Addressing Food Security with Digital Public Infrastructure
Foundations for a fairer digital future
As we learn about the digitisation journeys of various countries, and the different approaches that countries can take, it is difficult to comprehend why the idea of shared public infrastructure is difficult to comprehend. Indeed, this idea of shared public infrastructure is the bedrock on which our modern economies are built. I often say that the education department did not build its own roads for school buses, and the health department did not build its own roads for ambulances. We built roads as shared public infrastructure. Why then is this idea of shared public infrastructure not the default in the digital realm?
What is Digital Public Infrastructure?
At Co-Develop, we understand digital public infrastructure (DPI) to be society-wide, digital capabilities that are essential to participation in society and markets as a citizen, entrepreneur, and consumer in a digital era. Because it is essential, DPI should be guaranteed by public institutions to be 1) inclusive, 2) foundational, 3) interoperable, and 4) publicly accountable, as it is deployed in countries around the world.
Addressing Climate Change with Digital Public Infrastructure
Climate change is one of the most urgent and complex challenges facing humanity today. All countries will need to engage to respond to the climate threat over the coming century with a focus on climate change adaptation (helping human populations and biomes cope with the effects of climate change), climate change mitigation (reducing carbon emissions), and the cross-cutting challenges around transparency and access to finance for these activities. Solutions to these climate challenges require innovation on a global scale.
Investing in the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA)
By Robert Karanja
Co-Develop is excited to announce an investment in the Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) in a program called the Co-Develop Africa DPI Journalism Fellowship Program. MFWA is an independent non-governmental media development and freedom of expression organization with a network of national partner organizations in all 16 countries in West Africa.
Investing in Mojaloop: Accelerating the adoption of an open-source instant payment solutions in Africa
By Robert Karanja
Co-Develop is excited to announce a new investment in Mojaloop Foundation (Mojaloop), an innovative catalyst designed to empower organizations to create interoperable payment systems that enable inclusive digital financial services. Mojaloop is an open-source software that can be used to build interoperable, digital payment systems connecting users, banks, government entities, and other financial service providers in order to accelerate instant payment system adoption.
Investing in OpenCRVS: recognizing civil registration as foundational to digital public infrastructure
By Christine Kim
Co-Develop is thrilled to announce a new investment in OpenCRVS, an open source software (OSS) that enables governments to establish and maintain a comprehensive record of important life events such as births, marriages, adoptions, divorces, and deaths - collectively known as Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) data.
A robust CRVS system is essential to DPI, playing a crucial role in issuing legal documents often required for enrolling in schools, receiving healthcare, conducting legal transactions, exercising inheritance rights, enabling immigration, and accessing other public and private services.