Archive for category: Technology

Information and stories about technology news.

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How Latam-GPT Will Empower Latin America

How Latam-GPT Will Empower Latin America The National Center for Artificial Intelligence (CENIA) in Chile is leading the development of a large language model (LLM) for Latin America known as Latam-GPT. The new model is expected to launch by the end of 2025. Latam-GPT has been in development since 2023. As of February 2025, it was capable of processing at a capacity comparable to OpenAI’s ChatGPT-3.5. The project is open-source and free to use, capable of communicating in Spanish, Portuguese and several Indigenous languages. Latam-GPT has the potential to empower underprivileged people in Latin America by expanding access to artificial intelligence (AI) tools and education.

Why Develop an LLM for Latin America?

Álvaro Soto, director of CENIA, explained why context matters in an interview with WIRED: “Imagine if we wanted to use them to modernize the education system in Latin America. If you ask one of these models for an example, it would probably tell you about George Washington.”

According to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), digital skills in the region lag behind those in wealthier countries. Only about 30% of adults had basic digital skills in 2020, compared with 80% in developed nations.

There is also a growing divide between people who work in jobs with access to AI tools and those who do not. Of the 30% to 40% of jobs that use generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) in Latin America, most are concentrated in urban, higher-paying sectors that require advanced education. Meanwhile, women are at greater risk of being replaced by AI automation.

A Joint Effort

To build an LLM for Latin America, CENIA is collaborating with organizations from Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, the United States, Spain, Peru and Uruguay. As of October 2025, its computing center in Arca, Chile, had processed 2,645,500 documents from Central and South America, Spain and the Caribbean. Progress depends on each country’s level of digital development and the availability of structured information. Latam-GPT also trains its model using conversations from users through Copuchat, an online chat platform that allows anonymous interaction and information sharing. Copuchat currently runs on GPT-3.5.

The Role of Latam-GPT in Reducing Poverty

An open-source LLM that understands the languages and cultures of Latin America can help reduce inequality and foster inclusion in several ways:

  • Low-cost AI tutors. CENIA’s collaboration with Mapuche, Rapanui and Guaraní translators ensures the preservation of Indigenous languages while enabling access to educational tools.
  • Upskilling the workforce. Latam-GPT can provide affordable training and assessments for employees and employers, expanding opportunities for professional growth.
  • Improving health education. In many Latin American cultures, people often underestimate the seriousness of their symptoms. Latam-GPT could provide a platform for discussing health concerns and encouraging individuals to seek medical care when needed.
  • Supporting startups, researchers and NGOs. Many organizations lack the resources to purchase expensive AI software. A Microsoft Copilot license costs about $30 per user in addition to a 365 subscription, and companies have spent an average of $400,000 annually on AI-native applications in 2025. Latam-GPT’s open-access model offers a cost-effective alternative.
  • Reducing cultural bias. Indigenous and Latin American cultures are often underrepresented in models trained primarily in English. Latam-GPT seeks to correct this imbalance by incorporating regional data and perspectives.
  • Empowering small businesses: Access to AI tools and market information can help small businesses become more competitive. A Deloitte study found that digital tools can make small businesses twice as profitable.

Looking Forward

Through CENIA’s efforts, Latam-GPT aims to empower Latin America to learn and work at a competitive level regardless of socioeconomic status. A model trained in Spanish, Portuguese and more than 50 Indigenous languages will allow for broader inclusion and the preservation of cultural identity. The future of Gen AI as an essential tool is inevitable. Latam-GPT can help bridge the digital and educational divide, allowing even the most poverty-stricken regions to access information, training and technology that might otherwise remain out of reach.

