Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) has become a dominant paradigm for the digital transformation of societies. However, so far, insufficient research focus has been given to digital inequality’s impact on effective DPI implementation. While several key publications raise the question of digital inequality as a pertinent factor in DPI, none yet look at the specific types of inequality and their complex set of challenging factors.
When it is considered, digital inequality is frequently reduced to simplistic narratives around inclusivity or affordability, correlating along socio-economic lines. However, while broadly true, local realities are far more complicated. Africa, in particular, is a vast and highly heterogeneous place; what may be an accurate description of digital inequality in one locale will not be correct in another.
For a project as focused on coverage and scale as DPI, broad truths are inadequate. Local specificities must be understood and incorporated in planning if the project is to lead to reduced inequalities rather than exacerbated harms.
This project intends to fill these research gaps by assessing DPI in light of the available data on digital inequality in Africa, looking closely at specific types of inequality and their implications for a just, fair, inclusive, and equitable DPI. This project will draw from Research ICT Africa’s After Access surveys as well as complementary work on digital inequality across the continent.
Research objectives
- Review data from After Access surveys and complementary work on digital inequality to identify complexities as well as broad trends across the continent.
- Conceptualise an approach to DPI that responds to these digital inequality complexities.
- Assess the role of data governance based on this conceptualisation, drawing on other Global Majority research on data justice (data sovereignty, Indigenous data justice, data feminism and collective data stewardship/trust).
- Develop recommendations for existing DPI data governance frameworks (e.g. UN Universal Safeguards).
- Produce implementation recommendations to support the adoption and adaptation of model frameworks.
Anticipated outcomes
- An assessment of local inequality complexities.
- A conceptualisation of DPI and data governance that responds to digital inequalities, rather than attempting to mitigate them after the fact.
- A guide for the implementation of DPI data governance in response to complex inequalities.
