of what we have been used to
40:44 in day-to-day work.
40:47 So, I use a lot...
40:51 We are on social media,
40:52 We have...
40:54 We use emails, we use virtual technologies to...
41:03 To just get what you want to obtain
41:07 and also do as much work as you can.
41:11 From any place you reach,
41:14 whatever you want and wherever you want it.
41:17 So that's what I can say.
41:21 And of course, it has provided
41:24 our young people, who are innovative,
41:28 this possibility to go out
41:30 and address these problems that the society is facing
41:35 and also off of that make money and...
41:41 ...be able to do a number of things.
41:43 I think we can't complain,
41:47 but rather just be prepared for the next challenge.
41:52 [David Malpass] That's exactly right.
41:54 And we see different uses in different countries,
41:57 which is, of course, the huge benefit of digitalization.
42:03 I'll mention, the World Bank works through—
42:08 In the private sector through the International Finance Corporation, IFC.
42:13 We've been active in Rwanda and in neighboring countries through IFC
42:18 and helping small and medium sized businesses have more access to funding
42:23 and also to innovation platforms,
42:27 which has been so important
42:29 in pushing along the windows of digitalization.
42:32 Also, government services
42:34 are increasingly provided through the Internet,
42:37 and that provides one more platform
42:41 or support for the investments that are needed.
42:45 So, my sense is there are now so many services
42:49 being provided across the Internet
42:51 that it pays for the investments that countries are making.
42:55 So, we find that regulatory advances are one of the critical enabling steps
43:01 for countries as they consider the Internet.
43:05 But I think some of the biggest advances can be in physical trade across borders
43:10 and in digital trade across borders and payment systems.
43:14 Can you describe the physical trade that's going on
43:21 and whether digitalization is going to help it advance?
43:24 [Paul Kagame] I think there's no conflict really,
43:29 between the physical aspects of that trade
43:35 and the digital aspects,
43:38 but rather there is complementarity.
43:41 And the more we digitize these processes,
43:46 we find that things work more efficiently.
43:54 Like, for example,
43:56 in some parts of our borders with our neighbors,
43:59 we have created one clearing house
44:03 where officials on one side of the border
44:09 and on the other side, the opposite side, are in one place.
44:15 And what is to be expected is very clear.
44:19 Things come in and whatever information that is required
44:27 is delivered on spot
44:30 and the people move with ease as long as they just
44:37 make sure that what was expected of them has been done
44:41 and that is cross checked on spot and using technology,
44:46 and people and businesses and services move very fast.
44:50 So it's not either or, but rather for me,
44:55 it's how the two can interact and work together
44:59 as fast as possible.
45:01 We are not going to have purely one process,
45:05 and purely the other.
45:07 It's how we can fuse,
45:10 bring together the two and be able to move on.
45:15 I think we are beginning to see
45:18 development in this area and good progress.
45:23 [David Malpass] That is very powerful, very well stated.
45:27 It brings people together and they don't have to be the same.
45:30 They just have to be able to interconnect.
45:33 And earlier in the conversation,
45:37 you made the point that people are able to make money from this as well,
45:42 which, of course, is one of the driving forces
45:45 behind digitalization.
45:47 It really increases productivity
45:50 and money-making capacity and entrepreneurism,
45:54 which are also important to growth.
45:57 President Kagame, I want to thank you very warmly
46:00 for the conversation this morning.
46:02 It's been enlightening,
46:04 and I really appreciate your joining us and good luck in all of your pursuits.
46:09 Thank you.
46:11 [Paul Kagame] Thank you, President Malpass.
46:13 Thank you for your invitation, but above all, I want to thank you,
46:17 I can't do it enough.
46:18 And the World Bank for the very strong and beneficial partnership
46:26 that has enabled us to invest in this critical infrastructure
46:33 and skills that we need for continued digitalization
46:40 and the development of skills within our people
46:43 so that in the end everyone will have what to do and benefit from,
46:51 and that's what we want to be driven to achieve.
46:55 Thank you so much.
46:57 [David Malpass] We welcome that partnership
46:59 and look forward to working with you every day and into the future.
47:03 Thank you, sir.
47:05 [Soft Music] [KAMPALA, UGANDA] [Esther] I am [Unintelligible] Esther in Uganda.
47:09 And you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring meet.
47:16 [Lana Wong] Thank you both for that very interesting discussion.
47:19 It is really inspiring to hear how despite all challenges
47:22 Rwanda is making progress in increasing broadband connectivity
47:26 and expanding digital inclusion.
47:29 Now, let's take a closer look at some more data on the digital divide
47:33 and the provision of essential services.
47:37 [Lana Wong] As we've heard,
47:37 digital technologies can supercharge inclusive growth
47:41 and bridge divides that were insurmountable
47:43 with brick and mortar development solutions.
47:46 Yet 3 billion people are offline,
47:49 96% of them in developing countries.
47:52 For vulnerable populations, connection equals resilience.
47:57 During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 60 developing countries
48:01 leveraged digital payments to deliver social assistance programs.
48:05 Countries that use digital identification and databases for government payments
48:10 reached 39% more beneficiaries than those who did not.
48:15 Digitalization of essential services
48:17 also extended opportunities for health and education during lockdowns.
48:22 Remote education kept students learning,
48:24 with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion worldwide.
48:29 The global E-learning market,
48:31 worth 250 billion in 2020,
48:33 is expected to grow at more than 21% per year.
48:37 And telemedicine connected many with essential care.
48:41 Some analysts forecast the telemedicine industry
48:44 will now grow by over 19% a year by mid-decade.
48:48 In the post-Covid world,
48:50 new skills will be required to seize on this digital transformation.
48:54 87% of companies worldwide
48:57 say that they have a skills gap now or will in the next five years.
49:01 In Sub-Saharan Africa alone,
49:04 more than 230 million jobs will require digital skills by 2030.
49:11 [Lana Wong] How can we ensure that digital solutions
49:14 provide services to the poor,
49:16 improve E-Government efficiency and build digital skills?
49:20 Let's hear how governments are using digital technologies
49:23 to advance the delivery of crucial services.
49:26 For this conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Ghita Mezzour,
49:30 who is the Minister of Digital Transformation in Morocco.
49:33 Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren is the Minister of Education and Science in Mongolia.
49:38 And lastly, Carme Artigas is the Secretary of State
49:41 for Digital Utilization and Artificial Intelligence in Spain.
49:45 Due to some technical issues with the audio connection to Mongolia,
49:49 we'll be running subtitles to ensure you can understand the Minister's comments.
49:54 [Lana Wong] Thank you all for joining us today and
49:56 I'm excited for our conversation.
49:59 So let me start with Minister Mezzour.
50:01 Today about 23% of public services are fully digitized in Morocco.
50:06 But I understand that the ambition is to increase that to a full 100%.
50:12 That's really ambitious.
50:14 How do you plan to achieve that goal
50:16 and what difference will it make for the people of Morocco?
50:20 [Ghita Mezzour] The new model for development of Morocco insists on digitizing public services
50:28 so that citizens can access public services in a way that's easy, transparent,
50:33 and they don't have to physically go to administrations.
50:36 The goal is to have trustworthy relationship
50:39 between citizens and the administration in general.
50:44 So our Ministry works closely with various administrations
50:50 giving them day-to-day hands-on support
50:54 on how to devise their digital vision,
50:59 on how to simplify processes,
51:02 on how to succeed in a digital transition that's citizen centric.
51:07 Great. Thank you, Minister.
51:09 It's really great to hear about the progress Morocco is making,
51:13 but let's now turn to Mongolia.
51:15 Minister Luvsantseren, how is Mongolia also using digital technology
51:21 to improve delivery of public services?
51:24 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] First of all, thank you for the invitation.
51:27 I appreciate being a part of this meaningful meeting and discussion.
51:34 So then since 2019,
51:38 we have all faced unexpected situations
51:43 that we have not encountered before.
51:46 The COVID-19 pandemic did create a lot of challenges,
51:50 but at the same time it created a lot of opportunities.
51:54 And we established the new ministry
51:58 called the Ministry of Digital Development and Communication,
52:02 in 2021.
52:05 Then in 2020 the Mongolian government
52:08 set out its five-year mission to build a digital nation,
52:14 to focus on data and technology to facilitate innovation,
52:18 streamline the public services
52:20 and diversify Mongolia's mining basic economy.
52:25 So the government of Mongolia
52:28 launched the e-Mongolia platform
52:31 that provided the most in-demand government services in 2020.
52:36 According to the most current data in the country,
52:39 e-Mongolia has connected over 700 public services,
52:45 a large number of online services has brought about massive benefits
52:51 to Mongolia's people and businesses during the pandemic.
52:56 The pandemic has been a great opportunity to us
53:00 to shift to a more digital area than before.
53:02 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you so much, Minister.
53:05 As you point out, COVID certainly did create quite an opportunity.
53:11 So we are at a pivotal moment for this digital revolution.
53:14 But with that, there are risks that come
53:17 with the expansion of digital technologies.
53:20 So Secretary Artigas is an expert in building trust in digital development.
53:26 Secretary Artigas,
53:27 as you know, while digital technologies grew exponentially during the pandemic
53:31 so did cyber attacks.
53:33 How can we protect citizens from the risks of this new digital world?
53:38 [Carme Artigas] Yes. First of all, thank you very much for the invitation
53:41 of the World Bank Group to this fantastic event.
53:43 Yes, I was really pointing out for explaining digital agenda,
53:48 it is a priority that this transformation is inclusive and socially transformative.
53:56 Because we firmly believe that the digitalization process
53:59 can only be successful if it's able to improve social welfare,
54:03 especially for those who need it most.
54:05 And this is why we consider that all digital agenda in Spain
54:08 must put technology at the service of people
54:11 and ensure that no-one is left behind.
54:14 We believe that technology can act really as a barrier against inequality.
54:18 And we are at a time of unprecedented change
54:21 in which we have the opportunity to lay the foundations for a digital society
54:25 that must be fairer and more resilient to economic cycles.
54:30 Of course, there are a lot of risks associated with extreme growth
54:33 of the digital, I would say, landscape.
54:37 But we should solve that not only with awareness,
54:40 but especially with training, with the promotion of digital skills.
54:44 And this is why we are implementing
54:45 a national plan for digital skills, that is our pillar for the digitalization strategy,
54:49 beyond, of course, access to broadband,
54:53 because fortunately,
54:55 Spain is the leader in European countries
54:59 in deployment of broadband.
55:02 So we have a very good infrastructure,
55:03 but we need to build two more additional infrastructures.
55:06 And the next important additional infrastructure is infrastructure of talent
55:10 as well as infrastructure of innovation and entrepreneurship.
55:14 But we are all aware that we must generate trust,
55:18 generate a safe, reliable and accessible environment for all the population.
55:22 This is why we are having a pioneer project called the Charter of Digital Rights.
55:27 Spain wants to be at the forefront
55:30 in guaranteeing the right of citizens in the digital world, for example,
55:34 the right to equality or the right not to be discriminated by an algorithm.
55:38 So really the challenge is what we call human-centered technology,
55:42 or technology and humanism.
55:44 And we consider that to be really our own Spain's brand.
55:47 [Lana Wong] Thank you so much. Yes.
55:50 With the digital rights,
55:52 it's an important thing to make sure that it's safe and reliable.
55:55 And we are excited by the innovations that you are leading on.
56:00 So, Minister Mezzour, let's turn to you on this.
56:04 In Morocco,
56:04 you have large rural populations and high illiteracy rates in some regions.
56:09 So how is the government helping to boost digital literacy
56:13 to prepare these populations for the opportunities
56:16 and risks of digital development?
56:18 [Ghita Mezzour] So first, Morocco also has a good ICT infrastructure.
56:23 So the infrastructure and the coverage is one of the top three in Africa.
56:29 So that means a lot of areas are already covered by Internet.
56:33 That's good.
56:34 We're also still working on expanding the Internet coverage.
56:41 Also for schools, we have the GENIE program,
56:45 which equips schools with Internet and devices
56:52 and also trains students in ICT tools
56:55 so that they can teach their students.
56:57 We work in all of this because we fully believe that
57:03 the entire society needs to benefit and be part of this digital transition.
57:08 [Lana Wong] Great to hear that Morocco is helping to lead the way in really
57:12 accelerating that transition.
57:15 So let me turn back to Mongolia.
57:18 Minister, in Mongolia, you've really led the efforts
57:21 to boost digital literacy and expand public education services,
57:26 especially through the pandemic, through virtual learning.
57:29 Can you tell us more about the challenges you faced and the opportunities
57:33 that digital learning brings to the Mongolian people?
57:36 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] So the COVID-19
57:39 pandemic continues to impose significant challenges
57:43 to global economies and governments,
57:46 and as a result humanity faces completely new ways of life,
57:51 and education and learning are different.
57:55 So the learning loss impacts
57:57 those children and young people are facing due to the pandemic
58:02 are immeasurable,
58:03 and now we have the challenging task
58:06 to overcome implications and to recover from the children's learning loss.
58:11 As a result of the pandemic, during the past two academic years,
58:18 almost 50% of students did not go to school,
58:21 they used remote and online resources
58:24 with students in Mongolia.
58:27 Therefore, to promote equal opportunities for children and youth,
58:32 and to recover their lost learning,
58:36 the Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia
58:38 has been trying to transform education,
58:42 utilizing digital advances and innovations.
58:45 We all know that it works well.
58:47 Around 1 million people accessed their learning platform 'medlee.mn',
58:54 developed during the pandemic,
58:56 indicating new forms of learning for children and youth.
59:00 The Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia
59:02 has begun to develop classroom studios in schools,
59:07 which are located in remote areas to create e-content.
59:14 These Studios will enrich e-learning databases,
59:18 make full use of information technology and training,
59:22 and ensure lesson and readiness
59:25 in the case of emergency of force majeure.
59:29 [Lana Wong] Thank you so much.
59:30 It's critical that education, of course, can reach all.
59:35 So this whole issue of access as well as quality
59:38 sounds like that you are well aware and taking us forward in that realm.
59:44 Secretary Artigas, if you could take out your crystal ball
59:48 and look a bit into the future,
59:50 tell me about how you see the potential of big data and artificial intelligence
59:56 for advancing inclusive and resilient growth in developing countries.
01:00:00 [Carme Artigas] We believe that digitalization and sustainable growth
01:00:03 are two sides of the same coin.
01:00:05 So increased productivity and efficiency
01:00:07 are two elements on which developing countries
01:00:10 have the opportunity to build a more prosperous model
01:00:13 capable of generating wealth and wellbeing.
01:00:16 It is clear that all the advances in efficiency gains from big data and AI
01:00:21 are becoming essential to designing more sustainable and efficient production systems.
01:00:26 And also everything related with the circular economy and the green transition
01:00:32 must empowered by big data and AI.
01:00:35 It's estimated that 60% of potential productivity
01:00:38 comes from actions focused on task automation, for example,
01:00:42 and that artificial intelligence could also increase productivity up to 40%.
01:00:46 So for me, this process must go parallel
01:00:49 to the development of a new digital and green economy
01:00:52 and the necessary ecological transition we have in Spain.
01:00:55 The two leverages of our transformation and productive model
01:00:58 are digital transformation and green transition.
01:01:02 And I think that it is important international cooperation
01:01:06 and establishment of mechanisms for access to knowledge
01:01:09 and the creation of secure and interoperable data spaces.
01:01:13 AI requires data and it's important that we find a way
01:01:16 in which different countries can exchange data in a safe way.
01:01:21 And trustful way.
01:01:22 And also that, at a national level,
01:01:25 as we are doing in Europe, you build environments
01:01:28 in which you create industrial data spaces for open innovation and AI development.
01:01:34 But for me, there is an important premise
01:01:37 is that nobody should impose
01:01:39 which technologies or application developing countries should develop
01:01:44 because you also have the knowledge and expertise
01:01:47 and the talent that, if we devote the resources to grow that talent,
01:01:52 there is no possibility of a technology colonization.
01:01:54 So I think that an intelligent prospective digitalization for each country
01:01:58 should be based on technology and service of people.
01:01:59 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:02:01 Thank you. Secretary Artigas.
01:02:03 So I have a final question for all of you.
01:02:06 In a kind of rapid round, I might turn to Minister Mezzour first.
01:02:10 If you were to ask one thing
01:02:12 from the World Bank Group to help expand digital usage,
01:02:15 what would it be?
01:02:16 [Ghita Mezzour] Well, you can ask for many things.
01:02:18 One of them is we have Internet,
01:02:20 but a lot of people don't have devices yet, so don't have 4G devices.
01:02:24 You can find a way to have people have access to devices.
01:02:27 So sharing this digital literacy program, do we have some of them?
01:02:32 If we can expand this, that would be awesome.
01:02:36 And also any expertise sharing from other countries
01:02:41 and how to succeed this on a hands-on way of expertise sharing.
01:02:46 We'd be very grateful for that.
01:02:48 [Lana Wong] Okay, fantastic.
01:02:50 Let's turn to Mongolia.
01:02:51 Minister Luvsantseren. What would you ask?
01:02:55 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] I would like to ask the World Bank Group
01:02:58 to support expansion of high-speed Internet connection throughout the country,
01:03:03 as Mongolia is a very remote and geographically broad country.
01:03:08 Even though the pandemic restrictions are getting looser,
01:03:12 and we would like to continue to do virtual learning,
01:03:15 as we have faced significant learning loss,
01:03:19 in particular children in the countryside and remote areas,
01:03:23 those are majority affected by the pandemic
01:03:26 because of the lack of accessibility of online learning,
01:03:31 and need to overcome learning loss and accelerate learning.
01:03:35 Besides, the support of developing teachers' and students' digital literacy is crucial.
01:03:42 As we have experienced in this challenge in particular,
01:03:45 teachers need competitive skills
01:03:48 to access digital tools and produce digital content
01:03:51 to promote student learning.
01:03:54 [Lana Wong] Super. Thank you.
01:03:55 And I turn to you, Secretary Artigas.
01:03:59 [Carme Artigas] We would encourage the World Bank Group to support all the initiatives
01:04:03 to do with digital skills at any country
01:04:07 so that we can allow all the citizens in the world
01:04:10 to enjoy the advantages that technology may bring us.
01:04:13 But also I would love that they support the idea
01:04:16 that technology development cannot be...
01:04:20 It is not progress if it costs us a price.
01:04:23 And we cannot do this development at the price of losing in this process
01:04:28 the rights that we have acquired for centuries as citizens.
01:04:33 So we don't want to miss in the digital world those rights that we have in our current world.
01:04:38 So I would encourage that they support also corporative policies
01:04:42 in line with these principles and values,
01:04:44 with the digital rights also for the citizens in the digital world.
01:04:49 And that can be done also with private and public collaboration,
01:04:53 aligned with this objective to leave no one behind.
01:04:56 [Lana Wong] Thank you. I couldn't agree more
01:04:58 about not leaving anyone behind in this amazing digital revolution
01:05:01 that we find ourselves in.
01:05:03 So thank you all for your expertise and your experience
01:05:06 and for being with us here today.
01:05:08 I've really enjoyed this conversation and I thank you.
01:05:13 [Lana Wong] It's great to see how some countries
01:05:15 are turning a challenging moment
01:05:17 into an opportunity to advance digital inclusion.
01:05:20 I'm joined now by Sri Sridhar,
01:05:22 who's been following the conversation online and on social media.
01:05:26 Sri, what have people been saying?
01:05:27 [Srimathi Sridhar] Thanks, Lana, great to see you.
01:05:29 People are joining us from all over the world today,
01:05:32 including Rwanda,
01:05:33 Nigeria, France, India, Venezuela, Spain, Uganda, Mexico, and the United States.
01:05:40 And they're using today's event hashtag,
01:05:42 which is #PowerOfDigital, to join the conversation on our Twitter,
01:05:45 Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as Instagram channels.
01:05:48 But what are they talking about?
01:05:49 Well, about the need for better and more connectivity,
01:05:53 but also access to technology and digital skills,
01:05:56 especially in developing countries.
01:05:58 I want to take a moment now to give a shout out to some of the comments
01:06:01 that have been coming in on our social media channels.
01:06:04 We have Lucy from Rwanda on Twitter
01:06:07 who says that to achieve digital financial inclusion for all 1.3 people,
01:06:11 every African of age must have equal and affordable access to a digital account
01:06:16 and services that merit what it means to be truly included.
01:06:21 Next on LinkedIn, we have a comment from Zaradin Ahmed
01:06:25 who says that there is a wide gap to bridge relating to digital infrastructure
01:06:30 and internet access in the global South, particularly Africa.
01:06:34 And to round this out on Facebook, a comment from Jubaida Begumm who says
01:06:38 that digital transformation is one of the best techniques
01:06:41 to promote economic growth
01:06:42 and we should develop our skills so that we can properly use technology.
01:06:47 [Lana Wong] Right. It's great to hear all of those voices.
01:06:49 And I think now we can share the results of the poll
01:06:52 that we've been running throughout the event.
01:06:53 Yes. So let me remind everyone, today's poll asked
01:06:56 which digital transformation do you think is the most critical
01:06:59 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth?
01:07:02 We have four options here.
01:07:03 Is it E-Government and digital IDs,
01:07:06 fintech and digital payments, digital infrastructure and Internet access
01:07:10 or is it D, EdTech and digital skills?
01:07:13 Now, Lana, before we get to the results, what would be your pick here?
01:07:17 Well, I'm an education person,
01:07:19 but I actually might go for E, all of the above.
01:07:22 Okay, I like that.
01:07:23 I am going for A, but why don't we see how people voted?
01:07:27 And just to know we had over 2400 people take part in today's poll.
01:07:31 But here are the results,
01:07:32 here 13% say it's e-government and digital IDs,
01:07:35 12% fintech and digital payments,
01:07:38 39% digital infrastructure and Internet access.
01:07:41 And finally, 35% EdTech and digital skills.
01:07:44 -So pretty close results here. -Great.
01:07:47 -Thank you so much, Sri. -Thanks, Lana.
01:08:01 I'm now joined here in the atrium of the World Bank Group by Doyle Gallegos,
01:08:05 Regional Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean
01:08:09 for the Digital Development Practice of the World Bank,
01:08:11 and Leila Search, Senior Investment Officer for Fintech Investments at IFC.
01:08:17 They'll be answering some of the questions you've been asking in just a moment.
01:08:21 But first, let's recap some of the main points we've heard from our speakers
01:08:25 on how we can ensure a digital revolution that supports truly inclusive growth.
01:08:31 Digital technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity
01:08:34 to transform developing economies,
01:08:36 enabling long-term growth and prosperity.
01:08:40 Digital innovation is revolutionizing government,
01:08:43 health, education, business, finance and jobs.
01:08:48 Yet too many people in developing countries remain unconnected or unable
01:08:53 to reap the benefits of digital transformation.
01:08:56 We need a collective commitment
01:08:58 from the public and private sectors to close connectivity and usage gaps
01:09:03 and build the foundations of a thriving, equitable digital economy for all,
01:09:08 especially in times of economic shocks and upheaval.
01:09:12 So now let's turn to our Q&A with our panel.
01:09:15 You've been posting questions and voting on your favorites online.
01:09:19 And Leila and Doyle are here today to answer some of the most popular.
01:09:23 First, let's hear from Lukman Yusuf from Nigeria, who sent us this video.
01:09:29 Hello, my name is Lukman Yusuf from Nigeria.
01:09:32 And I would like to ask the speakers this question.
01:09:35 In what way can the government, institutions and organizations
01:09:39 complement the growing digital innovation with the knowledge required
01:09:43 for full adoption by people in Bonneville communities
01:09:46 with little knowledge of how to read or write
01:09:49 to participate in the use of this technology?
01:09:51 Thank you.
01:09:54 [Lana Wong] Doyle. So Lukman raises an important point about digital skills.
01:09:59 What can be done about that?
01:10:00 [Doyle Gallegos] Well, thank you, Luke.
01:10:02 And this question goes to the heart of our biggest challenge right now.
01:10:06 Right now, we need to find innovative ways
01:10:09 to boost the usage of a beneficial Internet for all.
01:10:14 And when I mean all, I also include the disabled.
01:10:18 And by disabled, we're talking about people with special needs
01:10:22 the elderly, as well as the illiterate.
01:10:26 What can we do?
01:10:29 Technology can help us to a great extent.
01:10:32 In fact, it's a big challenge because right now,
01:10:39 WHO estimated about 1 billion people in this population that are disabled.
01:10:44 And if trends continue the way they are right now
01:10:47 by 2030, half the planet will be considered
01:10:50 part of the disabled population.
01:10:53 So, yes, technology can help us solve a lot of this problem.
01:10:57 But the grand irony is
01:10:59 is that many of the innovations we have today, that can make a difference...
01:11:04 There are barriers
01:11:05 to bringing those technologies into our client countries
01:11:08 because of obsolete regulations, policies, standards don't exist for devices,
01:11:15 for hardware, software, cloud services that can all be enabled
01:11:19 to provide relief to these disadvantaged populations.
01:11:23 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:11:25 And so over to you, Leila. We have a question from Nicholas who says,
01:11:28 how can emerging digital tools help with global challenges like climate change?
01:11:34 [Leila Search] Absolutely. We're seeing a lot of digital tools
01:11:37 that have the potential to scale solutions to solve problems,
01:11:40 particularly in climate change.
01:11:42 We're seeing these digital tools and these new business models
01:11:45 really across all industries and sectors.
01:11:48 We're seeing it in agriculture,
01:11:49 we're seeing it in logistics, we're seeing it in energy.
01:11:52 And IFC seeks out to both partner and invest
01:11:55 in these type of companies that are making these changes.
01:11:58 For example, in Kobo360, an E-Logistics company,
01:12:01 they're using artificial intelligence
01:12:03 to be able to smartly route trucks to cut down on emissions.
01:12:07 Another example, Twiga,
01:12:09 in the area of agriculture and food,
01:12:11 it's been shown that artificial intelligence could cut down on food wastage
01:12:15 by as much as £35 million a year.
01:12:17 And Twiga is just one of those companies.
01:12:19 They also work in the supply chain to make that delivery much more efficient.
01:12:23 And then lastly, in energy,
01:12:25 where you're starting to see a shift to use of solar power.
01:12:29 I have season invested in a company called Solfácil.
01:12:31 It really enables both the distribution, the installation
01:12:34 of solar on top of rooftop for consumers and small businesses.
01:12:38 And I think these are just thousands of the types of innovations
01:12:41 that we're seeing in digital tools that can help address climate change
01:12:44 in emerging markets.
01:12:46 [Lana Wong] That's great and exciting.
01:12:47 Some good news in the midst of everything that we're dealing with today.
01:12:51 So back to you, Doyle.
01:12:53 We have a question from Blossom via World Bank Live
01:12:56 who says according to accounts of COVID's economic impact,
01:12:59 advanced nations will recover by 2023.
01:13:02 But for developing countries, that timeline will be much longer.
01:13:06 So she wants to know how can the World Bank, through its work in digital,
01:13:10 help to narrow that recovery timeline for the low and middle income countries?
01:13:15 [Doyle Gallegos] Yes.
01:13:16 And in fact, it doesn't have to take that long.
01:13:20 What I mean is, if we are successful in assisting our client countries
01:13:25 on the acceleration to digital transformation,
01:13:28 that time period can be very much reduced.
01:13:32 So, again, how do we do this?
01:13:35 Well...
01:13:38 if we don't do something now, the opportunity cost and the lost
01:13:41 opportunity gets higher and higher every time we lag.
01:13:45 So what it basically takes is governments coming together
01:13:49 and thinking about a strategy.
01:13:51 We assist these countries strategies.
01:13:54 We look at the baseline,
01:13:55 what are the diagnostics, what's the current situation?
01:13:57 We will help them put the roadmaps to digital transformation.
01:14:02 That's the easy part.
01:14:03 The hard part comes when you have to identify the gaps in either policy, regulation or standards
01:14:09 so that you can close those and attract the private sector
01:14:14 to come and invest and accelerate the whole process.
01:14:18 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:14:19 So for you, Leila.
01:14:21 We have a question from Shirvan.
01:14:23 Can you give some recommendations in the marketplace or fintech space
01:14:28 for digital solutions that are affordable for emerging economies and communities
01:14:33 trying to build solutions for the unbanked?
01:14:35 [Leila Search] Yeah.
01:14:37 And, you know, historically, financial services have been expensive.
01:14:41 And we also know from World Bank data that,
01:14:43 even though great progress has been made in the last five or ten years,
01:14:47 we still have as much as 33% of the world population
01:14:50 or 1.7 billion people who don't even have access to a basic bank account.
01:14:55 And why has it been so expensive?
01:14:57 It's been so expensive because you needed
01:14:58 the physical infrastructure to reach these people.
01:15:00 You had to have bank branches.
01:15:02 You needed to have agents in rural areas.
01:15:04 You need people to staff and to run loan documents and this type of stuff.
01:15:08 And I think we've had a big digital revolution
01:15:11 with both fintech companies that are starting to enable that.
01:15:14 You can open a bank account virtually.
01:15:16 You don't have to step foot in a bank.
01:15:17 You can make payments, you can make your bill payments.
01:15:20 You can apply for a loan.
01:15:21 And all of this is being enabled by technology,
01:15:24 which then cuts the cost and it makes it affordable.
01:15:27 And I think during COVID, you even saw a complete revolution,
01:15:31 almost a leapfrogging, of the adoption of financial services digitally.
01:15:35 People couldn't walk into banks.
01:15:37 And then even more importantly,
01:15:39 I think the regulators have started to catch up on this.
01:15:41 So they were starting to enable regulation
01:15:43 that allowed these virtual financial services.
01:15:46 But COVID proved to them that they had to change even further.
01:15:49 So in countries like Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere,
01:15:52 you can now virtually open a bank account
01:15:54 by regulation without having to go into the bank.
01:15:57 So I think this combination of both these new models
01:16:00 and financial technology and using technology
01:16:03 along with the regulators,
01:16:04 can really help us close this gap even more exponentially.
01:16:08 [Lana Wong] That's great. Thank you.
01:16:09 So back to you, Doyle.
01:16:11 We have a question from Mohammed.
01:16:13 There is consensus that digital economic transformation
01:16:16 is key to economic growth and job creation.
01:16:20 However, in developing countries, basic digital infrastructure are lacking.
01:16:24 So what sustainable countries can really help countries...?
01:16:28 Sorry.
01:16:29 Sustainable strategies can help countries really overcome this challenge.
01:16:33 [Doyle Gallegos] Now, again, another great question,
01:16:36 and it's really comforting to see that 39% of our respondents
01:16:40 think that infrastructure is still quite significant.
01:16:45 We at the Bank believe that digital infrastructure
01:16:47 is the foundation of foundations.
01:16:49 If we don't get the digital infrastructure right,
01:16:51 we have no digital disruptive technologies,
01:16:54 we have no digital transformation, and we don't have a digital economy.
01:16:58 So we have to get this right.
01:17:00 The estimate is globally, about $500 billion of private capital
01:17:04 needs to be deployed to fill that infrastructure gap.
01:17:08 So we assist our client governments really again
01:17:12 to try to understand where the gaps are, where the biggest needs are,
01:17:16 and we help them revise regulations to really crowd in the private sector.
01:17:23 And what was the private sector need?
01:17:25 Well, we need a lower cost of fiber optic backbones.
01:17:29 We need to do that through infrastructure sharing,
01:17:31 lower cost of spectrum, more reasonable taxation.
01:17:36 Once the infrastructure is built, we have to make it accessible to everyone,
01:17:40 open-access and nondiscriminatory practices
01:17:43 so that an entrepreneur or a large ISP Internet service provider
01:17:48 can come and provide services.
01:17:51 Last of all, we really need the government and private sector to sit together, plan
01:17:56 plan, prioritize where the infrastructure has to go
01:18:00 and make it happen.
01:18:03 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:18:05 And so the last question for you, Layla from Abdel.
01:18:08 Is it possible for the digital revolution
01:18:11 to facilitate job creation for young people in developing countries?
01:18:15 [Leila Search] In short, absolutely.
01:18:17 And this digital revolution has created so many job opportunities,
01:18:21 but in different ways in the digital economy and digital companies.
01:18:25 What we're seeing, I think,
01:18:26 that helps create and helps make these jobs happen
01:18:29 are two fronts, at least on the technology sector.
01:18:32 And what you're realizing is that the education of yesterday
01:18:36 no longer works for our young people of today and this digital economy.
01:18:40 People need technology skills.
01:18:41 They need data science skills. They need machine learning.
01:18:43 They need Internet marketing.
01:18:45 And that can't be delivered fully in emerging markets
01:18:49 by four to six-year institutions where you need to have proximity to them.
01:18:53 So IFC is doing a lot in that regard.
01:18:55 We're doing a lot in what we call EdTech space.
01:18:57 We've invested in companies like Coursera and Crehana
01:19:00 that are delivering real time, just right content
01:19:04 for the skills that are needed in today's economy,
01:19:06 especially on the digital side.
01:19:08 But then even more importantly, COVID has also changed the way people work,
01:19:12 the way people hire, the way they find talent.
01:19:14 And so there are also platforms that help with this matchmaking.
01:19:17 You find companies now.
01:19:19 Now, digital jobs can be done virtually.
01:19:21 So you can have talent of young people from Kenya, from Ukraine,
01:19:25 working in companies in Brazil and UK, in the US.
01:19:28 And they can do it virtually.
01:19:29 And they can also have that skills set
01:19:32 delivered very quickly through these online platforms and education platforms.
01:19:36 So I think it's created much more job opportunities,
01:19:39 in fact, than ever before where you had to be in physical proximity.
01:19:43 [Lana Wong] That's great.
01:19:44 We could talk about this for ages.
01:19:46 But I just have to send you a big thank you for both of you.
01:19:49 And also thank you to our viewers who asked all of our questions.
01:19:53 So to finish off our program on a high note,
01:19:56 let's see the digital revolution in action.
01:19:58 In Cabo Verde on the West Coast of Africa,
01:20:01 a digital health pass which uses blockchain technology for verification
01:20:05 has boosted the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations.
01:20:09 Take a look.
01:20:13 What excites me most about the Nha Card
01:20:16 is that I work on a project that is helping the country reopen for business
01:20:22 [BROCY CENTEIO DEVELOPER, NHA CARD]
01:20:25 and enables citizens to move freely and travel by presenting this health pass.
01:20:31 My team and I have worked hard to ensure this certificate is valid,
01:20:38 recognized and can be verified anywhere in the world.
01:20:43 The Nha Card is enabling Cabo Verde to move towards a new normal,
01:20:50 to allow for economic reopening, and bring confidence in the health situation.
01:20:59 The Nha Card goes beyond COVID-19.
01:21:02 [MAYRA SILVA NOSI ACADEMY MANAGER]
01:21:04 Right now, we are talking about COVID
01:21:05 but the Nha Card aims to transform the entire healthcare sector.
01:21:08 allowing the healthcare sector to enter the digital transition.
01:21:15 Our goal is that the Nha Card will accompany the citizen through his lifetime.
01:21:21 Working on this project was very satisfying to me
01:21:26 because I felt that I made a very big contribution to the country and to this economic reopening
01:21:35 but above all to the freedom of people to move freely in a safe way.
01:21:48 Hello! I'm Noydalay Manosack in Vientiane, Lao PDR
01:21:52 and you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
01:22:00 Now, this marks the end of our Spring Meetings event,
01:22:02 but there's so much more to come,
01:22:04 including tomorrow's event on financing climate action.
01:22:08 Then on Friday,
01:22:09 the focus turns to helping communities living in fragile or conflict affected situations.
01:22:14 Also on Friday, we'll be exploring how the reform of subsidies
01:22:17 could promote trade and development.
01:22:19 And on Saturday, we'll be discussing the importance of investing in people.
01:22:24 You can also catch a replay of both this event
01:22:27 and yesterday's discussion between the bank and IMF leaders
01:22:30 on responding to global shocks, all at live.worldbank.org.
01:22:34 And please remember to share your comments on today's event
01:22:37 using the hashtag #PowerOfDigital
01:22:41 and any of these flagship events using the #ResilientFuture.
01:22:45 Thank you for joining us today.
01:22:47 We hope you've enjoyed the discussions and perhaps learned something new.
01:22:50 From everyone here in the atrium of the World Bank Group in Washington, DC,
01:22:54 goodbye.