– Johanna Lorena Arredondo Gonzalez

Johanna is based in Pittsburgh, PA, USA and focuses on Technology and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Kistpay: Revolutionizing Smartphone Affordability

kistpayAccess to mobile internet and smartphone ownership is becoming increasingly linked to poverty alleviation worldwide. Mobile internet usage in the world’s poorest 40% of countries has increased by 770 million since 2015, with stronger network connectivity giving users easier access to financial services, educational software and health care platforms. The GSMA estimates that between 2023-2030, $3.5 trillion can go to global GDP through increasing mobile internet accessibility to those who live in areas with network coverage but no personal device.

Given that 15% of the global population currently cannot afford a mobile phone package, where in the world’s poorest fifth of countries these cost an average of 51% of a user’s monthly income, rethinking smartphone financing is essential to reduce digital exclusion and poverty.

Current Difficulties in Developing Countries

While institutions such as the World Bank recognize how the digital divide perpetuates poverty in low to middle-income countries, their recommended solutions for remedying this involve substantial policy shifts such as subsidising device costs and tax exemptions for the cheapest devices.

While these are important steps to bridge the accessibility gap that exists for the world’s poorest, the political viability of these measures varies across developing countries with different political regimes, budgets and popular support. Rather than address the gap, varying adoption rates of these policies could actually increase inequality, as only a few choice nations benefit. A new, dynamic approach to smartphone affordability is necessary: one that is easily, globally scalable with low-adoption costs.

Enter Kistpay

Kistpay, a Pakistani-based and UAE-headquartered platform, is revolutionizing smartphone affordability through its market-oriented solution to mobile financing. It works on the principle of “buy now, pay later,” a system that lets customers take home a product immediately and spread payments over time. Unlike conventional versions of this, which usually demand credit scores, bank accounts or deposits, barriers that shut out much of the low-income population, Kistpay relies on Google-enabled device-locking technology. If a user defaults, the phone is temporarily disabled rather than repossessed. This lowers lender risk and keeps repayment incentives intact, widening access for those with no formal financial history.

Through partnerships with major telecoms providers such as Jazz and Telenor, Kistpay offers Shariah-compliant instalment plans starting from just a few dollars a month, showing how expanding smartphone affordability in the developing world is not only possible through subsidy but through a commercially viable, market-driven model.

Scalability and Success

Kistpay’s revolutionary technology currently operates across three continents, in countries as geographically and economically diverse as Thailand and Mexico. This bold mission statement drives the global reach, aiming to shrink the number of digitally detached citizens and facilitate the inclusion of the “next billion users” of smartphones. A commitment as ambitious as this, whether achievable or not, indicates that Kistpay intends to play an emboldened role in ending smartphone inaccessibility.

Kistpay has already taken bold steps towards this reality, focusing on regions where religion may inhibit the ability to take out interest-accruing loans. Here, it offers Shariah-friendly, zero-interest smartphone loans and acts as a vital lever in galvanising mobile adoption in previously overlooked communities. Key international institutions like the UNDP, recognized this groundbreaking work and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Kistpay in 2024 focusing on fostering digital inclusion and enhancing connectivity in the Arab world.

Kistpay has also placed women’s inclusion at the heart of its mission – an essential component of any serious anti-poverty strategy. In Pakistan, where just 26% of women own a smartphone, its Women Empowerment Program has already reached more than 10,000 women since 2022, with a target of 25,000 by 2026. By combining female-staffed helplines, women-only outlets, financial literacy training and affordable instalment plans, Kistpay is not only bridging the digital gender gap but enabling women to grow businesses, boost household incomes and achieve greater independence.

A Digitally Inclusive Future

While Kistpay is no Google or Microsoft, it is doggedly staking its claim in the future of smartphone affordability in the developing world. Through an innovative business model and strong sense of social responsibility, Kistpay has already affected millions in its quest to democratise access to Tech. In doing so, it offers a glimpse of a digitally inclusive future where connectivity is not a privilege, but a pathway out of poverty.

