Workshop Series
The digital economy, the fastest growing sector worldwide and a crucial driver inclusive and sustainable development, depends on digital infrastructure to support it. However, there is limited knowledge of digital infrastructure and how governments in developing countries can best support its development to gain a competitive advantage.
The four-part virtual Digital Infrastructure Introductory Workshop Series examines digital infrastructure’s role in economic development strategies, how to prioritize and finance it, and keys to managing associated risks. Workshops in the series feature high-level speakers, including ministers from emerging markets, distinguished scholars, private sector representatives, and development practitioners, and help participants:
- Understand the critical role of digital infrastructure in driving economic opportunities, growth, and job creation
- Learn the core foundational elements of digital infrastructure and digital public infrastructure to bridge digital divides in project development and financing
- Gain insights from experts on effectively managing data governance and cybersecurity risks
- Enhance their understanding of innovative financing mechanisms for digital infrastructure, drawing on best practices
- Explore opportunities to leverage artificial intelligence (AI) for improved market efficiency and competitive advantage, and advancing sustainable development priorities
- Network with experts from International Financial Institutions (IFI), government ministries and agencies, and the private sector to foster partnerships for future digital infrastructure projects
- Receive support in developing project ideas for multilateral financing
Certificate
Participants attending the workshop series will receive a certificate for each session.
Workshop 4: Artificial Intelligence Infrastructure
AI is redefining infrastructure needs, the public response to these needs, and education and energy systems, while generating new economic opportunities. Already, there are about 800 billion daily connections to AI engines, over 200 times the number of human connections to the internet. To adapt, governments and the private sector alike must build adequate infrastructure to support AI development and maximize its inclusive and sustainable impacts. The fourth and final session in the Digital Introductory Workshop Series will help participants better understand these dynamics and options for responding to associated challenges. Key objectives include:
- Learn how AI is transforming infrastructure demand, particularly for connectivity, data centers, and digital public infrastructure
- Explore policy, financing, and delivery models needed to build AI‑ready infrastructure at scale, drawing on public-private partnerships and IFI support
- Assess how AI-enabled infrastructure can drive inclusive growth and sustainable development, particularly in emerging and developing economies in Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean
- Identify practical responses and partnership opportunities pertaining to future AI‑related infrastructure investments, guided by IFI experts
The workshop is tailored for officials of ministries of information and communications technology, digital economy, digital infrastructure, finance, planning, agriculture, and rural development and relevant regulatory authorities, particularly those from developing countries. Staff from International Financial Institutions (IFIs), digital infrastructure companies, project developers, and developing country financiers working in the sector, as well as other interested stakeholders, are also encouraged to participate.
The workshop will be held virtually. Presentations, case studies, and discussions will be conducted in English, with simultaneous translation in Spanish and French.
Participants will engage through small group discussions, quick-answer apps, and question and answer sessions at the end of each panel discussion.
Video recordings of select workshop content will be uploaded on the MCDF website.
Jointly organized by the Multilateral Cooperation Center for Development Finance (MCDF), African Development Bank, CAF - Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, and World Bank Group.
If you would like to learn more about the Digital Infrastructure Introductory Workshop Series or get in touch with the IFI co-organizers, please contact MCDF’s Ms. Jenny Lou Fernandez jenny.fernandez@themcdf.org