The Digital Revolution: Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth

Follow the event on Twitter #PowerofDigital

- Watch in: العربية | Français | Español -

As developing countries struggle to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, digital solutions are enabling economic transformation and putting them on a path toward green, resilient, and inclusive growth. Private and public investment in digital solutions is bringing critical services to the poorest, creating jobs, strengthening small and medium businesses, enabling trade and services, and building resilience to shocks. At the same time, more than half the developing world remains digitally unconnected, and risks around privacy and cybersecurity are growing worldwide.

The discussion about the digital revolution highlighted innovative ways countries are using digital technologies. From digital financial services, to remote schooling, to more inclusive government services, digital solutions are accelerating more equitable and resilient growth. We heard from public and private sector leaders from around the globe about how safe and effective digital technology has become essential to development in the digital age.

PAGE SECTIONS

- LIST OF SPEAKERS -

- 25-MIN AUDIO SUMMARY -

- RESOURCE LINKS -

- READ THE LIVE Q&A -

- ABOUT THE SPRING MEETINGS -

00:00 Welcome! WBG Spring Meetings 2022 | The Digital Revolution
03:40 Data in focus: Digital divide and the impact on businesses
05:16 Addressing the divides and opening digital opportunities
25:48 The progress in Rwanda’s digital journey
47:29 Data in focus: Digital divide and essential services
49:12 How governments are using digital technologies for services
1:05:20 Social media conversation and poll results
1:08:02 Live Q&A: Digital revolution for an inclusive growth
1:19:54 Digital health pass in Cabo Verde
1:22:00 Closure | Thanks for watching the WBG Spring Meetings 2022

“If daily access to meaningful connectivity is affordable, people can get on when they want, for as long as they want, how they want.”

— Omobola Johnson, Senior Partner, TLcom Capital

“This issue of the digital divide is so big; nobody can solve it by themselves… but across the board we can. Public-private partnerships are important.”

— Michael Miebach, Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard

“We are digitizing public services so that citizens can access [them] in a way that is easy and transparent. The goal is to have trustworthy relationships between citizens and [the government].”

— Ghita Mezzour, Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, Morocco

“Digitalization increases productivity, money-making capacity and entrepreneurism, which are all so important to growth.”

