By Claudine Lim, Rachel Sibande

How the Digital Principles Serve as a Guide to Better Solutions

For over a decade, the Principles for Digital Development have helped development practitioners enhance the design and efficacy of tech-enabled projects and programs, evolving alongside present needs and new innovations. In the Digital Impact Alliance’s (DIAL) role as steward of the Principles, we have aimed to highlight how the Digital Principles are relevant and useful throughout a project’s lifecycle.   In recent months, COVID-19 has massively impacted countless development programs and projects, with organizations scrambling to fulfill deliverables while also determining how […]

By Rachel Sibande

Meeting the Urgency of COVID-19 by Sharing DIAL Resources

Change is often said to be the only constant in life and COVID-19 is doing all it can to prove this to the world. What has not changed is the need for governments and development organizations in the global development community to reach the citizens they serve both nationally and internationally. At the Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL), we are continually developing solutions that can help those around the world who are […]

By Cathy Richards

Cross-Post: Messaging Platforms: Best Practices, Costs, Security, and Privacy

“By 2019, an estimated 3.9 billion people will be using messaging apps (Activate & WSJ Tech). NGOs and the development community have already begun to embrace the opportunity afforded by these platforms to reach more people and track progress and success of their programs.” Led by Maurice Sayinzoga (Digital Impact Alliance), Boris Maguire (Echo Mobile), […]

By Danielle Dhillon

Demand Aggregation: The Secret Ingredient to ICT4D Success

Many global international development organizations are using technology and mobile channels to better understand and reach their target populations. A substantial portion of their budgets for these interventions go directly to a digital service provider or the Mobile Network Operator (MNO). However, these organizations typically have relatively small contracts with service providers and therefore do […]

By Matt Haikin

Cross-post: Positive Collaboration Is Possible Between Aid and Mobile Sectors

Recently, the Digital Impact Alliance, DAI and Accenture Development Partnerships hosted a London Technology Salon on the question of: “Is Positive Collaboration Possible Between Aid and Mobile Sectors?” Subscribe today to get invited to future Technology Salons in London Eminent thought leaders Diana Sang (Digital Impact Alliance) and Oliver Rowntree (GSMA) shared their varied experiences of collaboration between development actors and mobile network operators (MNOs) […]

By Wayan Vota

Cross-Post: 4 Use Cases for Internet Messaging Applications in Development Programs

Nearly half of the world’s population uses one or more messaging applications and increasingly, development organizations are seeing the value of using mobile messaging applications to reach both urban and rural populations across the globe. The Digital Impact Alliance (DIAL) worked with Echo Mobile to examine how international development organizations are using messaging apps and capture lessons for development […]

By Tanvir Singh Natt

Scaling Mobile for International Development: Harnessing Opportunities, Minimizing Challenges

As global mobile penetration expands, it brings with it a significant opportunity to create access to information and services in areas such as health, agriculture, education, finance, retail, etc. to underserved communities. Despite these opportunities, it is important to understand the challenges that come with engaging Mobile Network Operators, or MNOs (owners of key communication […]

By Kai-Lik Foh

FlowKit – an open source tool to support communities through mobile phone data (CDR) analysis

Timely, accurate, high-resolution information on populations distributions, characteristics and movements are key to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Data that can help us to understand these key features of human populations are however lacking in many low and middle-income countries. A particularly interesting new data type, that can shed light on human populations and […]

By Kai-Lik Foh

Introducing DIAL’s Mobile Market Model

There is little doubt that mobile plays a critical role in facilitating services for the developing world and in collective efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals. Governments are beginning to recognize the reach and costs/benefits of using mobile channels, and are taking an active role in scaling up mobile-enabled programs. In Nigeria, for example, […]

By Joanne Peter

Cross-Post: MomConnect: Fostering a long-term, supportive dialogue with mothers in South Africa

As patient groups go, pregnant women and new mothers are among the most motivated. They’re eager for information on how to care for themselves and their children, and quick to take action to ensure their children have the best start in life. But in some low-income countries around the world, accessing high-quality health information at […]