Page

Digital public goods

Digital public goods unlock open-source technology to drive equity and scale impactful digital tools for children worldwide.

UNICEF opened the first African Drone and Data Academy (ADDA) in Lilongwe, Malawi in January 2020. Since then, almost two hundred students have graduated with skills in making, testing and flying drones and analyzing drone data.

We believe that software, data sets, AI models, standards or content that have the potential to create impact for children should be widely available for (re)use and scale-up.

UNICEF is a founding board member of the Digital Public Goods Alliance (DPGA) that aims to unlock the potential of open-source technologies for a more equitable world. Through UNICEF’s role in the DPGA and beyond, UNICEF supports the growth and scale-up of digital public goods that create impact for children, such as RapidPro, Oky, Bebbo and Primero. We also contribute to the DPG ecosystem by sharing our insights and experience on scalability models and DPG maturity.

UNICEF also aims to empower youth to develop and own DPGs, thereby increasing digital skills and digital sovereignty. You can read more about our work on DPGs x Youth at UNICEF Venture Fund website.