— David Malpass, President, World Bank Group

RESOURCES

Reports

Blogs

Multimedia

Websites

Read the transcript

00:12 [SPRING MEETINGS 2022 - WASHINGTON DC IMF - WORLD BANK GROUP]
00:15 [CONNECTIVITY AND ACCESS]
00:18 [DIGITAL GOVERNMENT SERVICES]
00:20 [DIGITAL SKILLS]
00:23 [DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE]
00:25 [FINTECH & DIGITAL PAYMENTS]
00:28 [SPRING MEETINGS 2022 THE DIGITAL REVOLUTION
00:31 FOSTERING INCLUSION & RESILIENT GROWTH]
00:38 Welcome viewers around the world.
00:40 We're glad you could join us for the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
00:43 And for this event, the Digital Revolution, Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth.
00:49 I'm Lana Wong. And I'm coming to you live
00:51 from the World Bank Group's headquarters in Washington, D.C.
00:55 Two years after the onset of COVID-19,
00:58 it is clear that some things are here to stay.
01:01 In addition to its tragic toll on lives and livelihoods
01:05 the pandemic has brought about deep changes in the way we all live,
01:08 the way that companies do business, how governments interact with citizens,
01:13 and how people communicate with each other.
01:16 New digital tools were deployed in record time
01:19 over the past two years, often for uses that we had never imagined.
01:23 They enabled the continuation of businesses and education,
01:26 allowed governments to provide services,
01:29 and accelerated the adoption of digital financial tools.
01:33 As digital technologies develop,
01:35 they are also expanding inclusion, reaching remote and vulnerable populations
01:41 and helping to strengthen resilience to future crises.
01:44 Digital innovation is driving economic transformation
01:48 by accelerating connectivity, access to finance and job creation.
01:53 These are all important engines of growth,
01:55 and in times of enormous economic shocks, they are even more relevant.
02:00 But despite an increase of digital usage during the pandemic,
02:04 nearly half of the global population is still unconnected.
02:08 And at the same time,
02:09 we need to mitigate the risks related to data privacy and cyber security.
02:14 Over the next 90 minutes, we're bringing together a select group of experts
02:18 to discuss these important issues.
02:20 Let's take a quick look at what we have lined up for you.
03:04 Quite the line up.
03:05 There are lots of ways for you to participate in this event.
03:08 It's being streamed in English, French,
03:11 Spanish and Arabic at live.worldbank.org.
03:14 That's also where our experts are answering your questions in the live chat.
03:18 Here are a few of them already hard at work.
03:21 Share ideas on the potential of technology
03:24 to transform economies for the better using #PowerOfDigital
03:29 You can follow and watch this event
03:31 on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
03:34 And before we launch into our first discussion,
03:37 let's take a closer look at the digital divide.
03:40 The number of people with access to the Internet
03:42 increased during the pandemic, but that access is not equal.
03:46 Data shows how the digital divide
03:48 is actually becoming wider as a result of COVID-19.
03:52 Let's take a look at the impact on businesses.
03:56 The World Bank surveyed just under 25,000 firms
04:00 operating in 38 countries to see how they were being affected by the pandemic.
04:04 It showed that firms of all sizes
04:06 were seeking digital solutions for their operations
04:09 but there were wide gaps in firms' ability to deploy technology.
04:14 Let's look at how the investment varies by size of firm.
04:17 Micro and small firms reported increased investment in digital technology,
04:22 15% and 25% respectively.
04:25 But the share of medium and large firms
04:28 reporting increased investment in digital technology
04:30 was quite a bit higher: 34 and 45%, respectively.
04:35 The digital divide is also present in other ways.
04:39 Worldwide, 76% of people living in cities use the Internet,
04:44 compared to just 39% of people in rural areas.
04:48 While 90% of people in developed countries use the Internet,
04:51 the figure for developing countries was just 57%.
04:55 And in the least developed countries it is just 27%.
05:00 And the gender divide is widest in the least developed countries.
05:03 31% of men report using the Internet, but just 19% of women.
05:09 This compares with gender parity in Internet usage
05:12 in the developed countries.
05:16 How can we address these divides
05:17 and open digital opportunities for more small firms,
05:21 more women, and more people living in rural areas?
05:24 That's the question for our next two guests,
05:27 who have blazed a trail for digital development
05:29 that drives economic transformation:
05:32 Omobola Johnson and Michael Miebach.
05:35 Dr. Johnson is the former Minister of Communication Technology of Nigeria,
05:39 a current member of the Alliance for Affordable Internet,
05:42 and a private equity investor.
05:44 Mr. Miebach is the CEO of Mastercard.
05:49 So welcome to you both.
05:51 I'm thrilled that we have you here with us today
05:54 and I'm really looking forward to a great conversation.
05:57 So, Omobola, let's start with you.
05:59 Nigeria has come a long way in terms of expanding Internet connectivity,
06:04 but there continues to be a persistent gap between the urban and rural populations.
06:10 How can Nigeria and other countries facing similar challenges
06:13 help to expand Internet access for all?
06:17 Thank you very much, Lana.
06:18 And you're absolutely right.
06:19 Nigeria has made tremendous progress in terms of expanding connectivity.
06:24 Today, 2G coverage is 90%, 3G coverage is 80% of the country and 4G is 70%.
06:30 But as you say, the gaps, whether it's 10%, 20% or 30%, those gaps are in the rural areas.
06:35 And that's where the challenge is, really get those rural areas connected.
06:39 But I think what I would like to say is,
06:41 to borrow from a term that the Alliance for Affordable Internet uses.
06:44 And that is a term that is called meaningful connectivity.
06:47 And that's what we need to be worrying about, not just connecting the rural areas,
06:51 but ensuring that that connectivity is meaningful.
06:53 And that means a fast connection, at least 4GB, 4G sort of speed.
06:59 It means ownership of devices.
07:01 It means having daily access to the Internet
07:04 for work, for business, for sociable communication,
07:06 and finally it means you have enough data, and you can afford that data.
07:10 Now to your point around what regulations can be put in place in Nigeria
07:14 to ensure that everybody has meaningful connectivity.
07:17 I think there are a number of them, and some of them really,
07:19 to be fair to Nigeria,
07:21 we are actually doing some of those things already.
07:23 Firstly, faster connection, encouraging collaborations
07:27 between the community networks and the national networks,
07:29 where the community networks can build towers
07:32 based on subsidies given by the Universal Service Provision Fund.
07:35 And the national networks can expand their spectrum,
07:38 expand their ranges, expand their connectivity
07:40 to those community networks and share revenues based on that.
07:43 The second thing that we need to do is around smartphone ownership.
07:46 And that is really, first of all, reducing the taxes
07:48 because we import most of the phones that come into this country,
07:51 reducing the taxes and the duties that are placed on those smartphones,
07:56 and also actually supporting or encouraging the manufacturing of devices locally,
08:01 because that takes all the taxes, takes all the customs duties,
08:04 and really making those smartphones more affordable for the average Nigerian.
08:07 I think the third thing that we need to do is affordability,
08:10 and that's just the daily absence of meaningful connectivity.
08:13 If it's affordable,
08:14 people can get on when they want, for as long as they want
08:17 and how they want to.
08:19 So making it more cost effective,
08:21 roll out considerations, the right of way, all those kind of charges
08:24 that are placed on telecoms companies as they roll out the networks.
08:28 And also things like data bundles are very important,
08:31 zero rating for some of the very important content that we have on the Internet,
08:36 and data bundles that allow you to actually provide the services cheaper.
08:40 And finally, enough data, having enough spectrum that is affordable,
08:45 enough spectrum that will enable us to roll out the data requirements
08:49 because literally as soon as the data is rolled out, it's all gobbled up.
08:52 But having spectrum available
08:54 for the telecommunications company, but having it available at a cost
08:58 that is not as exorbitant as it is now.
09:01 We just completed our 5G options in Nigeria.
09:03 We raised about, Nigeria is about half a billion dollars.
09:06 And I would put it to the government that if we just saved
09:09 a small fraction of those dollars and instead of having spectrum expenses,
09:13 making sure that we reduce the cost of spectrum,
09:16 but then give the national communication companies
09:20 roll out obligations for getting that spectrum,
09:22 forcing them to roll out into those rural areas,
09:25 as opposed to them doing it at their pace
09:27 at their time, by partnering with the community networks.
09:30 That's great. Thank you.
09:32 I think your point about meaningful connectivity
09:34 and also affordability is critical.
09:37 So that also really brings us down to making it meaningful for the consumers.
09:42 So let me turn to Michael on that topic.
09:46 Michael, how can the private sector help bring the innovation and expertise
09:51 needed to support financial health and prosperity?
09:54 I think financial prosperity needs to be the goal that we keep in mind.
10:00 We were clear as a private sector player
10:03 that it starts with access to that digital economy.
10:05 It actually starts with everything Omobola just said.
10:08 You got to have fundamental access to become online.
10:12 But then building from there on, what is your access to the digital economy?
10:16 It was actually here at the World Bank stage
10:20 seven years ago that we took a leap of faith
10:22 and we said, well, with 5 billion people not being part of the digital economy
10:27 we have to do our part as a private sector player.
10:30 And we committed to put half a billion people,
10:34 500 million people into the digital economy.
10:37 Fast forwarding into COVID.
10:40 That was just about the time in 2020
10:43 that we had actually delivered against that goal.
10:46 And building on what Omobola just said, government does its piece,
10:50 but the private sector comes in and uses the infrastructure, uses the access,
10:54 uses the spectrum that you just talked about
10:56 to deliver financial services access
11:00 and then start to build towards prosperity.
11:02 How do we do that?
11:03 What are some of the learnings?
11:05 Some of the learnings are that across the private sector you need partnerships.
11:10 I'll give you an example, to bring all of this to life.
11:12 What does financial prosperity mean with a model at scale?
11:17 Let's go to Egypt.
11:18 I worked in the Middle East for a long time.
11:21 One of the largest industries in Egypt is the garment industry,
11:24 it employs one and a half million workers.
11:27 Salaries have been given in brown bags.
11:29 Today they're coming on a digital wage account.
11:32 A digital wage account leaves a data trail
11:35 that allows you to get better access to credit,
11:37 which will smoothen out purchases
11:39 you want to do as a family, as an individual, as a small business.
11:43 And then the virtual circle closes.
11:45 This is in partnership with Levi's, with a local set of local banks in Egypt.
11:49 That is a private sector government model at scale,
11:53 because the garment industry obviously matters in other countries as well,
11:56 for example, Bangladesh.
11:58 Now we've doubled down.
11:59 We took all of those learnings and we said,
12:02 well, there are still over 2 billion people
12:04 that are not in the formal financial system,
12:06 that are not in the digital economy.
12:08 What else can we do? We double down, we up the goal to 1 billion.
12:12 So I hope to be back on your stage at some point in time.
12:15 Instead, we achieve that as well.
12:17 And here are the learnings.
12:18 But the private sector is critical
12:20 because the private sector does look for commercially sustainable models.
12:26 We cannot rely on grants.
12:28 The private sector will look.
12:29 Does this make sense?
12:30 Does it pull other players into the ecosystem at Telco, for example,
12:34 to provide financial services into rural areas
12:37 without commercial sustainability?
12:39 It's not going to happen.
12:40 The private sector will look for economies of scale,
12:43 to make it commercially sustainable.
12:45 The private sector will drive for innovation
12:47 leverage technology and competition, and all of that is needed.
12:51 And that's why I think we are playing a critical role.
12:54 We want to be a role model.
12:56 Fantastic.
12:57 Well, no, that's why these partnerships,
12:59 public, private, government, philanthropic, they are critical.
13:03 So thank you for that.
13:04 But that does bring us to jobs, job creation.
13:08 So let's talk about job creation.
13:10 We know it's not only unemployment that needs to be tackled,
13:13 but underemployment,
13:15 which disproportionately affects women.
13:17 So how can we ensure that women
13:20 and marginalized populations are included in this new digital economy?
13:25 Omobola.
13:27 Thanks Lana,
13:28 I think, first of all,
13:29 to talk about the structure of an emerging economy that is going digital.
13:35 If I give the example of Nigeria, which is a proxy for most African economies
13:39 where most of the jobs are created by smaller micro businesses.
13:44 In Nigeria, for example,
13:46 40% of the GDP is contributed by small and medium businesses,
13:50 90% of businesses are micro, small and medium,
13:54 and 84% of jobs are in these small and medium businesses.
13:58 So to unlock this sort of job creation,
14:01 whether it's women or men, and I'll speak about women in a minute,
14:04 to unlock the capacity for job creation in any economy or any merchant economy,
14:08 you've got to figure out how do I scale these micro and small businesses?
14:12 These are businesses that are, there is tremendous fragmentation.
14:15 As I said, in Nigeria,
14:16 we have 20 million of them, employing less than 10 million people.
14:19 They're fragmented. They're small.
14:21 They are ignored because you just can't serve them
14:24 because they just don't have the capacity for scale.
14:26 And so being able to unlock what is in those estimates is important.
14:30 And the way that we're seeing that, and I speak as a bench capital investor now,
14:35 is around companies that are serving those small businesses.
14:39 They're the companies that we call the "B-to-small-B",
14:41 not "B-to-B" to "B-to-small-B".
14:42 And these are companies that are aggregating
14:45 the demand of small-scale businesses
14:47 and using technology
14:49 to provide services to meet that demand and allow them to scale and to grow.
14:54 And to explain this better,
14:55 to illustrate this point better, let me speak about Trigger.
14:58 One of our portfolio companies.
15:00 Trigger is a company in Nairobi that serves what we call tabletop entrepreneurs
15:05 small-scale retailers, the way that Africans shop for food.
15:07 We don't go to hypermarkets or the Tescos or Sainsburys of this world.
15:12 We shop in small corner shops, tabletop entrepreneurs,
15:15 people that put their wares by the roadside.
15:17 This is how we shop.
15:17 And Trigger is addressing...
15:19 And these are all entrepreneurs.
15:20 They're all small-scale entrepreneurs.
15:21 Trigger has served over 130,000 of these small-scale entrepreneurs.
15:26 And how do they do that?
15:27 They are able to deliver fresh produce and dry goods
15:30 to those 130,000 entrepreneurs across Kenya
15:34 simply by them ordering by a mobile app.
15:37 So they place their orders for bananas, oil, whatever it is.
15:40 The produce is delivered to them, as opposed to them going to the market.
15:43 Secondly, they pay, of course, everyone knows about M-Pesa.
15:46 So let's just say mobile money.
15:47 They pay with mobile money.
15:48 With those payments in mobile money
15:50 and payment for the goods in mobile money, and also selling the goods with mobile money,
15:55 there is now digital transparency.
15:57 So there's transparency on their cash flows.
15:59 We know how much they buy. We know how much they sell.
16:01 Trigger is then able to offer working capital
16:05 to these sort of informal retailers because they understand how their money flows
16:10 and they know that they can actually develop a credit score based on that
16:13 based on the flow of capital, flow of money in these businesses.
16:17 Now, the point about saying all this, most of these tabletop entrepreneurs,
16:22 most of these retail, small-scale entrepreneurs are women,
16:26 and they have been largely excluded from this digital economy.
16:29 But this is one way of including them by allowing them to buy their produce online,
16:34 accept payments and make payments online,
16:36 and offer them much needed capital online as well,
16:38 to be able to scale and grow their businesses.
16:40 There are many more examples like this.
16:42 If I could just have a minute to give another example
16:44 of another portfolio company, which is Pula.
16:47 Pula offers insurance to small-scale farmers, basically reducing their vulnerability
16:52 by allowing them to buy insurance, then if their crops fail,
16:54 if their crops fail they get an insurance payout.
16:56 These are millions of farmers.
16:58 No major insurance company wants to deal with one farmer
17:00 that is producing 2 ha of maize.
17:02 But Pula aggregates all these farmers,
17:04 does all the actual calculations and puts them in front of insurance companies,
17:08 and they can then insure them and reduce their vulnerability.
17:11 Again, Lana, half the entrepreneurs, small-scale farmers are women
17:16 in this part of the world,
17:18 in Africa and specifically in Nigeria.
17:20 So these are the ways, it's really around private capital
17:23 to Michael's point, private capital really providing capital
17:26 to companies that are looking to serve these small-scale entrepreneurs
17:29 where most of our jobs are created and most people work in Africa,
17:32 and Nigeria in particular.
17:34 That's great. Thank you Omobola.
17:36 I actually lived in Kenya,
17:38 in Nairobi for five years, and spent a lot of time working in Mathare.
17:41 So I do know the kind of trajectory
17:44 of the whole M-Pesa success on the digital economy.
17:47 So let's hope that we can just keep that moving forward.
17:50 But let's turn to Michael now related to all of that, I guess, of course,
17:56 COVID has shown us with increased urgency the need to tackle this digital divide.
18:01 So what are some concrete actionable ways to narrow that divide?
18:06 What do you think are the greatest threats that we need to address?
18:13 So since we're all exchanging our street cred on how we're involved with the continent
18:18 for example, I've been involved with Africa for ten years,
18:23 in Kenya, in Nigeria and other places,
18:26 and the inequalities that COVID highlighted, they were there all along.
18:30 COVID put a stark light on them and accelerated some of them.
18:36 I think that is what's happening.
18:39 To turn this into a positive,
18:42 this is a golden opportunity for us
18:44 to take those learnings and make sure that all the goodness that comes out
18:48 of a race towards a more digital life is actually taken.
18:52 But we avoid some of the downsides to your questions or threats.
