World Bank launches first digital strategy to connect 2 billion offline people

The World Bank Group has launched its first digital strategy, a landmark effort to bring affordable internet access, digital skills and AI readiness to developing countries. Announced in Seoul on 20 October, the strategy combines the institution’s public and private sector financing, policy advice and guarantees around a single digital agenda.

The strategy rests on four priorities: expanding reliable connectivity; making devices and data more affordable; strengthening digital services and skills; and building foundations to benefit from artificial intelligence. Safeguards covering privacy, cybersecurity and fraud protection run across all four areas, the bank said.

World Bank Group President Ajay Banga said digital technology could help countries create jobs and make scarce resources go further, describing the effort as building the foundations “to benefit from today’s digital tools and the promise of small AI — AI for the people.”

The launch comes as 1.2 billion young people in developing countries reach working age over the next 10 to 15 years, while their economies are projected to create only about 420 million jobs. More than 2 billion people were still offline globally in 2025, and just 23 percent of people in low-income countries used the internet, compared with 94 percent in high-income countries.

Alongside the strategy, the bank announced an AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative to give governments in emerging markets access to affordable compute capacity through shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure, initially focused on Africa and Latin America, with knowledge partners including Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA. Sources: World Bank Group press release.