– George Horberry

George is based in York, UK and focuses on Technology and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Power for the People: Iraq’s Energy Infrastructure Issues

Power for the People: An Analysis of Iraq’s Energy Infrastructure Issues Iraq has struggled to maintain a sufficient power grid for decades. The Gulf War damaged Iraqi infrastructure and wiped out 75% of the electricity supply, according to ScienceDirect. Production faltered again after the ousting of Saddam Hussein during the U.S.-led invasion of 2003. Prior to the war, Iraq’s energy production and infrastructure faced strain from sanctions and ongoing conflict but still nearly met demand. At the time, demand ranged between 3,000 and 6,500 megawatts, while production averaged about 4,400 megawatts, according to The Washington Post. 

Rising Consumption and Dependence on Imports

Over the course of the summer, as temperatures swelled to a scorching 122 degrees Fahrenheit, Iraq’s electricity consumption peaked at about 55,000 megawatts, with the Deputy Minister of Electricity Adel Karim stating that the country is currently only generating up to 28,000 megawatts; 8,000 of which come from the natural gas imported from Iran, according to Al Jazeera. In August 2025, Iraq suffered a nationwide power outage for about a day, with subsequently shorter blackouts taking place almost daily, according to CNBC. 

While Iraq is currently the second largest producer of oil in OPEC and houses the fifth largest oil reserves globally, the nation still relies on imports of gas from Iran. Overall, these imports maintain between one-third to 40% of Iraq’s gas and power supply. 

Declining Supply and Infrastructure Challenges

Back in March of 2024, Reuters reported the two nations had signed a five-year deal which would supply Iraq with up to 50 million cubic meters of gas per day. However, exports never reached this ceiling, instead lingering around an average of 25 million cubic meters—the same rate dispersed prior to the deal, which by late November of 2024, had decreased to 7 million cubic meters. 

Iran had diverted the gas for domestic use, coming to this conclusion on the basis of diminished reserves, which had led to widespread blackouts, compounded by a higher demand for heating. Continuing this spiral, earlier in 2025, Iranian gas exports to Iraq dipped by nearly 40%. While Iraq does harbor massive gas reserves of its own, much of it is lost in oil production due to gas flares.

Furthermore, due to deteriorated infrastructure and energy theft, more than 40% of electricity generated by Iraq’s power plants is lost during transmission. This is on top of the fact that these facilities only have the ability to operate at 60% capacity due to overheating, water shortages and inadequate fuel mixes. 

Political Pressures and Blocked Alternatives

The United States (U.S.) announced that it would terminate a waiver on sanctions that had previously allowed Iraq to purchase Iranian electricity, effectively jeopardizing around 3% of Iraq’s power supply. The U.S. made this decision to increase pressure on Tehran amid ongoing nuclear negotiations, according to Al Jazeera.

On September 19th, the U.S. shot down a proposed trade deal between Iraq and Turkmenistan. The agreement would have allowed Iraq to diversify its gas supply by importing 5 billion cubic meters of gas from Turkmenistan; however, the fuel would have to be routed through Iran and the process facilitated by the state-owned National Iranian Gas Company. Through this deal, Iran would have been granted 23% of the daily volume passing through its borders. Therefore, the U.S. saw fit to scuttle the arrangement as nuclear talks with Iran continue, according to Reuters. 

Improving Infrastructure

According to Al-Jazeera, Iraq is currently constructing, seeking approval or negotiating for a series of industrial-scale solar power plants which, combined, will generate up to 12.5 gigawatts, potentially supplying 20% of the nation’s demand. 

The first of which, housed in Karbala, could produce up to 300 megawatts. Another plant under construction in Babil province is set to produce 225 megawatts, and soon to break ground, estimates suggest that a site in the Basra province could generate one gigawatt. In addition, the French oil conglomerate TotalEnergies, in conjunction with several other corporations, has enacted the second phase of development at the Ratawi oilfield.

ENKA, a Turkish construction company, has been commissioned to build the oil and gas processing complex, which could result in a daily output of 210,000 barrels of oil as well as 163 million standard cubic feet of gas.  