18:55 The digital divide is a reality.
18:58 So what do we do?
19:00 What do we do to avoid that?
19:02 People who are in the digital economy, who are the digital haves,
19:07 have a whole set of better choices than the digital have nots.
19:10 I mean, that is just not how the world can work.
19:12 If everybody's in, that will be good for us,
19:14 and then if not everybody is in, that will not be good of us.
19:17 Now be very practical.
19:19 Everything I just said, there might not be an answer,
19:22 but fortunately there are answers because we have been working on it.
19:25 And to look at this through four dimensions, really,
19:29 starting off with technology.
19:30 We're a tech company and I believe in technology
19:34 and I believe in technology
19:35 being something good that can actually help address some of these issues.
19:39 The examples that Omobola just talked about, Trigger, for example, Pula.
19:44 Those are technological solutions that are provided by fintechs
19:47 that are out there today in our industry.
19:51 And the creativity of all these engineers
19:56 can be helped with if a company like us
19:59 provides a base for them to unfold all of their creativity.
20:05 Meaning we have digital tools that matter for everybody.
20:09 For example, cybersecurity tools.
20:11 How does the small business actually get online
20:13 and can compete in that kind of a market?
20:16 Yes, it's that one app.
20:18 But how do you actually get online?
20:19 How do you build a website?
20:20 How is this all very straightforward?
20:22 Once you're online, how do you find new customers?
20:25 How do you keep your business safe?
20:27 Because there's cybersecurity threats out there.
20:29 So there's a whole range of standard solutions
20:31 that we provide to the world of the Triggers and the Pulas
20:36 and other people around there, and other players in our industry do the same.
20:40 If I look across the board,
20:41 there's a PayPal, there's other people who focus on enabling the ecosystem,
20:45 so the ecosystem can help all of those small businesses,
20:48 which make up 90% of all businesses around the world.
20:51 So that's point number one on technology.
20:53 Point number two is, I think it is important that more companies
20:58 come to the conclusion
21:00 that I just put up as such an easy statement:
21:02 If everybody thrives, then we all thrive.
21:05 If that is not a realization in the private sector,
21:09 then that's problematic.
21:10 With the focus of the investor base
21:13 to say we will invest and put our money into companies
21:16 that actually value ESG,
21:18 that are putting out reporting on ESG and all of that.
21:22 I think that mindset needs to be propagated and more companies need to do that,
21:26 and we will want to continue to be a role model.
21:28 So technology, mindset, focus on sustainability.
21:32 Inclusive growth is important.
21:33 The third dimension that I think is important here
21:36 is back to partnerships.
21:38 This issue of the digital divide is so big, nobody can solve this by themselves.
21:42 Government cannot.
21:44 Private sector cannot. NGOs cannot.
21:46 But across the board we can.
21:47 The Egypt example that I gave is one that cuts across the board.
21:51 And these public-private partnerships are important.
21:55 That's an important element of the whole mix.
21:58 The last one is, it comes to your question of threats.
22:02 There is a starting point of eyeing technology with some skepticism.
22:07 Where is my data?
22:09 Is my data safe?
22:10 Where is my money?
22:11 Is my money safe?
22:13 If I have it under the mattress, I can see it.
22:15 I can feel it.
22:16 If it's somewhere in an app, I'm not quite sure.
22:19 So we need to deal with this trust deficit.
22:21 We need to really focus on creating digital trust.
22:23 And this is done in a few ways, making sure that from a cybersecurity side,
22:27 things are clear and things are safe.
22:31 There's a lot of technology to do that today,
22:33 and it doesn't have to be cumbersome biometrical security.
22:38 There's all sorts of things that can be put to play,
22:41 but I think that mindset of realizing that people are skeptical
22:45 and you have to address it from the outset so that you can leverage technology
22:49 because people trust it, I think it's important.
22:51 The second aspect is around data.
22:56 So the digital haves are the people that can put their data, their own data,
23:00 to their own good to get better choices and better services.
23:04 So people will only do that if they know that their data is treated safely.
23:10 So data principles as simple as my data is good for my own use
23:16 and I should benefit from it, and the industry, my government,
23:20 Mastercard, Trigger, somebody,
23:22 will make sure that it's always safe.
23:25 We put out these data principles
23:27 and say that is something that everybody should subscribe to.
23:30 We invited other private sector players
23:32 to say keeping data safe and in focus is important.
23:35 Across these four dimensions: tech, ESG mindset, partnerships and trust.
23:41 If we pull that off, that's pretty concrete.
23:44 It's not easy to do,
23:45 but I think we have enough learning of being on this journey
23:48 for the last ten years
23:49 that we can pull this off, and now is the golden moment,
23:52 with this race towards a more digital life. We should do it now.
23:57 We couldn't agree more.
23:58 Thank you so much, Omobola and Michael,
24:01 thank you so much for telling us
24:03 how we can accelerate this digital revolution to include everyone.
24:09 Hello, I'm Shegufta Shariar in Dhaka, Bangladesh,
24:11 and you are watching World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
24:19 [Lana Wong] What an engaging discussion.
24:21 Technology can really magnify the impact of economic reforms,
24:25 and both the private and the public sectors
24:28 have a role to play.
24:29 We heard how companies drive
24:30 the innovation needed to close access gaps,
24:34 while well-crafted policies and regulatory frameworks
24:37 must be in place for that to happen.
24:39 If you're just joining us, I'm Lana Wong.
24:41 You're watching the Spring Meetings events
24:43 on the Digital Revolution, Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth.
24:47 In a moment, we'll hear from the President of the Bank Group, David Malpass,
24:52 in conversation with Paul Kagame, the Rwandan President.
24:56 But before that, a reminder that you can join the conversation
24:59 on today's event at any time using #PowerOfDigital.
25:04 We're also inviting you to take part in a special poll.
25:07 We want to know which digital transformation
25:09 you think is the most critical
25:11 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth.
25:14 Option A is E-government and digital IDs.
25:19 If you think fintech and digital payments are the priority, it's option B.
25:24 Or is it C? Digital infrastructure and Internet access.
25:28 And your last option is D, EdTech and digital skills.
25:33 So which of these digital transformations is most critical
25:37 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth?
25:40 You can cast your vote right now at live.worldbank.org,
25:44 and we'll bring you the results at the end of this event.
25:48 We're going to hear now about the progress
25:50 in Rwanda's digital journey.
25:52 The President of Rwanda, Paul Kagame,
25:54 joins the World Bank Group President, David Malpass,
25:57 to share his insights on digital transformation.
26:00 Over to you, David.
26:02 [David Malpass] Hello to everyone.
26:04 I want to welcome President Kagame of Rwanda.
26:08 He's joining us from Kigali.
26:10 Digitalization is a critical part of development,
26:14 and it's also an important part of our Spring Meetings this year.
26:18 So I'm very pleased to have President Kagame.
26:21 Rwanda's been in the advance of pushing digital technologies
26:26 both in Rwanda and in the region.
26:28 It's a way to enhance people's lives to increase connectivity.
26:33 And I want to welcome President Kagame to our meeting today.
26:38 President.
26:40 [Paul Kagame] President Malpass, thank you very much.
26:43 Much appreciated.
26:45 First of all, David,
26:49 I'm happy to be here with you for this conversation.
26:52 [David Malpass] Let's start off.
26:54 We know that it's important for people around Rwanda.
26:58 You've managed to expand the broadband coverage,
27:02 the digital services coverage.
27:04 What do you view as key steps that made it possible in Rwanda?
27:09 Was it infrastructure, the building of infrastructure?
27:13 Was it the regulatory authorities that were improved?
27:17 What are the key steps?
27:19 And then I'm going to ask the same for other countries in Africa.
27:23 Any advice that you want to give to countries
27:26 that are pushing forward with their digitalization?
27:29 Over to you.
27:31 [Paul Kagame] Thank you. I respond to that in general terms,
27:36 covering the broader question you've asked.
27:40 Over the years, Africa's digital transformation
27:43 has been driven...
27:46 in particular, by mobile financial services.
27:53 Africa is in many ways a global pioneer in this sector.
28:00 80% of Africa's population has a mobile phone,
28:07 but not everyone has access to high speed Internet on a smartphone.
28:14 Yet broadband is the key to unlocking the digital transformation.
28:21 On our continent, the immediate challenge continues to be
28:24 the insufficient reach of fiber optic cables in rural areas.
28:29 So if we address this, it means that the majority of Africa's population
28:35 does not have access to high speed Internet,
28:37 as you rightly mentioned,
28:39 and, therefore, these are key areas to focus on in dealing with the matter.
28:44 In Rwanda, we have made a significant investment
28:48 in broadband infrastructure.
28:50 We have been able to reach over 95% broadband coverage.
28:57 If you look at
28:59 our country's health sector, for example,
29:04 most of the facilities in Rwanda are connected to the Internet.
29:09 Just to give that example.
29:12 I should add that, therefore, our partnership with the World Bank
29:18 has helped us to tackle digital barriers.
29:20 And I wanted to take this opportunity
29:25 to appreciate you, President Malpass, and the World Bank,
29:29 for having been of great help in this.
29:35 [David Malpass] Thank you very much for that.
29:36 We want to push forward with that in your neighbors
29:41 and in Africa as a whole.
29:43 I was very interested, as you described,
29:46 the financial transactions and the payment systems
29:49 as being the backbone.
29:51 We find in many countries that people are eager to use
29:55 and to make digital transactions.
29:59 It's a way of having a very inexpensive form of services,
30:04 payment for services and for goods.
30:07 So, can I drill down on that a little bit?
30:11 The Rwandan franc is unique to Rwanda.
30:17 So...
30:18 How do you envision the importance of cross-border payments?
30:24 If someone drives a truck across a border,
30:27 they're not able to use the same digital payment system.
30:30 Do you think that will evolve
30:33 and is it important that there be a single currency
30:37 or how will that evolve do you think?
30:41 [Paul Kagame] It will evolve...
30:42 There has been effort across the region
30:46 during the integration process of a region.
30:51 For example, if you take the East African community,
30:56 there has been harmonization of a number of things,
31:02 including looking at, therefore, how that can be solved
31:08 to the point that from one place to another,
31:11 it's like moving within a country in itself.
31:17 So the East African community has more or less come closer together,
31:23 in the sense that it becomes one big country
31:27 that brings the number of countries
31:32 that are part of a state together.
31:36 So I think that we are underway, it's being discussed.
31:40 It's looking at how we can even have monetary union,
31:46 under that, therefore,
31:48 different harmonization activities and services will be undertaken
31:55 to ease on the movement, and, therefore, the currencies
32:00 and the payment within the payment system as it is.
32:06 [David Malpass] I imagine
32:08 that as there's more and more trade across borders,
32:12 among the East African countries, that will also draw along the idea
32:18 of transactions that are accepted in the various countries.
32:22 Mr. President, as you think about the challenges within Rwanda,
32:28 around the world, privacy is one of the issues that people consider.
32:33 How do people store data safely?
32:35 How do they avoid surveillance of their own data?
32:39 I wonder your thoughts on that
32:41 and also this challenge around the world
32:44 of having all information available to people.
32:48 There are some countries that are really closing the Internet
32:52 to certain flows of information.
32:55 What do you think about those issues?
32:57 [Paul Kagame] Well, first of all, one has to be aware of the risks involved
33:04 with these new technologies,
33:08 and, therefore, people have to take steps to make sure that the risks are mitigated,
33:15 but at the same time, harness the productivity and efficiencies,
33:22 and all the values entailed in these new technologies.
33:27 And, therefore, people have to think about safety in all forms, indeed,
33:32 and being aware of the risks, of course.
33:39 So within our own system, for example, in Rwanda,
33:45 we officially launched recently in Kigari,
33:49 the first Centre of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa
33:53 in partnership with the World Economic Forum.
33:56 This helps us to have a full grasp of the issues,
34:02 and, therefore, maximize on the benefits and also minimize on the risks
34:08 as well as any in-between allowing for the freedoms
34:12 to do with the management of data,
34:17 and allowing people to freely reap benefits from that.
34:26 I think it will be built on how people come together to discuss this,
34:31 put necessary laws in place,
34:33 not only just nationally, but rather regionally,
34:38 and also learning from the best practices across the globe.
34:44 It's not an easy thing, but I think it is doable.
34:49 It has just to be driven by the right politics as well,
34:54 so that people understand the benefits.
34:58 This is to people,
35:00 but also allow freedoms to prevail within,
35:07 but at the same time, manage these risks involved.
35:15 For example...
35:17 Let me give an example, last year,
35:20 Rwanda adopted a personal data protection and privacy law,
35:25 and the Centre played an instrumental role in its development.
35:31 So there are these laws that are being developed
35:36 to make sure that data protection is of essence,
35:43 and it will also allow...
35:47 fostering of trust...
35:50 which will, in turn, promote innovation and facilitate cross-border data flows.
35:56 [David Malpass] Do you have advice for other parts of Africa
36:01 on things that you would urge them to do?
36:05 And it can be with your neighbors as well, with Kenya.
36:08 Do you have good connection and can it be expanded?
36:13 How do you see that working?
36:14 And what advice do you have for anyone at large, including me?
36:21 [Paul Kagame] The more we expand
47:07 I am Ampumuza Esther in Uganda
47:09 and you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
36:23 countries getting together,
36:28 the benefit of that
36:29 it's not just the big market that we are interested in,
36:35 which is, of course, extremely important,
36:39 but it's also how we can learn from each other.
36:43 We can benefit each other.
36:45 We can work together to address these challenges.
36:50 Again, learning from the best practices that are out there.
36:55 And all that is necessary is to be frank with each other.
37:00 We tell people...
37:03 We discuss the importance of governance,
37:08 the importance of
37:12 putting people's interests here at the heart of what we are doing,
37:18 and whether it is Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda,
37:22 Tanzania, Burundi, DRC I mentioned,
37:26 we want to make sure that the strength we have,
37:31 The...
37:36 The resources that are in abundance benefit our citizens.
37:43 However, this potential will always be realized
37:48 if there is adequate funding
37:51 from investors and international financial institutions,
37:56 particularly for RSA ventures, because most of the...
38:02 efforts we see by small medium enterprises
38:12 and there is always lack of funding
38:17 for them to be able to accelerate what they are doing.
38:21 So it's a...
38:24 It's a cross section of things that we have to be looking at.
38:29 It's governance,
38:30 it's connectivity, it's funding, it's...
38:36 It's making sure that this market reaches
38:40 its full potential in what it can do for the people of our countries.
38:48 [David Malpass] I was pleased to read about the summit,
38:52 the meetings that you had in early April in Nairobi,
38:56 and the connection to Democratic Republic of Congo
39:00 is going to be important because of the size of that market.
39:03 So, the progress you're making, I think is very important.
39:07 I'll ask two questions.
39:10 Are there applications
39:12 that you yourself like, that you see emerging in Rwanda?
39:17 How do you use the Internet yourself in your daily activities?
39:26 [Paul Kagame] Well, we've been learning a lot,
39:30 a lot, at least recently, during COVID.
39:35 There are so many technologies,
39:39 applications that help connect people
39:43 with whatever they want, wherever it is.
39:47 And that's how people even embraced
39:51 working from home and
39:55 education delivered to homes as well,
39:59 because kids are not able to go to school,
40:05 health services benefiting from all these kinds of applications.
40:12 And for me personally,
40:14 the most important thing is not only to be...
40:21 ...to work together,
40:23 but also to deliver information that is required
40:29 or provision of that whenever you need it,
40:34 so that life becomes as normal as possible,
40:39 even with the absence of what we have been used to
40:44 in day-to-day work.
40:47 So, I use a lot...
40:51 We are on social media,
40:52 We have...
40:54 We use emails, we use virtual technologies to...
41:03 To just get what you want to obtain
41:07 and also do as much work as you can.
41:11 From any place you reach,
41:14 whatever you want and wherever you want it.
41:17 So that's what I can say.
41:21 And of course, it has provided
41:24 our young people, who are innovative,
41:28 this possibility to go out
41:30 and address these problems that the society is facing
41:35 and also off of that make money and...
41:41 ...be able to do a number of things.
41:43 I think we can't complain,
41:47 but rather just be prepared for the next challenge.
41:52 [David Malpass] That's exactly right.
41:54 And we see different uses in different countries,
41:57 which is, of course, the huge benefit of digitalization.
42:03 I'll mention, the World Bank works through—
42:08 In the private sector through the International Finance Corporation, IFC.
42:13 We've been active in Rwanda and in neighboring countries through IFC
42:18 and helping small and medium sized businesses have more access to funding
42:23 and also to innovation platforms,
42:27 which has been so important
42:29 in pushing along the windows of digitalization.
42:32 Also, government services
42:34 are increasingly provided through the Internet,
42:37 and that provides one more platform
42:41 or support for the investments that are needed.
42:45 So, my sense is there are now so many services
42:49 being provided across the Internet
42:51 that it pays for the investments that countries are making.
42:55 So, we find that regulatory advances are one of the critical enabling steps
43:01 for countries as they consider the Internet.
43:05 But I think some of the biggest advances can be in physical trade across borders
