SEOUL, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – On Tuesday, the World Bank Group introduced its inaugural digital strategy, designed to facilitate broader access to affordable digital services, enhance service delivery, and generate employment. This initiative consolidates the institution’s public and private sector resources into a unified plan. The announcement was made at Seoul during the group’s Global AI and Digital Summit held on October 20, which was hosted jointly by South Korea’s Ministry of Finance and Economy and Ministry of Science and ICT.
Four key areas are prioritized within the strategy for the upcoming years. The first focuses on expanding dependable connectivity, covering everything from international submarine cables to networks that serve homes, educational institutions, and healthcare facilities. The second aims to reduce costs associated with entry-level smartphones and data plans. The third emphasizes digital services and skill development, including digital identification, payments, and training linked to employment. The fourth area supports countries in establishing the necessary infrastructure to harness artificial intelligence. Across all four sectors, measures to ensure privacy, cybersecurity, and fraud prevention are integrated.
World Bank Group President Ajay Banga remarked that digital technology can play a vital role in job creation and resource optimization for countries. He emphasized that unlocking this potential demands a holistic approach, encompassing reliable connectivity, affordable devices, and meaningful services. Banga highlighted that the strategy unites these elements to assist client nations. He also introduced the concept of small AI, describing it as AI for the people, which depends on local data, local languages, and inexpensive technology rather than costly large-scale models.
Developing Countries Confront Growing Jobs Shortfall
The strategy’s rollout coincides with the reality that developing nations face limited resources and an increasing demand for employment. Over the next decade and a half, an estimated 1.2 billion young individuals will enter the workforce in these regions, yet their economies are projected to generate only around 420 million jobs during that time. The World Bank Group views digital tools as a crucial solution to bridge this employment gap, asserting that technology can aid businesses in reaching new markets, increasing productivity, and securing financing.
Digital technology is expected to support job growth across five priority sectors: infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, healthcare, tourism, and value-added manufacturing. Furthermore, digital systems have the potential to reduce the costs of delivering public services to citizens. The strategy integrates financing, policy guidance, private sector investment, and guarantees. It also establishes a foundation for collaboration involving governments, technology firms, development partners, and philanthropic organizations. Recently, multilateral lenders have increased their direct financing to developing economies.
AI Initiative Highlights Challenges of Global Digital Divide
According to the World Bank Group, substantial obstacles still hinder digital access for many. In 2025, over 2 billion individuals worldwide remained offline. Usage rates are starkly different, with only 23% of people in low-income countries accessing the internet, compared to 94% in high-income nations. Many individuals live within network coverage but cannot afford smartphones or data plans. Others lack the necessary digital skills or access to relevant services.
Alongside the strategy, the bank announced the AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative, which aims to assist governments in emerging markets by providing affordable computing capabilities through shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure. This approach serves as an alternative to constructing independent national data centers. The initiative is supported by knowledge partners Cassava Technologies and NVIDIA. Its initial focus will be on Africa and Latin America, where the group seeks to deploy small AI technologies productively.