Hyundai Engineering and Construction plans to complete a seawater treatment facility that will allow Iraq to reduce its reliance on freshwater for processing.

The Chinese firm Petroleum Engineering and Construction Corp. will also build a separate gas processing plant expected to produce up to 600 million standard cubic feet per day. The entire multi-faceted project will cost the French oil giant a total of $27 billion.

Looking Ahead

While certain deals that would have alleviated dependency and demand may have faltered due to political pressure, Iraq’s dedication to improving its energy infrastructure remains.

– Owen Armentrout

Owen is based in Detroit, MI, USA and focuses on Business and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Using Climate Data to Map and Fight Poverty in Ethiopia

Fight Poverty in EthiopiaEthiopia faces rising poverty risks as climate shocks intensify, yet traditional surveys capture these struggles years too late. A new approach using machine learning and climate data offers a faster, more cost-effective way to map poverty and guide timely interventions.

Using Climate Data to Fight Poverty in Ethiopia

Poverty surveys in Ethiopia are costly and infrequent, leaving policymakers with outdated information. A novel machine-learning method uses temperature and satellite imagery to predict poverty at a fraction of the cost and with much faster turnaround. This innovation promises to sharpen targeting of resources and improve climate resilience.

Ethiopia’s economy is agriculture-heavy, with more than 70% of livelihoods tied to climate-sensitive farming. Yet, poverty measurements rely on household surveys conducted every five to 10 years, which tend to fail to capture sudden crises like droughts. These long intervals and high costs mean that aid often misses emerging hotspots of need.

Machine Learning and Climate Data

The process involves a two-step transfer learning model: it first trains a neural network to predict surface temperature from satellite images, then extracts image features useful for predicting household consumption as an indicator of poverty. The model achieves 80% accuracy in temperature prediction and offers poverty estimates on par with traditional surveys.

By using widely available satellite and climate data, this approach enables real-time, scalable poverty estimation. It can detect early signs of distress like crop failure or environmental degradation, enabling preemptive aid distribution before crises deepen.

In order to be effective, the model must be embedded within Ethiopia’s early-warning systems, development plans and social protection strategies. Integrating these data-driven poverty maps could bolster infrastructure planning, health and education targeting and climate adaptation investments. Collaboration with agencies like the World Bank or the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) could support institutionalization.

Challenges and Equity Considerations

Despite signs of promise, machine models depend on high-quality data, satellite and survey data whose coverage may be uneven, especially in rural or conflict-affected regions. There is also the risk of excluding marginalized groups such as pastoralists or internally displaced populations. Transparent methods and participatory feedback loops are essential to ensure equitable representation.

This modeling aligns with U.N. Sustainable Development Goal 1 (No Poverty) and Goal 13 (Climate Action). By pushing “beyond surveys,” Ethiopia can pioneer scalable, climate-informed interventions, a model that could inspire other nations in Sub-Saharan Africa and beyond.

Looking Ahead

The use of satellite and climate data with machine learning marks a breakthrough in the fight against poverty in Ethiopia. This method enables timely, cost-effective responses tailored to environmental vulnerabilities. With continued partnerships and ethical oversight, Ethiopia could lead a shift toward climate-smart, data-driven poverty reduction.

– DeMarlo Jon Gray

DeMarlo is based in Long Beach, CA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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TEGAs: Empowering with The Girl Effect Program

TEGAsThe Girl Effect program reaches millions of girls in 20 countries across Africa and Asia, using multimedia approaches to give them the tools, knowledge and confidence to take control of their health, education and livelihoods. In a conversation with Authority Magazine, Jessica Posner Odede, CEO of Girl Effect, emphasized that the program works by meeting young girls where they already are: online. Using media and technology to deliver content they want and trust, Posner Odede said, “We create safe spaces for girls — sharing facts, and answering questions about health, nutrition, education, relationships and so much more.”

