SEOUL, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – On October 20 in Seoul, the World Bank Group revealed its inaugural digital strategy aimed at addressing the global digital divide, with over 2 billion individuals still offline. The initiative focuses on expanding affordable digital access in developing nations, enhancing public service delivery, and creating employment opportunities. Its framework leverages both the public and private sector components of the group. The strategy’s unveiling coincided with the Global AI and Digital Summit, hosted jointly by South Korea’s finance and science ministries.
The new approach is guided by four core priorities. The group intends to boost connectivity through the expansion of cables, national links, and local networks for small businesses and healthcare facilities. Efforts will also aim to reduce the costs associated with devices and data by forging collaborations with manufacturers, mobile providers, and financial institutions. Strengthening digital services and expanding digital literacy, such as identification and payment systems, form the third pillar. The final focus area involves preparing for artificial intelligence, emphasizing computing capacity, local data usability, and skill development.
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, emphasized that digital technology can generate employment and enable nations to utilize limited resources more efficiently. He noted that success hinges on dependable connectivity, cost-effective devices, digital expertise, and accessible services functioning synergistically. Banga stated that the digital strategy merges these elements, referring to small AI as AI for the people. He provided examples such as tools that assist farmers in diagnosing crop diseases or supporting healthcare workers.
Youth Population Growth Surpasses Job Creation
Developing countries are experiencing dual challenges stemming from constrained resources and increasing labor demand. Within the next 10 to 15 years, approximately 1.2 billion young individuals in these economies will enter the workforce. Forecasts indicate that these economies will generate roughly 420 million new jobs during that period. The bank suggests that digital tools can help mitigate part of this shortfall by enabling businesses to reach more customers, improve productivity, and secure financing more efficiently.
According to the bank, digital technology can bolster employment across its five priority sectors: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing. It can also contribute to lowering the costs of delivering public services. The strategy builds upon the group’s prior digitalization push and its growing support for developing economies. It integrates financing, policy advisory, private sector investment, and guarantees into a cohesive framework, providing the group with a foundation for collaboration with governments, tech firms, and philanthropic organizations.
Persistent Internet Disparities and GPU Initiative Launch
Significant gaps in internet usage remain between wealthy and poorer nations. By 2025, only 23% of individuals in low-income countries will be online, compared to 94% in high-income nations. Many people who are technically within network coverage still cannot afford smartphones or data plans, while others lack the skills necessary for online engagement or access to relevant services. Privacy protections, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention are incorporated across all four strategic priorities.
Alongside this strategy, the World Bank announced the AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative. This program aims to provide governments in emerging markets with affordable computing resources through shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure. GPUs, which are specialized processors used for developing and executing AI applications, present a practical alternative to establishing standalone national data centers. NVIDIA and Cassava Technologies serve as knowledge partners, with initial focus on Africa and Latin America.