Nov 2015 02

USAID Digital Development Forum India

The Imperial Hotel, New Delhi

This public forum is being organised by USAID/India, the U.S. Global Development Lab, and FHI 360. It will focus on the importance of supporting the building blocks of an inclusive digital economy in India, the critical role of a healthy enabling environment, and the innovative value-added services that are emerging as a result. Anja Kovacs will be speaking on the panel on ‘Can we digitally leapfrog the gender gap?’

The Government of India launched the Digital India Program in 2015, with the aim to ​“transform the country into a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy” that will increase economic growth and access to life-enhancing information and services for health, agriculture, education, clean energy and more.

It’s an ambitious vision, especially for a country in which 65% of its citizens still do not own a basic mobile phone, and 80% do not have access to the Internet. To achieve it will require deliberate effort by a wide variety of stakeholders, including the government, the private sector, and civil society all working together.

At this stage there are more questions than answers, such as:

  • Who is creating the digital business models that serve the base-of-the-pyramid?
  • Which mobile health services can scale to reach millions?
  • Where are the gaps to realizing greater financial inclusion and how can we bridge them?
  • How can we reach the last mile through scaleable and affordable connectivity solutions?
  • Which approaches will close the Digital Gender Gap across the country?
  • Who is providing locally relevant life-enhancing content (at a profit)?
  • What are the trade-offs in ensuring privacy and security in a digital ecosystem?

USAID/​India, the U.S. Global Development Lab, and FHI 360 will explore these questions and their potential answers at the USAID Digital Development Forum on November 2, 2015 in New Delhi, India.

You can also RSVP if you want to be a part of 120 experts from the digital technology and international development communities, including local technology firms, USAID implementing partners, donors and others who are working to ensure that every citizen, even the most vulnerable, is both a participant and contributor in the Indian digital economy.