Providing Space for Girls

The Girl Effect Program provides spaces where girls can ask questions and obtain accurate information–without shame or possibly dangerous scrutiny from those around them. One of the program’s most innovative tools is its AI-powered chatbot, Big Sis, in South Africa. Big Sis acts as a virtual big sister, responding instantly and privately to questions about sex, relationships and health. Posner Odede said, “By using chat technology, we’ve created this ‘virtual big sister’ that can respond to every girl instantly and privately.” Since its launch, more than 75,000 girls have started chats with Big Sis and sent over 1.3 million messages. Data shows that after advice from Big Sis, 76% of girls intend to access a health service before starting a new relationship, a figure that is 12% higher than among girls who have not used it.

Following the success of Big Sis, the Girl Effect program expanded to India with Bol Behen (a phrase that means “Speak! Sister” in Hindi), a chatbot that communicates in Hinglish. Posner Odede explained, “Girls sometimes feel more comfortable talking to a robot, because they are not afraid of being judged. In other words, they feel empowered to ask questions around topics that might be considered explicit elsewhere.” Within two years, Bol Behen facilitated 98,000 conversations and 1.6 million messages, increasing users’ knowledge of sexual health by an average of 15% compared to non-users.

TEGAs

The Girl Effect program also relies on networks of Tech-Enabled Girl Ambassadors (TEGAs) aged 18–24, who collect real-time insights from their communities using mobile tools. During the pandemic, when face-to-face research became impossible, 29 TEGAs in six countries participated in Hear Her Voice, a program wherein they documented their realities and recommendations for Girl Effect through digital diaries.

Posner Odede expanded, “The pandemic made face-to-face research impossible, so we ran a project called Hear Her Voice where TEGAs shared digital diaries with us — turning the camera on themselves to document their reality, resilience and recommendations for the support they needed.” This approach allowed the program to respond quickly to emerging challenges and ensured that the girls themselves shaped ongoing programming.

One TEGA, Rahma from Tanzania, exemplifies the impact of the program. Through the program, Rahma launched a liquid soap business, learned skills online and created income for her household. Posner Odede shared, “Rahma is using technology to start her own business and take control of her livelihood. She thinks the community should see a girl as a person with power, because that is the way she sees herself.” Through the program, Rahma launched a liquid soap business, learned skills online and created income for her household–all with the power of the internet.

Adapting Programs to Local Contexts

Media and entertainment form another core component of the Girl Effect program. TV dramas, radio shows, magazines and digital content deliver lessons on health, relationships and education. Posner Odede explained that the program adapts content to local contexts and challenges harmful societal myths. One such ‘myth’ was misinformation about vaccines, including the HPV vaccines.

“We have been using knowledge and insight gained from our work with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Malawi and Tanzania — where we used our TV dramas, radio shows, magazines and digital content to improve girls’ knowledge about the HPV vaccine and cervical cancer, including challenging myths about it — as the foundation of our approach to tackle misinformation around vaccine hesitancy when it comes to COVID-19.”

Partnerships like the one with Gavi strengthen the program’s impact. Posner Odede emphasized the importance of working with organizations that share their goals: “We are really lucky to have partnered with a host of such organizations, such as Vodafone Foundation.” Such collaborations allow the program to expand its digital infrastructure and further ensure safe, secure and scalable spaces for girls.

Learning New Skills

In providing these online safe spaces, the Girl Effect program seeks to enable girls to enact change in their real communities. Posner Odede described how the initiative arms girls with skills to negotiate and challenge societal norms: “Do not underestimate the power of girls to change both their own lives, and the lives of those around them. At Girl Effect, we arm girls with the skills to negotiate and redefine what they are told is possible ‘for a girl’.”

Posner Odede articulated the program’s ultimate goal: “It would have to be realizing gender equality in every aspect of girls and women’s lives. This is Girl Effect’s key aim and we are proud to be working towards it.” Through its integrated approach of media, technology, research and community engagement, the Girl Effect Program works hard to address the complex challenges facing girls in poverty, from gender inequality and health misinformation to limited access to education and economic opportunity.

