Digital development strategy 2024 to 2030 · first published 18 March 2024
This is the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office's (FCDO's) international development strategy for digital from 2024 to 2030. It is not a UK domestic procurement policy — it does not change how central government buys goods and services at home. Instead, it sets FCDO's spending priorities for programmes in developing countries, meaning it signals where FCDO contracts, grants and partnerships will be concentrated over the next six years. The four priority areas are: last-mile connectivity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI — society-wide digital services such as e-government), Artificial Intelligence (AI) for development, and support for women and girls online. UK tech firms, research organisations, consultancies and NGOs that deliver international development programmes are the businesses most likely to see new tender opportunities flow directly from this strategy. SMEs already working in areas such as ed-tech, digital health, fintech, cybersecurity, telecoms, AI, or digital skills training in Africa, the Indo-Pacific or Latin America are best placed to benefit.
WHO THIS APPLIES TO
THE ENKII VIEW
For SMEs with international development credentials, this strategy is a forward pipeline signal: FCDO has publicly committed to new flagship programmes in AI for Development, a new DPI project, a new Digital Sustainability Programme, and a new phase of the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) — all of which will require suppliers. SMEs in niche digital sectors (e.g. responsible AI, community connectivity, digital identity, e-waste, green fintech) are well positioned because the strategy explicitly champions local digital entrepreneurs and small tech firms ('tech start-ups, scale-ups, digitally-enabled MSMEs') as delivery partners. The risk is that most contracts will flow through large prime contractors or multilateral partnerships; SMEs should position early as subcontractors or consortium members to access these opportunities.
1. Monitor FCDO and Find a Tender Service for the new flagship 'AI for Development Programme' contract notices — this is a named new programme with a stated target of 8 AI research labs and 10 country regulatory frameworks, signalling substantial supplier spend.
SMEs in AI, digital health, ed-tech, fintech, or responsible-AI governance with international development experience — The document states FCDO 'will implement a new flagship AI for Development Programme, aimed at building partner countries' capacity to develop and apply AI responsibly, initially focused on Africa' — a concrete new procurement pipeline.
2. Watch for the new FCDO DPI (Digital Public Infrastructure) project tender — position your firm by documenting UK government digitalisation experience (e.g. GDS standards, GOV.UK Verify, digital identity) as directly transferable knowledge FCDO wants to share with partner countries.
SMEs in e-government, digital identity, payment systems, or public-service digitalisation — The strategy states FCDO 'will develop a new DPI project that shares the UK's experience on digitalisation of public services with partner countries' — this is an explicitly named new procurement.
3. Track FCDO tender pipelines for the named new 'Digital Sustainability Programme', and prepare case studies showing work on e-waste management, renewable energy for connectivity, or digital climate platforms.
SMEs in sustainability tech, e-waste, renewable energy, or green digital platforms — The document commits to 'a new Digital Sustainability Programme, which will include a focus on digital platforms for a sustainable economy, e-waste management, and renewable energy solutions for last-mile connectivity models'.
4. Engage early with FCDO's Digital Access Programme (DAP) new phase — submit expressions of interest, attend market engagement events, or approach prime contractors already running DAP (e.g. through the GSMA Mobile for Development partnership) as a subcontractor.
SMEs in telecoms, community connectivity, or digital inclusion already working in Africa, Indo-Pacific or Latin America — FCDO will 'deliver a new programme phase to share DAP evidence and innovations across other partner countries… especially in Africa, the Indo-Pacific and Latin America', representing a fresh procurement round.
5. Align your bid language and theory of change to the strategy's three core values — inclusive, responsible, sustainable — and its four objectives (transformation, inclusion, responsibility, sustainability), as FCDO evaluators will assess proposals against this framework.
SMEs seeking FCDO contracts in any digital development sector — The DDS explicitly frames all programming around these 'vision' words and four objectives, which will flow through FCDO programme specifications and evaluation criteria.
6. Identify and approach the large primes and multilateral implementing partners (e.g. Oxford Policy Management, GSMA, BSI, Digital Impact Alliance) already named in the strategy as delivery partners, and position your firm as a specialist subcontractor before new contract rounds open.
SMEs without prime-contractor scale bidding for FCDO digital work — The strategy names multiple existing delivery partners and indicates FCDO will 'build on' current programmes — subcontracting into established consortia is a faster route to market than winning a prime contract.
Every rule below quotes the official document verbatim.
