SEOUL, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – The World Bank Group unveiled its first-ever digital strategy on Tuesday, with the goal of aiding emerging economies in broadening affordable digital connectivity, enhancing service delivery, and generating new job opportunities. This comprehensive plan unites the institution’s public and private sector expertise into a unified framework. The presentation took place in Seoul on October 20 during the group’s Global AI and Digital Summit. South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy along with the Ministry of Science and ICT co-hosted the event.
The strategy outlines four main areas of focus for the coming years. The first emphasizes expanding dependable connectivity, covering everything from international submarine cables to networks that serve households, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities. The second aims to lower costs for entry-level smartphones and data plans. The third concentrates on digital services and skills development, including digital identification, electronic payments, and employment-related training programs. The fourth component supports countries in establishing the groundwork to leverage artificial intelligence. Privacy safeguards, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention are integrated across all four areas.
According to Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, digital technology has the capacity to help nations generate employment and optimize limited resources. He emphasized that harnessing this potential necessitates a holistic approach, encompassing reliable connectivity, affordable devices, and useful services. Banga highlighted that the strategy consolidates these elements for client nations. He also promoted the concept of small AI, describing it as AI for the people, which relies on local data, native languages, and inexpensive technology instead of costly large models.
Developing economies confront an expanding employment gap
The launch coincides with a period when developing countries are facing resource limitations alongside an increasing demand for jobs. Over the next 10 to 15 years, an estimated 1.2 billion young people will enter the workforce in these regions. Conversely, their economies are projected to generate approximately 420 million jobs in the same timeframe. The World Bank Group views digital solutions as a way to help bridge this employment divide, asserting that technology can assist businesses in reaching customers, boosting productivity, and accessing financial services.
Digital tools are anticipated to support employment growth across five key sectors: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing. Additionally, digital systems can reduce the costs associated with delivering public services. The strategy integrates financial support, policy guidance, private investment, and guarantees, providing a foundation for collaboration with governments, tech companies, development partners, and philanthropic organizations. In recent years, multilateral lenders have already increased their direct financing to developing economies.
Global digital divide persists as AI initiative gets underway
Despite progress, significant obstacles to digital access remain, according to the World Bank Group. More than 2 billion people worldwide were offline in 2025. While 94% of individuals in high-income countries used the internet, only 23% in low-income nations had internet access. Many residents live within network coverage zones but are unable to afford smartphones or data plans. Others lack digital literacy or have limited access to essential digital services.
Alongside the strategy, the World Bank announced the AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative. This effort aims to enable governments in emerging markets to access affordable computing resources through shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure, providing an alternative to establishing standalone national data centers. Knowledge partners Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA will support the initiative. Its initial focus will be on Africa and Latin America, where the goal is to deploy small AI solutions for productive use.