The Future

As the Girl Effect Program and the network of TEGAs expand across Africa and Asia, it provides a scalable and reproducible model for empowering girls while strengthening communities. Posner Odede concluded, “We know that when a girl unlocks her power to make different choices that change her life, it inspires others to do so too. She starts a ripple effect that impacts her family, her community, her country.” The Girl Effect program demonstrates that supporting girls is not only a matter of creating equity, but a strategic investment in the well-being of our global society.

– Kelsey Eisen

Kelsey is based in San Francisco, CA, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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FloodWatch India 2.0: Fighting Against Floods in India

FloodWatch India 2.0India’s rich diversity and vast landscape have long been admired. However, every monsoon season leaves behind a trail of devastation, damaged roads, displaced communities, lost lives and billions of rupees in property damage. Out of the country’s 329 million hectares of geographical area, 40 million hectares are flood-prone, particularly across the Indo-Gangetic-Brahmaputra plains. In the past decade alone, India has suffered damages worth approximately $540 million.

To address these recurring challenges, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has turned to technology. The government’s tech-driven fight against floods in India using apps, mapping and smarter alerts represents a shift toward proactive preparedness and citizen-focused safety measures.

FloodWatch India 2.0: Real-Time Alerts at Scale

In the wake of the frequent floods, the government of India launched a revolutionary real-time flood alert app, FloodWatch India 2.0. The key features of the app are as follows:

  • Real-Time Forecasting
    • The app gives live updates from 592 monitoring stations, a big jump from the earlier 200.
    • These stations track rainfall, river levels and water flow, which helps generate accurate flood forecasts.
  • Reservoir Tracking
    • It monitors the storage levels of 150 major reservoirs across India.
    • Since these reservoirs are critical for drinking water, irrigation and power, this feature helps people anticipate risks of overflow and downstream flooding.
  • Advanced Flood Information
    • One of the standout features is its ability to predict the likely extent of submergence in flood-prone areas.
    • This gives citizens time to plan evacuations or take protective measures.
  • Comprehensive Coverage
    • The forecasts extend to regions downstream of the 150 nationally monitored reservoirs.
    • This ensures wider protection for vulnerable communities.
  • Technology & Working
    • Uses satellite data to analyse rainfall patterns, river conditions and other flood indicators.
    • Employs advanced mathematical models that combine real-time data, weather forecasts and historical trends.

GIS and Remote Sensing in Flood Risk Assessment

Geographic Information System (GIS) and remote sensing are widely used for identifying flood risk and vulnerability, as they allow the integration of digital elevation models, soil maps and historical rainfall data into regional development planning. These tools support pre-flood assessments, detection of prior floods and land use and land cover classification.

Flood risk maps are often created using compound hazard and vulnerability indices together with methods like the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP), which highlight high-risk zones such as in the Gangetic basin and flood-prone areas of Assam. Such approaches show that remote sensing and GIS are effective in minimizing runoff, supporting rainwater harvesting and preparing communities for potential disasters.

Advanced techniques are also being applied to improve accuracy and coverage. Remote sensing has been combined with clustering algorithms and multi-temporal satellite data to identify flood hotspots across south Asia, while integrated systems using machine learning with AHP generate detailed hazard maps that reflect varying vulnerability levels.

In urban areas, GIS and field surveys are applied to address drainage challenges, such as those along the Yamuna in Delhi. Other methods include using drainage density, slope and land use data to estimate flood risk or analysing time-series satellite images in data-deficient regions. Some approaches also incorporate community perception and mitigation measures into risk assessment, offering a more holistic understanding of hazards and ensuring that flood management strategies are both data-driven and socially responsive.

Floods, Food Security and Poverty in India

Floods are not only a humanitarian crisis but also a threat to economic and food security. Between 1900 and 2020, the country faced more than 300 floods that displaced 30 million people annually and caused more than 1,500 deaths each year. The 2013 Uttarakhand floods alone claimed more than 6,000 lives and caused losses exceeding $3.8 billion.