43:10 and in digital trade across borders and payment systems.
43:14 Can you describe the physical trade that's going on
43:21 and whether digitalization is going to help it advance?
43:24 [Paul Kagame] I think there's no conflict really,
43:29 between the physical aspects of that trade
43:35 and the digital aspects,
43:38 but rather there is complementarity.
43:41 And the more we digitize these processes,
43:46 we find that things work more efficiently.
43:54 Like, for example,
43:56 in some parts of our borders with our neighbors,
43:59 we have created one clearing house
44:03 where officials on one side of the border
44:09 and on the other side, the opposite side, are in one place.
44:15 And what is to be expected is very clear.
44:19 Things come in and whatever information that is required
44:27 is delivered on spot
44:30 and the people move with ease as long as they just
44:37 make sure that what was expected of them has been done
44:41 and that is cross checked on spot and using technology,
44:46 and people and businesses and services move very fast.
44:50 So it's not either or, but rather for me,
44:55 it's how the two can interact and work together
44:59 as fast as possible.
45:01 We are not going to have purely one process,
45:05 and purely the other.
45:07 It's how we can fuse,
45:10 bring together the two and be able to move on.
45:15 I think we are beginning to see
45:18 development in this area and good progress.
45:23 [David Malpass] That is very powerful, very well stated.
45:27 It brings people together and they don't have to be the same.
45:30 They just have to be able to interconnect.
45:33 And earlier in the conversation,
45:37 you made the point that people are able to make money from this as well,
45:42 which, of course, is one of the driving forces
45:45 behind digitalization.
45:47 It really increases productivity
45:50 and money-making capacity and entrepreneurism,
45:54 which are also important to growth.
45:57 President Kagame, I want to thank you very warmly
46:00 for the conversation this morning.
46:02 It's been enlightening,
46:04 and I really appreciate your joining us and good luck in all of your pursuits.
46:09 Thank you.
46:11 [Paul Kagame] Thank you, President Malpass.
46:13 Thank you for your invitation, but above all, I want to thank you,
46:17 I can't do it enough.
46:18 And the World Bank for the very strong and beneficial partnership
46:26 that has enabled us to invest in this critical infrastructure
46:33 and skills that we need for continued digitalization
46:40 and the development of skills within our people
46:43 so that in the end everyone will have what to do and benefit from,
46:51 and that's what we want to be driven to achieve.
46:55 Thank you so much.
46:57 [David Malpass] We welcome that partnership
46:59 and look forward to working with you every day and into the future.
47:03 Thank you, sir.
47:05 [Soft Music] [KAMPALA, UGANDA] [Esther] I am [Unintelligible] Esther in Uganda.
47:09 And you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring meet.
47:16 [Lana Wong] Thank you both for that very interesting discussion.
47:19 It is really inspiring to hear how despite all challenges
47:22 Rwanda is making progress in increasing broadband connectivity
47:26 and expanding digital inclusion.
47:29 Now, let's take a closer look at some more data on the digital divide
47:33 and the provision of essential services.
47:37 [Lana Wong] As we've heard,
47:37 digital technologies can supercharge inclusive growth
47:41 and bridge divides that were insurmountable
47:43 with brick and mortar development solutions.
47:46 Yet 3 billion people are offline,
47:49 96% of them in developing countries.
47:52 For vulnerable populations, connection equals resilience.
47:57 During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 60 developing countries
48:01 leveraged digital payments to deliver social assistance programs.
48:05 Countries that use digital identification and databases for government payments
48:10 reached 39% more beneficiaries than those who did not.
48:15 Digitalization of essential services
48:17 also extended opportunities for health and education during lockdowns.
48:22 Remote education kept students learning,
48:24 with school closures affecting more than 1.6 billion worldwide.
48:29 The global E-learning market,
48:31 worth 250 billion in 2020,
48:33 is expected to grow at more than 21% per year.
48:37 And telemedicine connected many with essential care.
48:41 Some analysts forecast the telemedicine industry
48:44 will now grow by over 19% a year by mid-decade.
48:48 In the post-Covid world,
48:50 new skills will be required to seize on this digital transformation.
48:54 87% of companies worldwide
48:57 say that they have a skills gap now or will in the next five years.
49:01 In Sub-Saharan Africa alone,
49:04 more than 230 million jobs will require digital skills by 2030.
49:11 [Lana Wong] How can we ensure that digital solutions
49:14 provide services to the poor,
49:16 improve E-Government efficiency and build digital skills?
49:20 Let's hear how governments are using digital technologies
49:23 to advance the delivery of crucial services.
49:26 For this conversation, I'm joined by Dr. Ghita Mezzour,
49:30 who is the Minister of Digital Transformation in Morocco.
49:33 Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren is the Minister of Education and Science in Mongolia.
49:38 And lastly, Carme Artigas is the Secretary of State
49:41 for Digital Utilization and Artificial Intelligence in Spain.
49:45 Due to some technical issues with the audio connection to Mongolia,
49:49 we'll be running subtitles to ensure you can understand the Minister's comments.
49:54 [Lana Wong] Thank you all for joining us today and
49:56 I'm excited for our conversation.
49:59 So let me start with Minister Mezzour.
50:01 Today about 23% of public services are fully digitized in Morocco.
50:06 But I understand that the ambition is to increase that to a full 100%.
50:12 That's really ambitious.
50:14 How do you plan to achieve that goal
50:16 and what difference will it make for the people of Morocco?
50:20 [Ghita Mezzour] The new model for development of Morocco insists on digitizing public services
50:28 so that citizens can access public services in a way that's easy, transparent,
50:33 and they don't have to physically go to administrations.
50:36 The goal is to have trustworthy relationship
50:39 between citizens and the administration in general.
50:44 So our Ministry works closely with various administrations
50:50 giving them day-to-day hands-on support
50:54 on how to devise their digital vision,
50:59 on how to simplify processes,
51:02 on how to succeed in a digital transition that's citizen centric.
51:07 Great. Thank you, Minister.
51:09 It's really great to hear about the progress Morocco is making,
51:13 but let's now turn to Mongolia.
51:15 Minister Luvsantseren, how is Mongolia also using digital technology
51:21 to improve delivery of public services?
51:24 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] First of all, thank you for the invitation.
51:27 I appreciate being a part of this meaningful meeting and discussion.
51:34 So then since 2019,
51:38 we have all faced unexpected situations
51:43 that we have not encountered before.
51:46 The COVID-19 pandemic did create a lot of challenges,
51:50 but at the same time it created a lot of opportunities.
51:54 And we established the new ministry
51:58 called the Ministry of Digital Development and Communication,
52:02 in 2021.
52:05 Then in 2020 the Mongolian government
52:08 set out its five-year mission to build a digital nation,
52:14 to focus on data and technology to facilitate innovation,
52:18 streamline the public services
52:20 and diversify Mongolia's mining basic economy.
52:25 So the government of Mongolia
52:28 launched the e-Mongolia platform
52:31 that provided the most in-demand government services in 2020.
52:36 According to the most current data in the country,
52:39 e-Mongolia has connected over 700 public services,
52:45 a large number of online services has brought about massive benefits
52:51 to Mongolia's people and businesses during the pandemic.
52:56 The pandemic has been a great opportunity to us
53:00 to shift to a more digital area than before.
53:02 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you so much, Minister.
53:05 As you point out, COVID certainly did create quite an opportunity.
53:11 So we are at a pivotal moment for this digital revolution.
53:14 But with that, there are risks that come
53:17 with the expansion of digital technologies.
53:20 So Secretary Artigas is an expert in building trust in digital development.
53:26 Secretary Artigas,
53:27 as you know, while digital technologies grew exponentially during the pandemic
53:31 so did cyber attacks.
53:33 How can we protect citizens from the risks of this new digital world?
53:38 [Carme Artigas] Yes. First of all, thank you very much for the invitation
53:41 of the World Bank Group to this fantastic event.
53:43 Yes, I was really pointing out for explaining digital agenda,
53:48 it is a priority that this transformation is inclusive and socially transformative.
53:56 Because we firmly believe that the digitalization process
53:59 can only be successful if it's able to improve social welfare,
54:03 especially for those who need it most.
54:05 And this is why we consider that all digital agenda in Spain
54:08 must put technology at the service of people
54:11 and ensure that no-one is left behind.
54:14 We believe that technology can act really as a barrier against inequality.
54:18 And we are at a time of unprecedented change
54:21 in which we have the opportunity to lay the foundations for a digital society
54:25 that must be fairer and more resilient to economic cycles.
54:30 Of course, there are a lot of risks associated with extreme growth
54:33 of the digital, I would say, landscape.
54:37 But we should solve that not only with awareness,
54:40 but especially with training, with the promotion of digital skills.
54:44 And this is why we are implementing
54:45 a national plan for digital skills, that is our pillar for the digitalization strategy,
54:49 beyond, of course, access to broadband,
54:53 because fortunately,
54:55 Spain is the leader in European countries
54:59 in deployment of broadband.
55:02 So we have a very good infrastructure,
55:03 but we need to build two more additional infrastructures.
55:06 And the next important additional infrastructure is infrastructure of talent
55:10 as well as infrastructure of innovation and entrepreneurship.
55:14 But we are all aware that we must generate trust,
55:18 generate a safe, reliable and accessible environment for all the population.
55:22 This is why we are having a pioneer project called the Charter of Digital Rights.
55:27 Spain wants to be at the forefront
55:30 in guaranteeing the right of citizens in the digital world, for example,
55:34 the right to equality or the right not to be discriminated by an algorithm.
55:38 So really the challenge is what we call human-centered technology,
55:42 or technology and humanism.
55:44 And we consider that to be really our own Spain's brand.
55:47 [Lana Wong] Thank you so much. Yes.
55:50 With the digital rights,
55:52 it's an important thing to make sure that it's safe and reliable.
55:55 And we are excited by the innovations that you are leading on.
56:00 So, Minister Mezzour, let's turn to you on this.
56:04 In Morocco,
56:04 you have large rural populations and high illiteracy rates in some regions.
56:09 So how is the government helping to boost digital literacy
56:13 to prepare these populations for the opportunities
56:16 and risks of digital development?
56:18 [Ghita Mezzour] So first, Morocco also has a good ICT infrastructure.
56:23 So the infrastructure and the coverage is one of the top three in Africa.
56:29 So that means a lot of areas are already covered by Internet.
56:33 That's good.
56:34 We're also still working on expanding the Internet coverage.
56:41 Also for schools, we have the GENIE program,
56:45 which equips schools with Internet and devices
56:52 and also trains students in ICT tools
56:55 so that they can teach their students.
56:57 We work in all of this because we fully believe that
57:03 the entire society needs to benefit and be part of this digital transition.
57:08 [Lana Wong] Great to hear that Morocco is helping to lead the way in really
57:12 accelerating that transition.
57:15 So let me turn back to Mongolia.
57:18 Minister, in Mongolia, you've really led the efforts
57:21 to boost digital literacy and expand public education services,
57:26 especially through the pandemic, through virtual learning.
57:29 Can you tell us more about the challenges you faced and the opportunities
57:33 that digital learning brings to the Mongolian people?
57:36 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] So the COVID-19
57:39 pandemic continues to impose significant challenges
57:43 to global economies and governments,
57:46 and as a result humanity faces completely new ways of life,
57:51 and education and learning are different.
57:55 So the learning loss impacts
57:57 those children and young people are facing due to the pandemic
58:02 are immeasurable,
58:03 and now we have the challenging task
58:06 to overcome implications and to recover from the children's learning loss.
58:11 As a result of the pandemic, during the past two academic years,
58:18 almost 50% of students did not go to school,
58:21 they used remote and online resources
58:24 with students in Mongolia.
58:27 Therefore, to promote equal opportunities for children and youth,
58:32 and to recover their lost learning,
58:36 the Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia
58:38 has been trying to transform education,
58:42 utilizing digital advances and innovations.
58:45 We all know that it works well.
58:47 Around 1 million people accessed their learning platform 'medlee.mn',
58:54 developed during the pandemic,
58:56 indicating new forms of learning for children and youth.
59:00 The Ministry of Education and Science of Mongolia
59:02 has begun to develop classroom studios in schools,
59:07 which are located in remote areas to create e-content.
59:14 These Studios will enrich e-learning databases,
59:18 make full use of information technology and training,
59:22 and ensure lesson and readiness
59:25 in the case of emergency of force majeure.
59:29 [Lana Wong] Thank you so much.
59:30 It's critical that education, of course, can reach all.
59:35 So this whole issue of access as well as quality
59:38 sounds like that you are well aware and taking us forward in that realm.
59:44 Secretary Artigas, if you could take out your crystal ball
59:48 and look a bit into the future,
59:50 tell me about how you see the potential of big data and artificial intelligence
59:56 for advancing inclusive and resilient growth in developing countries.
01:00:00 [Carme Artigas] We believe that digitalization and sustainable growth
01:00:03 are two sides of the same coin.
01:00:05 So increased productivity and efficiency
01:00:07 are two elements on which developing countries
01:00:10 have the opportunity to build a more prosperous model
01:00:13 capable of generating wealth and wellbeing.
01:00:16 It is clear that all the advances in efficiency gains from big data and AI
01:00:21 are becoming essential to designing more sustainable and efficient production systems.
01:00:26 And also everything related with the circular economy and the green transition
01:00:32 must empowered by big data and AI.
01:00:35 It's estimated that 60% of potential productivity
01:00:38 comes from actions focused on task automation, for example,
01:00:42 and that artificial intelligence could also increase productivity up to 40%.
01:00:46 So for me, this process must go parallel
01:00:49 to the development of a new digital and green economy
01:00:52 and the necessary ecological transition we have in Spain.
01:00:55 The two leverages of our transformation and productive model
01:00:58 are digital transformation and green transition.
01:01:02 And I think that it is important international cooperation
01:01:06 and establishment of mechanisms for access to knowledge
01:01:09 and the creation of secure and interoperable data spaces.
01:01:13 AI requires data and it's important that we find a way
01:01:16 in which different countries can exchange data in a safe way.
01:01:21 And trustful way.
01:01:22 And also that, at a national level,
01:01:25 as we are doing in Europe, you build environments
01:01:28 in which you create industrial data spaces for open innovation and AI development.
01:01:34 But for me, there is an important premise
01:01:37 is that nobody should impose
01:01:39 which technologies or application developing countries should develop
01:01:44 because you also have the knowledge and expertise
01:01:47 and the talent that, if we devote the resources to grow that talent,
01:01:52 there is no possibility of a technology colonization.
01:01:54 So I think that an intelligent prospective digitalization for each country
01:01:58 should be based on technology and service of people.
01:01:59 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:02:01 Thank you. Secretary Artigas.
01:02:03 So I have a final question for all of you.
01:02:06 In a kind of rapid round, I might turn to Minister Mezzour first.
01:02:10 If you were to ask one thing
01:02:12 from the World Bank Group to help expand digital usage,
01:02:15 what would it be?
01:02:16 [Ghita Mezzour] Well, you can ask for many things.
01:02:18 One of them is we have Internet,
01:02:20 but a lot of people don't have devices yet, so don't have 4G devices.
01:02:24 You can find a way to have people have access to devices.
01:02:27 So sharing this digital literacy program, do we have some of them?
01:02:32 If we can expand this, that would be awesome.
01:02:36 And also any expertise sharing from other countries
01:02:41 and how to succeed this on a hands-on way of expertise sharing.
01:02:46 We'd be very grateful for that.
01:02:48 [Lana Wong] Okay, fantastic.
01:02:50 Let's turn to Mongolia.
01:02:51 Minister Luvsantseren. What would you ask?
01:02:55 [Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren] I would like to ask the World Bank Group
01:02:58 to support expansion of high-speed Internet connection throughout the country,
01:03:03 as Mongolia is a very remote and geographically broad country.
01:03:08 Even though the pandemic restrictions are getting looser,
01:03:12 and we would like to continue to do virtual learning,
01:03:15 as we have faced significant learning loss,
01:03:19 in particular children in the countryside and remote areas,
01:03:23 those are majority affected by the pandemic
01:03:26 because of the lack of accessibility of online learning,
01:03:31 and need to overcome learning loss and accelerate learning.
01:03:35 Besides, the support of developing teachers' and students' digital literacy is crucial.
01:03:42 As we have experienced in this challenge in particular,
01:03:45 teachers need competitive skills
01:03:48 to access digital tools and produce digital content
01:03:51 to promote student learning.
01:03:54 [Lana Wong] Super. Thank you.
01:03:55 And I turn to you, Secretary Artigas.
01:03:59 [Carme Artigas] We would encourage the World Bank Group to support all the initiatives
01:04:03 to do with digital skills at any country
01:04:07 so that we can allow all the citizens in the world
01:04:10 to enjoy the advantages that technology may bring us.
01:04:13 But also I would love that they support the idea
01:04:16 that technology development cannot be...
01:04:20 It is not progress if it costs us a price.
01:04:23 And we cannot do this development at the price of losing in this process
01:04:28 the rights that we have acquired for centuries as citizens.
01:04:33 So we don't want to miss in the digital world those rights that we have in our current world.
