SEOUL, South Korea / RankWire.AI / – The World Bank Group unveiled its first digital strategy in Seoul on October 20, as more than 2 billion people worldwide remain offline. The plan seeks to widen affordable digital access in developing countries, strengthen public services and generate jobs. It draws on both the public and private sector arms of the group. The launch took place at the Global AI and Digital Summit, co-hosted by South Korea’s finance and science ministries.
Four priorities shape the new strategy. The group will work to expand connectivity, including cables, national links and local networks for businesses and clinics. It will seek to lower the cost of devices and data through partnerships with manufacturers, mobile operators and lenders. A third pillar strengthens digital services and skills, such as digital identification and payments. The fourth builds readiness for artificial intelligence, covering computing resources, usable local data and skills.
Ajay Banga, President of the World Bank Group, said digital technology can create jobs and help countries make scarce resources go further. He said success depends on reliable connectivity, affordable devices, digital skills and relevant services working together. The first digital strategy combines those elements, Banga said. He also highlighted small AI, which he described as AI for the people. Examples include tools that help farmers identify crop disease or support health workers.
Youth population growth outpaces job creation
Developing countries face twin pressures from limited resources and rising demand for work. About 1.2 billion young people in those economies will reach working age within the next 10 to 15 years. Projections show their economies creating roughly 420 million jobs in that period. The bank said digital tools can help close part of that shortfall. They allow businesses to find customers, lift productivity and obtain finance more easily.
Digital technology can support employment across the group’s five priority sectors, the bank said. Those sectors are infrastructure and energy, agribusiness, health care, tourism and value-added manufacturing. Technology can also reduce the cost of delivering public services. The strategy builds on the group’s earlier digitalization push and growing support for developing economies. It combines financing, policy advice, private investment and guarantees in one framework. It also gives the group a basis for work with governments, technology companies and philanthropy.
Internet gaps persist as GPU initiative launches
Large gaps in internet use persist between rich and poor countries. In 2025, only 23% of people in low-income countries were online, against 94% in high-income countries. Many people already live within network coverage but cannot pay for a smartphone or a data plan. Others lack the skills to go online or find few services that meet their needs. Safeguards for privacy, cybersecurity and fraud protection run across the strategy’s four priorities.
Alongside the strategy, the group announced the AI Infrastructure and Readiness Initiative. The program will give governments in emerging markets access to affordable computing power through shared, pay-as-you-go GPU infrastructure. GPUs are specialized processors used to develop and run AI applications. The model offers a practical alternative to standalone national data centres. NVIDIA and Cassava Technologies are knowledge partners, and the initiative will focus first on Africa and Latin America.