Digital Development Partnership Annual Report: Responding to the COVID-19 Crisis

WASHINGTON, October 26, 2020—The newly launched Digital Development Partnership (DDP) annual interactive report summarizes the key results and milestones achieved during the fourth year of the DDP, a year like no other. DDP became a key vehicle to deliver assistance and help countries respond quickly to the COVID-19 pandemic. All work areas covered by DDP—data, digital economy, cybersecurity, internet access for all, digital government, mainstreaming digital technologies across sectors—play a role in responding to the pandemic and mitigating its impact. In the midst of the crisis, DDP was able to use the program levers to channel support to where it is needed most.

Beyond the numbers, the interactive report also highlights the human angle of DDP work and tells a story of impact by connecting projects with people on the ground and featuring short profiles of the projects and people whose lives they improve.

DDP’s footprint in IDA countries—as well as countries affected by FCV—continued to expand with activities in 50+ client countries, most of which are in Africa—an expansion from nearly 25 active client relationships two years ago. The team is also actively growing its portfolio in the Latin America and the Caribbean and Southeast Asia regions. 

The DDP portfolio keeps growing and yielding tangible results. Most significantly, the lending portfolio of the World Bank's Digital Development Global Practice increased dramatically during the year, partly due to COVID-19 emergency operations. So far, DDP grants leveraged an estimated $5.5 billion of lending and investment operations—up by almost $3 billion from last year, a strong testament to the significant value that DDP grants bring to clients and partners.

DDP developed a significant amount of analytical and knowledge activities. The flagship report Unraveling Data's Gordian Knot: Enablers & Safeguards for Trusted Data Sharing in the New Economy is an important step towards building an ecosystem to leverage data for development and provides a framework for a trusted data-sharing ecosystem. The report will serve as a background paper for the World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives, expected to be launched in early 2021. September 2020 saw the launch of the Digital Regulation Handbook jointly with International Telecommunications Union (ITU), and the digitalregulation.org platform. Funded by DDP, the new handbook and platform on digital regulation provide practical guidance for policymakers and regulators on how to harness the benefits of the digital economy.

DDP continues to support knowledge creation and technical assistance activities for the Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) initiative, helping to prepare the ground for the planned, significant investment financing. Launched in 2019, the DE4A initiative aims to digitally connect every individual, business, and government in Africa by 2030. DDP has supported country engagement in African countries since its inception, and the recent boost of the digital agenda in Africa, particularly as part of the COVID-19 emergency response, has been enabled by comprehensive DDP support with much needed grants.

Despite the unprecedented scale of the crisis, the long-term mission of the DDP remains unchanged and more relevant than ever. It will remain a key vehicle in supporting countries as they reopen their economies, restore jobs and services, and pave the pathway to a sustainable recovery. "Looking ahead, DDP will keep its focus on COVID-19 emergency response and resilient recovery. We will continue to address digital divide issues, promoting regulatory reforms to allow for greater investment, access, and affordability of the internet," said Boutheina Guermazi, the World Bank’s Director for Digital Development. 

For more information, visit the 2020 DDP Annual Review E-book.