01:04:38 So I would encourage that they support also corporative policies
01:04:42 in line with these principles and values,
01:04:44 with the digital rights also for the citizens in the digital world.
01:04:49 And that can be done also with private and public collaboration,
01:04:53 aligned with this objective to leave no one behind.
01:04:56 [Lana Wong] Thank you. I couldn't agree more
01:04:58 about not leaving anyone behind in this amazing digital revolution
01:05:01 that we find ourselves in.
01:05:03 So thank you all for your expertise and your experience
01:05:06 and for being with us here today.
01:05:08 I've really enjoyed this conversation and I thank you.
01:05:13 [Lana Wong] It's great to see how some countries
01:05:15 are turning a challenging moment
01:05:17 into an opportunity to advance digital inclusion.
01:05:20 I'm joined now by Sri Sridhar,
01:05:22 who's been following the conversation online and on social media.
01:05:26 Sri, what have people been saying?
01:05:27 [Srimathi Sridhar] Thanks, Lana, great to see you.
01:05:29 People are joining us from all over the world today,
01:05:32 including Rwanda,
01:05:33 Nigeria, France, India, Venezuela, Spain, Uganda, Mexico, and the United States.
01:05:40 And they're using today's event hashtag,
01:05:42 which is #PowerOfDigital, to join the conversation on our Twitter,
01:05:45 Facebook, LinkedIn, as well as Instagram channels.
01:05:48 But what are they talking about?
01:05:49 Well, about the need for better and more connectivity,
01:05:53 but also access to technology and digital skills,
01:05:56 especially in developing countries.
01:05:58 I want to take a moment now to give a shout out to some of the comments
01:06:01 that have been coming in on our social media channels.
01:06:04 We have Lucy from Rwanda on Twitter
01:06:07 who says that to achieve digital financial inclusion for all 1.3 people,
01:06:11 every African of age must have equal and affordable access to a digital account
01:06:16 and services that merit what it means to be truly included.
01:06:21 Next on LinkedIn, we have a comment from Zaradin Ahmed
01:06:25 who says that there is a wide gap to bridge relating to digital infrastructure
01:06:30 and internet access in the global South, particularly Africa.
01:06:34 And to round this out on Facebook, a comment from Jubaida Begumm who says
01:06:38 that digital transformation is one of the best techniques
01:06:41 to promote economic growth
01:06:42 and we should develop our skills so that we can properly use technology.
01:06:47 [Lana Wong] Right. It's great to hear all of those voices.
01:06:49 And I think now we can share the results of the poll
01:06:52 that we've been running throughout the event.
01:06:53 Yes. So let me remind everyone, today's poll asked
01:06:56 which digital transformation do you think is the most critical
01:06:59 to accelerate resilient and inclusive growth?
01:07:02 We have four options here.
01:07:03 Is it E-Government and digital IDs,
01:07:06 fintech and digital payments, digital infrastructure and Internet access
01:07:10 or is it D, EdTech and digital skills?
01:07:13 Now, Lana, before we get to the results, what would be your pick here?
01:07:17 Well, I'm an education person,
01:07:19 but I actually might go for E, all of the above.
01:07:22 Okay, I like that.
01:07:23 I am going for A, but why don't we see how people voted?
01:07:27 And just to know we had over 2400 people take part in today's poll.
01:07:31 But here are the results,
01:07:32 here 13% say it's e-government and digital IDs,
01:07:35 12% fintech and digital payments,
01:07:38 39% digital infrastructure and Internet access.
01:07:41 And finally, 35% EdTech and digital skills.
01:07:44 -So pretty close results here. -Great.
01:07:47 -Thank you so much, Sri. -Thanks, Lana.
01:08:01 I'm now joined here in the atrium of the World Bank Group by Doyle Gallegos,
01:08:05 Regional Program Manager for Latin America and the Caribbean
01:08:09 for the Digital Development Practice of the World Bank,
01:08:11 and Leila Search, Senior Investment Officer for Fintech Investments at IFC.
01:08:17 They'll be answering some of the questions you've been asking in just a moment.
01:08:21 But first, let's recap some of the main points we've heard from our speakers
01:08:25 on how we can ensure a digital revolution that supports truly inclusive growth.
01:08:31 Digital technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity
01:08:34 to transform developing economies,
01:08:36 enabling long-term growth and prosperity.
01:08:40 Digital innovation is revolutionizing government,
01:08:43 health, education, business, finance and jobs.
01:08:48 Yet too many people in developing countries remain unconnected or unable
01:08:53 to reap the benefits of digital transformation.
01:08:56 We need a collective commitment
01:08:58 from the public and private sectors to close connectivity and usage gaps
01:09:03 and build the foundations of a thriving, equitable digital economy for all,
01:09:08 especially in times of economic shocks and upheaval.
01:09:12 So now let's turn to our Q&A with our panel.
01:09:15 You've been posting questions and voting on your favorites online.
01:09:19 And Leila and Doyle are here today to answer some of the most popular.
01:09:23 First, let's hear from Lukman Yusuf from Nigeria, who sent us this video.
01:09:29 Hello, my name is Lukman Yusuf from Nigeria.
01:09:32 And I would like to ask the speakers this question.
01:09:35 In what way can the government, institutions and organizations
01:09:39 complement the growing digital innovation with the knowledge required
01:09:43 for full adoption by people in Bonneville communities
01:09:46 with little knowledge of how to read or write
01:09:49 to participate in the use of this technology?
01:09:51 Thank you.
01:09:54 [Lana Wong] Doyle. So Lukman raises an important point about digital skills.
01:09:59 What can be done about that?
01:10:00 [Doyle Gallegos] Well, thank you, Luke.
01:10:02 And this question goes to the heart of our biggest challenge right now.
01:10:06 Right now, we need to find innovative ways
01:10:09 to boost the usage of a beneficial Internet for all.
01:10:14 And when I mean all, I also include the disabled.
01:10:18 And by disabled, we're talking about people with special needs
01:10:22 the elderly, as well as the illiterate.
01:10:26 What can we do?
01:10:29 Technology can help us to a great extent.
01:10:32 In fact, it's a big challenge because right now,
01:10:39 WHO estimated about 1 billion people in this population that are disabled.
01:10:44 And if trends continue the way they are right now
01:10:47 by 2030, half the planet will be considered
01:10:50 part of the disabled population.
01:10:53 So, yes, technology can help us solve a lot of this problem.
01:10:57 But the grand irony is
01:10:59 is that many of the innovations we have today, that can make a difference...
01:11:04 There are barriers
01:11:05 to bringing those technologies into our client countries
01:11:08 because of obsolete regulations, policies, standards don't exist for devices,
01:11:15 for hardware, software, cloud services that can all be enabled
01:11:19 to provide relief to these disadvantaged populations.
01:11:23 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:11:25 And so over to you, Leila. We have a question from Nicholas who says,
01:11:28 how can emerging digital tools help with global challenges like climate change?
01:11:34 [Leila Search] Absolutely. We're seeing a lot of digital tools
01:11:37 that have the potential to scale solutions to solve problems,
01:11:40 particularly in climate change.
01:11:42 We're seeing these digital tools and these new business models
01:11:45 really across all industries and sectors.
01:11:48 We're seeing it in agriculture,
01:11:49 we're seeing it in logistics, we're seeing it in energy.
01:11:52 And IFC seeks out to both partner and invest
01:11:55 in these type of companies that are making these changes.
01:11:58 For example, in Kobo360, an E-Logistics company,
01:12:01 they're using artificial intelligence
01:12:03 to be able to smartly route trucks to cut down on emissions.
01:12:07 Another example, Twiga,
01:12:09 in the area of agriculture and food,
01:12:11 it's been shown that artificial intelligence could cut down on food wastage
01:12:15 by as much as £35 million a year.
01:12:17 And Twiga is just one of those companies.
01:12:19 They also work in the supply chain to make that delivery much more efficient.
01:12:23 And then lastly, in energy,
01:12:25 where you're starting to see a shift to use of solar power.
01:12:29 I have season invested in a company called Solfácil.
01:12:31 It really enables both the distribution, the installation
01:12:34 of solar on top of rooftop for consumers and small businesses.
01:12:38 And I think these are just thousands of the types of innovations
01:12:41 that we're seeing in digital tools that can help address climate change
01:12:44 in emerging markets.
01:12:46 [Lana Wong] That's great and exciting.
01:12:47 Some good news in the midst of everything that we're dealing with today.
01:12:51 So back to you, Doyle.
01:12:53 We have a question from Blossom via World Bank Live
01:12:56 who says according to accounts of COVID's economic impact,
01:12:59 advanced nations will recover by 2023.
01:13:02 But for developing countries, that timeline will be much longer.
01:13:06 So she wants to know how can the World Bank, through its work in digital,
01:13:10 help to narrow that recovery timeline for the low and middle income countries?
01:13:15 [Doyle Gallegos] Yes.
01:13:16 And in fact, it doesn't have to take that long.
01:13:20 What I mean is, if we are successful in assisting our client countries
01:13:25 on the acceleration to digital transformation,
01:13:28 that time period can be very much reduced.
01:13:32 So, again, how do we do this?
01:13:35 Well...
01:13:38 if we don't do something now, the opportunity cost and the lost
01:13:41 opportunity gets higher and higher every time we lag.
01:13:45 So what it basically takes is governments coming together
01:13:49 and thinking about a strategy.
01:13:51 We assist these countries strategies.
01:13:54 We look at the baseline,
01:13:55 what are the diagnostics, what's the current situation?
01:13:57 We will help them put the roadmaps to digital transformation.
01:14:02 That's the easy part.
01:14:03 The hard part comes when you have to identify the gaps in either policy, regulation or standards
01:14:09 so that you can close those and attract the private sector
01:14:14 to come and invest and accelerate the whole process.
01:14:18 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:14:19 So for you, Leila.
01:14:21 We have a question from Shirvan.
01:14:23 Can you give some recommendations in the marketplace or fintech space
01:14:28 for digital solutions that are affordable for emerging economies and communities
01:14:33 trying to build solutions for the unbanked?
01:14:35 [Leila Search] Yeah.
01:14:37 And, you know, historically, financial services have been expensive.
01:14:41 And we also know from World Bank data that,
01:14:43 even though great progress has been made in the last five or ten years,
01:14:47 we still have as much as 33% of the world population
01:14:50 or 1.7 billion people who don't even have access to a basic bank account.
01:14:55 And why has it been so expensive?
01:14:57 It's been so expensive because you needed
01:14:58 the physical infrastructure to reach these people.
01:15:00 You had to have bank branches.
01:15:02 You needed to have agents in rural areas.
01:15:04 You need people to staff and to run loan documents and this type of stuff.
01:15:08 And I think we've had a big digital revolution
01:15:11 with both fintech companies that are starting to enable that.
01:15:14 You can open a bank account virtually.
01:15:16 You don't have to step foot in a bank.
01:15:17 You can make payments, you can make your bill payments.
01:15:20 You can apply for a loan.
01:15:21 And all of this is being enabled by technology,
01:15:24 which then cuts the cost and it makes it affordable.
01:15:27 And I think during COVID, you even saw a complete revolution,
01:15:31 almost a leapfrogging, of the adoption of financial services digitally.
01:15:35 People couldn't walk into banks.
01:15:37 And then even more importantly,
01:15:39 I think the regulators have started to catch up on this.
01:15:41 So they were starting to enable regulation
01:15:43 that allowed these virtual financial services.
01:15:46 But COVID proved to them that they had to change even further.
01:15:49 So in countries like Kenya, Uganda and elsewhere,
01:15:52 you can now virtually open a bank account
01:15:54 by regulation without having to go into the bank.
01:15:57 So I think this combination of both these new models
01:16:00 and financial technology and using technology
01:16:03 along with the regulators,
01:16:04 can really help us close this gap even more exponentially.
01:16:08 [Lana Wong] That's great. Thank you.
01:16:09 So back to you, Doyle.
01:16:11 We have a question from Mohammed.
01:16:13 There is consensus that digital economic transformation
01:16:16 is key to economic growth and job creation.
01:16:20 However, in developing countries, basic digital infrastructure are lacking.
01:16:24 So what sustainable countries can really help countries...?
01:16:28 Sorry.
01:16:29 Sustainable strategies can help countries really overcome this challenge.
01:16:33 [Doyle Gallegos] Now, again, another great question,
01:16:36 and it's really comforting to see that 39% of our respondents
01:16:40 think that infrastructure is still quite significant.
01:16:45 We at the Bank believe that digital infrastructure
01:16:47 is the foundation of foundations.
01:16:49 If we don't get the digital infrastructure right,
01:16:51 we have no digital disruptive technologies,
01:16:54 we have no digital transformation, and we don't have a digital economy.
01:16:58 So we have to get this right.
01:17:00 The estimate is globally, about $500 billion of private capital
01:17:04 needs to be deployed to fill that infrastructure gap.
01:17:08 So we assist our client governments really again
01:17:12 to try to understand where the gaps are, where the biggest needs are,
01:17:16 and we help them revise regulations to really crowd in the private sector.
01:17:23 And what was the private sector need?
01:17:25 Well, we need a lower cost of fiber optic backbones.
01:17:29 We need to do that through infrastructure sharing,
01:17:31 lower cost of spectrum, more reasonable taxation.
01:17:36 Once the infrastructure is built, we have to make it accessible to everyone,
01:17:40 open-access and nondiscriminatory practices
01:17:43 so that an entrepreneur or a large ISP Internet service provider
01:17:48 can come and provide services.
01:17:51 Last of all, we really need the government and private sector to sit together, plan
01:17:56 plan, prioritize where the infrastructure has to go
01:18:00 and make it happen.
01:18:03 [Lana Wong] Great. Thank you.
01:18:05 And so the last question for you, Layla from Abdel.
01:18:08 Is it possible for the digital revolution
01:18:11 to facilitate job creation for young people in developing countries?
01:18:15 [Leila Search] In short, absolutely.
01:18:17 And this digital revolution has created so many job opportunities,
01:18:21 but in different ways in the digital economy and digital companies.
01:18:25 What we're seeing, I think,
01:18:26 that helps create and helps make these jobs happen
01:18:29 are two fronts, at least on the technology sector.
01:18:32 And what you're realizing is that the education of yesterday
01:18:36 no longer works for our young people of today and this digital economy.
01:18:40 People need technology skills.
01:18:41 They need data science skills. They need machine learning.
01:18:43 They need Internet marketing.
01:18:45 And that can't be delivered fully in emerging markets
01:18:49 by four to six-year institutions where you need to have proximity to them.
01:18:53 So IFC is doing a lot in that regard.
01:18:55 We're doing a lot in what we call EdTech space.
01:18:57 We've invested in companies like Coursera and Crehana
01:19:00 that are delivering real time, just right content
01:19:04 for the skills that are needed in today's economy,
01:19:06 especially on the digital side.
01:19:08 But then even more importantly, COVID has also changed the way people work,
01:19:12 the way people hire, the way they find talent.
01:19:14 And so there are also platforms that help with this matchmaking.
01:19:17 You find companies now.
01:19:19 Now, digital jobs can be done virtually.
01:19:21 So you can have talent of young people from Kenya, from Ukraine,
01:19:25 working in companies in Brazil and UK, in the US.
01:19:28 And they can do it virtually.
01:19:29 And they can also have that skills set
01:19:32 delivered very quickly through these online platforms and education platforms.
01:19:36 So I think it's created much more job opportunities,
01:19:39 in fact, than ever before where you had to be in physical proximity.
01:19:43 [Lana Wong] That's great.
01:19:44 We could talk about this for ages.
01:19:46 But I just have to send you a big thank you for both of you.
01:19:49 And also thank you to our viewers who asked all of our questions.
01:19:53 So to finish off our program on a high note,
01:19:56 let's see the digital revolution in action.
01:19:58 In Cabo Verde on the West Coast of Africa,
01:20:01 a digital health pass which uses blockchain technology for verification
01:20:05 has boosted the uptake of COVID-19 vaccinations.
01:20:09 Take a look.
01:20:13 What excites me most about the Nha Card
01:20:16 is that I work on a project that is helping the country reopen for business
01:20:22 [BROCY CENTEIO DEVELOPER, NHA CARD]
01:20:25 and enables citizens to move freely and travel by presenting this health pass.
01:20:31 My team and I have worked hard to ensure this certificate is valid,
01:20:38 recognized and can be verified anywhere in the world.
01:20:43 The Nha Card is enabling Cabo Verde to move towards a new normal,
01:20:50 to allow for economic reopening, and bring confidence in the health situation.
01:20:59 The Nha Card goes beyond COVID-19.
01:21:02 [MAYRA SILVA NOSI ACADEMY MANAGER]
01:21:04 Right now, we are talking about COVID
01:21:05 but the Nha Card aims to transform the entire healthcare sector.
01:21:08 allowing the healthcare sector to enter the digital transition.
01:21:15 Our goal is that the Nha Card will accompany the citizen through his lifetime.
01:21:21 Working on this project was very satisfying to me
01:21:26 because I felt that I made a very big contribution to the country and to this economic reopening
01:21:35 but above all to the freedom of people to move freely in a safe way.
01:21:48 Hello! I'm Noydalay Manosack in Vientiane, Lao PDR
01:21:52 and you are watching the World Bank Group IMF Spring Meetings.
01:22:00 Now, this marks the end of our Spring Meetings event,
01:22:02 but there's so much more to come,
01:22:04 including tomorrow's event on financing climate action.
01:22:08 Then on Friday,
01:22:09 the focus turns to helping communities living in fragile or conflict affected situations.
01:22:14 Also on Friday, we'll be exploring how the reform of subsidies
01:22:17 could promote trade and development.
01:22:19 And on Saturday, we'll be discussing the importance of investing in people.
01:22:24 You can also catch a replay of both this event
01:22:27 and yesterday's discussion between the bank and IMF leaders
01:22:30 on responding to global shocks, all at live.worldbank.org.
01:22:34 And please remember to share your comments on today's event
01:22:37 using the hashtag #PowerOfDigital
01:22:41 and any of these flagship events using the #ResilientFuture.
01:22:45 Thank you for joining us today.
01:22:47 We hope you've enjoyed the discussions and perhaps learned something new.
01:22:50 From everyone here in the atrium of the World Bank Group in Washington, DC,
01:22:54 goodbye.