The strategy has four interconnected objectives: digital transformation, digital inclusion, digital responsibility, and digital sustainability. (All FCDO digital development programming 2024–2030)
“we will strive to achieve 4 interconnected objectives: digital transformation: catalysing the economy, government and society through digital technologies; digital inclusion: ensuring that no-one is left behind in a digital world; digital responsibility: enabling a safe, secure and resilient digital environment; digital sustainability: harnessing digital technologies in support of our climate change and environmental aims”
The strategy has four priority delivery areas: last-mile connectivity, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), AI, and women and girls. (All FCDO digital development programming 2024–2030)
“The DDS will deliver on 4 priority areas in digital development, to help achieve our objectives: Last-mile connectivity … Digital public infrastructure (DPI) … Artificial intelligence … Women and girls”
By 2030, FCDO aims to have supported at least 20 partner countries to halve their connectivity gap (reduce digital divides by an average of 50%). (Last-mile connectivity priority, FCDO programmes 2024–2030)
“By 2030 we will have supported at least 20 partner countries to reduce their digital divides by an average of 50% (halving their connectivity gap).”
By 2030, FCDO aims to have supported at least 20 partner countries to transform national digital services delivery through improved DPI. (DPI priority, FCDO programmes 2024–2030)
“By 2030 we will have supported at least 20 partner countries to transform the delivery of digital services at a national level through improved DPI.”
By 2030, FCDO aims to have created or scaled up at least 8 responsible AI research labs at African universities and helped at least 10 partner countries create regulatory frameworks for responsible AI. (AI for Development priority, FCDO programmes 2024–2030, initial focus on Africa)
“By 2030 we will have created or scaled up at least 8 responsible AI research labs at African universities and helped at least 10 partner countries to create sound regulatory frameworks for responsible, equitable and safe AI.”
By 2030, FCDO aims to have supported at least 50 million women and girls to participate safely and meaningfully in the digital world. (Women and girls priority, FCDO programmes 2024–2030)
“By 2030 we will have supported at least 50 million women and girls to participate safely and meaningfully in the digital world.”
A new flagship AI for Development Programme will be implemented, with an initial geographic focus on Africa. (AI for Development programme, FCDO, from 2024)
“We will implement a new flagship AI for Development Programme, aimed at building partner countries' capacity to develop and apply AI responsibly, initially focused on Africa”
A new DPI project will share the UK's experience on digitalisation of public services with partner countries, exploring partnership with G20 members. (DPI priority, FCDO, from 2024)
“We will develop a new DPI project that shares the UK's experience on digitalisation of public services with partner countries. We will explore a high-level partnership with G20 members and other key stakeholders on the principles of good DPI”
A new Digital Sustainability Programme will be developed, focusing on digital platforms for a sustainable economy, e-waste management, and renewable energy for last-mile connectivity. (Digital sustainability workstream, FCDO, from 2024)
“We will develop a new Digital Sustainability Programme, which will include a focus on digital platforms for a sustainable economy, e-waste management, and renewable energy solutions for last-mile connectivity models.”
A new phase of the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) will share evidence and innovations across partner countries, particularly in Africa, the Indo-Pacific and Latin America. (UK Digital Access Programme, FCDO, from 2024)
“We will deliver a new programme phase to share DAP evidence and innovations across other partner countries and international stakeholders (especially in Africa, the Indo-Pacific and Latin America)”
FCDO's UK Tech Hubs network supports digital entrepreneurs, SMEs and tech start-ups in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil and Indonesia. (UK Tech Hubs, Digital Access Programme, FCDO)
“The Digital Access Programme's UK Tech Hubs in South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Brazil and Indonesia support digital entrepreneurs, SMEs and tech start-ups across their respective local digital ecosystems.”
The strategy covers sectoral digital programmes in education, health, social protection, financial services, agriculture, trade, and humanitarian sectors. (FCDO digital development portfolio 2024–2030)
“This includes a wide range of sectoral digital programmes that deliver development outcomes in specific verticals such as education, health, social protection, financial services, agriculture, trade, and humanitarian.”
The UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) has directly reached over 10.2 million people in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia, and helped reduce the average digital gap across these countries by 26%. (UK Digital Access Programme, historic results to 2024)
“the UK Digital Access Programme (DAP) has so far directly reached over 10.2 million people in Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Brazil and Indonesia, and helped reduce the average digital gap across these partner countries by 26%.”
FCDO will strengthen its own digital development capability by including digital-for-development content in staff training and technical competency frameworks. (FCDO internal capability, from 2024)
“The FCDO will enhance its own digital development capability by including content on digital for development and relevant learning objectives in training offers for its staff and in the technical competency frameworks for existing expert cadres”
This briefing is enkii's interpretation of the official document — the official text always governs.
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