Live chat with

Casey Torgusson

Global Program Manager for Digital Development, World Bank
@ctorgusson

For this Q&A, a great number of questions were submitted in advance. We asked the audience to help us select the questions that should be put to our experts. The star symbol ✮ indicates the most voted submissions.

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) Greetings! Thank you for participating in our event, The Digital Revolution: Fostering Inclusion and Resilient Growth.

Please continue to submit your questions and comments here on World Bank Live. You can also follow the discussion on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn, using #PowerOfDigital.

My name is Amy Adkins Harris. Joining me in the live-blog is Casey Torgusson, an expert with the World Bank's Digital Development Global Practice, who is on hand to answer your questions. We will begin shortly.

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) @LanaWong01 introduces our first panel discussion, featuring @OmobolaJohnson and @MichaelMiebach.

✮ Aswini Ramkumar How do you reduce digital divide among those with no network access

Casey Torgusson / World Bank It's important to address both the supply and demand side market failures that result in a lack of network access. On the supply side a regulatory environment that encourages competition and private investment in networks and services is critical but in some cases that is not enough. Public financing or other guarantees or incentives may also be required to bridge the commercial viability gap in areas of low population density or low incomes. Subsidies to address affordability gap for connectivity services or digital devices can also help. Building digital literacy and availability of useful digital services and content can also improve the value proposition to end users. This report provides a global overview of innovative business models for network deployment and closing the access gap: www.worldbank.org

✮ Lekan Alao How can the availability of digital equipments be extended to the reach of the lowly placed individual users & investors in developming countries who are handicapped by its scarcity? Thank you. Have a happy spring session.

Casey Torgusson / World Bank This is an important question as the global access gap is increasingly becoming one of affordability of services and access to devices rather than network coverage. Private sector innovation continues to drive down the cost of devices, but support from governments and financial instiutions to assist the most vulnerable can also help through direct subsidies, guarantee schemes to allow providers to allow users to pay for devices over time and other mechanisms. This is an active area of research at the Bank and we hope to have more evidence to share from ongoing pilots soon.

✮ Runa What would the world say in next 10 years related to digital revolution and what sort of jobs would be in demand?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank It's difficult to predict 10 years into the future given the rapid pace of technology and technology enabled business model evolution, however the World Development Report 2019 - The Changing Nature of Work gives a comprehensive overview of the changing landscape and what Governments, Businesses and Individuals can do to prepare and thrive: www.worldbank.org

Muhammad Khalid KHan Hurdles are unmatched from country to country. Digital transformation is having strong links with financial inclusion and capacity building. How to create more symbiotic relationships for achieving maximum participation of stakeholders.

Casey Torgusson / World Bank "Killer use cases" such as digital financial services are both the result of prior investments in digital infrastructure and skills and key drivers of future demand. Similarly with e-commerce and online work platforms, video and text communications, social media, e-learning, ride hailing, mapping and navigation, digital identification, etc. Governments can play a role by fully digitizing and automating public services to both take advantage of innovations such as digital payments and digital ID to help further drive these synergies. Synergies between energy and digital access can also be captured to lower deployment costs of the infrastructure and services and to ensure the customers' ability to charge devices and easily pay their utility bills.

✮ Pragya Prasad How the preconditions such as physical infrastructure for effective performance of digital technology is managed and monitored ?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank When looking to support national level digital transformation and development of digital economies, we typically focus on five key foundations including digital infrastructure, digital skills, digital government platforms/services, digital financial services and digital business. These need to be complemented by cross-cutting enablers such as cybersecurity, data protection and privacy and digital inclusion. With respect to digital infrastructure, a number of institutions such as the ITU and GSMA offer publicly available global indices of digital infrastructure and access data to help assess and benchmark performance, while national telecoms regulators typically have the most up to data data and the mandate for industry accountability alongside the policies set by relevant Government ministries.

✮ AKINRADEWO A.M.OROBOLA How can we make technology and innovation more sustainable in a Community that has no access to digital infrastructures? why those who have access are faced with high cybercrime due to poverty, lack of employment and other digital factors?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Cyber risks are growing rapidly and its increasingly difficult for governments and individuals to keep up. For individuals and institutions, basic cyber awareness is often the most effective defense, though this is not enough. This is a growing area of focus and support from the World Bank in our investment and technical assistance projects and through a recently launched Global Fund for Cybersecurity. blogs.worldbank.org

✮ Emmel Blamoh Sonpon My question has to do with the internet, Africa as we know it communication roads are a very challenging issues on the continent. My question now is how can internet be assessable to the entire continent to fully enable completely digitally transform Africa to meet global demand in the space of online activities like jobs education e-commerce etc.

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Access to the internet is essential for individuals and businesses to thrive in a digital world. Tackling the coverage and access gaps requires a mix of good regulation, business model innovation and sometimes public investment to expand the reach, lower the costs and improve the performance of networks and services and to ensure affordability and skills to use it among the population. For ideas on innovative business models for network deployment and access see: www.worldbank.org

Jihad Ghadieh What is the impact of digitization in the public sector on the labor force, especially when the government may minimize the number of personnel required to complete the task by using digitization?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Digitization can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of public administration and service delivery - driving time and cost savings and improving the user experience. This is likely to increase the demand and workforce required to support IT functions and the digital skills required for all public employees. In general, increased digitization and automation has not led to a reduction in workforce needs as it leads to expanded markets and a wider range of service offerings. See the World Development Report 2019 - The Future of Work for more insights: www.worldbank.org

Samuel umoh For Internet to be a thing of all, we must consider creating educational environment within our localities, mostly in remote areas like sub-saharan Africa and othe relevance areas.

justusnjuki I'm in Nairobi,Kenya and am happy to know that Mathare is in limelight. Great insights there. Thank you!

Tapiwanashe Hadzizi How best can we integrate the concept digital inclusion, despite the notion of digital inequality in rural/countryside Africa, were most of our people resides, but fairly one way or the other, they have access to the internet, smart phone and social media?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Digital Inclusion is incredibly important given the huge benefits that accrue to the “digital haves” and the growing inequality that can result for the “digital have nots” as communications, commerce and services move increasingly online. Inclusion has may aspects but some of the most important are affordability of digital communications services and digital devices, expanding digital literacy and improving the “value proposition” for individuals and businesses to invest their incomes in purchasing services and devices and investing time and energy in building digital skills by ensuring that highly useful digital content and services are available in local languages and digital marketplaces. Much of this needs to be driven by private sector innovation and investment but governments must do their part to ensure a conducive legal, regulatory and tax environment and play a role in bridging the affordability and skills gaps in rural areas and among the left behind populations

gditlhokwa The best approach to re-thinking digital inclusivity is fostering digital literacy to empower especially, the rural communities with the digital skills they need to become part of the global digital economy. It has become one of the biggest challenges in the sub-Saharan countries to close the digital gap within their own spaces. One of the major hiccups to this is the fact that mostly, government alone is expected to come up with turn-around strategy for this “inclusivity”. However, the full involvement of the private sector and other entities is paramount through a multi-stakeholder approach. The future of investment should be in the digital skills for a revitalized and inclusive digital global economy.

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) There is still time to cast your vote before we share the results of our interactive poll! @lanawong01 and @matisridhar will share the final results.

And now for a conversation with @DavidMalpassWBG and @PaulKagame.

AngiePH Can we provide comments on the questions posted by the attendees?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank It's impor

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) Absolutely! Please include the question in your comments.

Henriette Kolb Michael, thanks for your inspirational leadership when it comes to ESG link to bonus pay. How do you think more broadly about building trust in corporate setting. Interesting new study by Deloitte: www2.deloitte.com

Ismaila A. Hassan In an environment where the energy to power and drive the digital tech transformation across the broader economy is unreasonable, what can we take first hand to remedy the situation?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Energy access is an essential part of the equation to digital access – to both power networks and datacenters and to charge devices. However, digital technologies are not just dependent on energy but can be part of the solution to energy gaps. For example, the “pay-as-you-go” business model powered through mobile money and mobile communications/operations technology has unlocked growth of the off grid solar sector across many parts of Africa and increasingly globally. Digital technologies can also make on-grid solutions cheaper, cleaner and more efficient – utilizing fiber networks along power transmission lines to carry commercial communications traffic, create smart grids, and utilizing mobile technologies to power smart meters and digital payments to digitize customer management and tariff collection to reduce losses and lower the cost of energy service delivery.

Mobolaji Are we going to have consider cybersecurity as well discuss and pursue digital transformation so that we avoid the associated cybersecurity issues that will arise from successful DT.

Uwe Christian Martinz We are working on a National Connectivity / Digitalization project in El Salvador. We see BB Connectivity as a key requirement, but the digital services layer on top as the real aim of any sustainable, transformation model. We are working on fintech options for financial inclusion for the informal sector of El Salvador (+75% of population). Michael Miebach´s view on this, safety aspects etc. and Master Cards initiatives are 100% aligned with our view of how this needs to be addressed. I would love to have a more detailed conversation with Michael on concrete projects for the Central American Northern Triangle and opportunities of cooperation with Master Card.

Eugene Rhuggenaath How are traditional commercial banks contributing to financial inclusion and closing the digital divide in developing countries, and remote, rural communities?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Sharing on behalf of IFC colleagues: Many traditional commercial banks are rolling out their own digital strategies so that people in remote areas can reach financial services without having to go to brick and mortar branches.

Josephine Davies All the great opportunity in other counties, Why others can have accesses and some more are left out . Country like Sierra Leone will like to partner and compete also please that happen for us .

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Many developing countries lag behind developed countries in terms of digital infrastructure development, digital inclusion and development of digitally enabled industry and jobs. A key consideration to improving competitiveness is the size of the digital markets. By integrating digital infrastructure, data and services markets with neighboring countries and ensuring adoption and harmonization of best practices to strengthen the legal and regulatory enabling environments, and collaborating to develop a larger pool of digitally skilled citizens, developing regions can greatly increase their attractiveness as digital investment destinations and create a larger “domestic” market for their digital firms and digital workers to offer their products and services before having to compete with the global giants.

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) Our next panel discussion features @MezzourGhita, @carmeartigas, and Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren, Mongolia’s Minister of Education and Science.

Jorge Roques How should we advocate for digital inclusion when, for so many communities, there are still gaps in more basic needs such as food, water and electricity.

Casey Torgusson / World Bank It’s important to consider digital technologies and digital access as a tool for achieving wider socio-economic development goals more cheaply, efficiently and effectively. It can help improve agricultural productivity, access to markets and logistics of food delivery, improve the efficiency of energy services delivery and grid management while enabling affordable off grid solar solutions, and improve management of water infrastructure and water resources.

Abdel Lawani I think that the poll encapsulates the need to in foster digital inclusion. In my view digital infrastructure is the first priority, followed by digital identity promoted by the government, in order to increase financial inclusion and payment through fintech. I would advocate for more affordable devices, local languages, use of audio and video messages in order to increase adoption by the underserved. I would be very happy be to hear about various initiatives of the World Bank that could support startup, companies and government toward that objective. Thank you

Fariha irfan My name is fariha Irfan .want to b part of world Bank digital development programme.as I m enterpnure and leading women based business.

Soraya What financial service does the unbanked impoverished communities that makes up most of the 1.7 billion unbanked people need .... what financial services will assist them when all the need is to be paid the measly salary they earn to put bread on the table. The only thing the unbanked will bring is more profits for banks whether digital or not

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Submitted on behalf of IFC colleagues: The unbanked also have complicated financial lives, they need to save for items like school fees, and large purchases, or cover short term financial credit needs to cover unexpected larger purchases. Financial services can help with these savings like product too, and also better terms for short term borrowings rather than taking from loan sharks with high interest rates.

Chabwela While we have developed, developing and LDCs, I bring your attention to LDCs and DCs that are fragile, such as South Sudan. Through South-South cooperation, South Sudan can be aided to catch up! The AU is only as strong as its weakest link. The digital divide can also be perceived from a nation to nation angle.

gihanad Great inspiration from H.E Paul Kagame. Rwanda is an example of how political will and the top leadership of the country has embraced digitalization has enabled public service delivery. Keep up the great work, Mr.President!

TeddyAddah A country like Ghana is taking advantage of the digital revolution to overburden the population with unnecessary e-taxes. Closing up the digital divide is a gradual process. African governments should look for different sources of generating revenue until the total migration is complete. A lot of people are declining from digital financial transactions and the usage of e wallets. I work directly with smallholder farmers. However the e-lavey tax passed in Ghana is making it difficult to digitize the transaction and operation of smallholder farmers.

Epa Ndahimana The coverage of internet put aside; the question we should ask should be if many citizens in Sub-Saharan Africa have the financial capacity to afford the cost of internet and digital services?

Daniel Kabasha The average of connected citizen allover african countries is too low, specialy in my Country the Democratic Republic of Congo where access to internet is an expensive deal. How do World Bank and other countries like Rwanda help so that all contries may have access to internet for digital transformation?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank There are many entry points to increasing investment in digital infrastructure and lowering the costs of delivering and accessing digital connectivity services. Optimizing the legal, regulatory and policy environment is often the most important in order to drive private sector led investment, competition and business model and technology innovation. Governments can also encourage investment and improved affordability through public private partnerships, coverage obligations, tax exemptions, spectrum policies, support to improve affordability of connectivity services and devices for disadvantaged households and individuals. For landlocked countries such as DRC, the policies and infrastructure of neighboring countries is also critical to ensure competitive, low-cost transit services to carry internet traffic to global submarine cables.

Amy Adkins Harris (Moderator) Stay tuned for a Q&A with World Bank Group experts Doyle Gallegos and Leila Search, who will answer some of your questions!

Want to see digital revolution in action? Stay tuned for a short video from Cabo Verde, West Africa.

Khondker Zakiur Rahman Where inequality is high and it is increasing how it can be possible to ensure resilient growth?

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Universal access to the internet and digital literacy are key tools for addressing overall inequality and ensuring that digital technologies don’t exacerbate inequality. It can be a leveler in terms of access to services, job and livelihood opportunities for otherwise excluded groups. It can also help diversify an economy away from resource intensive industries vulnerable to climate change or other shocks. However, it won’t happen on its own – governments need to adopt an explicit focus and interventions to achieve universal access and the World Bank stands ready to help.

Seth Ayim My name is Seth Ayim, Technology Interventions Program Manager at TechnoServe, BeninCaju Labs. My question how you ensure technology interventions developed by international development communities are sustainable when the project is over a

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Sustainability is a continual challenge. Part of the solution is for Governments to prioritize interventions that can be sustainably carried forward by private sector actors after an initial assist in terms of financial, policy or regulatory support from Governments. For provision of digital public goods (connectivity and services for public administration, schools, hospitals, digitized access to public services, etc.), it will be important to build in recurring financial support through general budgets over time to ensure that there is capacity to carry on successful interventions once specific projects close. Likewise it is important to build capacity within government and other institutions that will persist beyond project closure. Tools such as universal service funds can also be re-tooled to support ongoing operations and maintenance gaps and demand side barriers to keep rural networks functioning and to continue to make devices and access affordable.

tawa Hello i come from Sub Sahara Africa are there programs in place to help startups in fintech that are ideation stage

Casey Torgusson / World Bank Submitted on behalf of IFC Colleagues: There are many programs out there that are incubating and accelerating start-ups, including fintechs in SSA. This is a mapping we have done at IFC of all the programs that helping start ups from the idea stage to the growth phase in SSA: live.worldbank.org

AKINRADEWO A.M.OROBOLA Thank you WBG and big thanks to all the speakers, wonderful presentation.

Podcast

Listen to the 25-min summary

Use the timestamps to browse the main sections of the podcast.

[00:00] Welcome and introduction
[02:48] The progress in Rwanda’s digital journey
[12:45] Addressing the divides and opening digital opportunities
[26:04] Closure and thanks for tuning!

About the Spring Meetings 2022

The Spring Meetings bring together leaders from government, business, international organizations, and civil society, along with a diverse group of experts, to discuss global challenges and the path ahead. Watch the replay of our events dedicated to international development.

Apr. 12: Addressing Challenges
Apr. 19: Responding to Global Shocks
Apr. 20: Opening Press Conference
Apr. 20: The Digital Revolution
Apr. 21: Financing Climate Action
Apr. 21: Support to Ukraine
Apr. 22: Fragility
Apr. 22: Preserving Open Trade
Apr. 23: Human Capital

Available with simultaneous interpretation in Arabic, French and Spanish.

Speakers

Paul Kagame

President of the Republic of Rwanda
@PaulKagame
Carme Artigas Brugal

Secretary of State for Digitization and Artificial Intelligence, Spain
@carmeartigas
Ghita Mezzour

Minister of Digital Transition and Administration Reform, Morocco
@MezzourGhita
Michael Miebach

Chief Executive Officer, Mastercard
@MiebachMichael
Omobola Johnson

Senior Partner, TLcom Capital
@OmobolaJohnson
Enkh-Amgalan Luvsantseren

Minister of Education and Science, Mongolia
@enkhamgalanmp
David R. Malpass

Former President, World Bank Group
@DavidMalpassWBG
Leila Search

Senior Investment Officer for FinTech Investments, IFC
Doyle Gallegos

Regional Program Manager, Latin America and Caribbean, Digital Development, World Bank

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