Such events disrupt food production, storage, access and utilization, directly undermining food security. This vulnerability feeds into poverty cycles, as families lose both food and income when crops, livestock and livelihoods are destroyed. Rural areas, with fragile housing and limited infrastructure, face prolonged recovery, while cities like Delhi and Chennai struggle with dense populations and inadequate drainage.

Weak early warning systems worsen the toll. Addressing these challenges requires resilient infrastructure—stronger drainage networks, flood barriers and durable housing—that can reduce damage and speed recovery. By breaking the cycle of flooding, hunger and poverty, India can strengthen long-term resilience.

A Technology-Backed Future

India’s reliance on technology, for example, FloodWatch India 2.0, demonstrates a clear evolution in disaster management. The integration of tech-driven fight against floods highlights not just preparedness but also resilience. As climate instability intensifies extreme weather, these innovations will play a critical role in safeguarding communities, reducing economic losses and ensuring a more secure future.

– Chhahat Kaur Gandhi

Chhahat is in New Delhi, India and focuses on Business and New Markets for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Bridging the Digital Divide in Barbados

Digital Divide in BarbadosThe increase in internet penetration has been highly beneficial in bridging the digital divide in Barbados. This has allowed those who were formerly unable to connect with others worldwide the ability to do so. Some of the main challenges to achieving full connectivity include limited digital literacy, frequent disconnections, vulnerability to major cyber incidents and a shortage of local websites.

Still, significant progress has been made. Barbados has modernized its public sector through improved digital channels. The digital divide in Barbados is also narrowing thanks to the accelerated pace of digital transformation, led partly by the UNDP. This effort targets government institutions, strategic partners, businesses and the youth.

In addition, the UNDP’s blueDIGITAL initiative has provided essential tools to support fisherfolk, government agencies, tourism partners and the wider public. These tools are driving innovative digital solutions tailored to Barbados’s specific needs, further helping to bridge the digital divide.

Current Issues

As of 2022, an estimated 76% of Barbados’s population has internet access. However, challenges remain: only 25% of the most visited websites in the country can be accessed locally and overall internet quality is below standard for the general population due to weak market competition. Additionally, the nation’s internet resilience score of 46% means it can withstand only limited disruptions.

According to the Global Cybersecurity Index, Barbados ranks among evolving nations (score of 20-55) in handling cyber incidents. The country has about 1,889 domains registered under its country code (.bb). However, the main challenge is limited locally hosted content, which weakens internet resilience and slows progress in bridging the digital divide.

Working To Move Forward

The digital divide in Barbados has gradually narrowed, thanks in part to outside support. Key contributions include the modernization of the public sector, the accelerated pace of digital transformation and the UNDP’s blueDIGITAL initiative.

Support from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has also been critical. Its $40 million loan to Barbados is driving the digital transformation of public administration, while efforts are underway to improve both public and private services. These changes aim to reduce transactional costs and make services more accessible.

The UNDP has also played a key role in reducing the digital divide in Barbados. Through two digital transformation initiatives, the Business Adaptation Programme and Work Online Dominica, the UNDP has helped participants adapt to the digital world of work. These programs equip individuals with skills to manage their businesses, strengthen marketing and improve their financial standing.

Conclusion

Barbados has faced its fair share of issues regarding its internet stability and getting everyone online, with many problems still being faced with major cyber incidents and their prevention. However, with assistance from the UNDP and the IDB, Barbados has made significant progress in its digital development. Thanks to these initiatives, the digital divide in Barbados grows narrower with each passing day.

– Amari Jennings

Amari is based in Orlando, FL, USA and focuses on Technology and Solutions for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Empowering Liberia’s Women: Socio-Economic Equality in Liberia

Empowering Liberia's WomenIn Liberia, women earn 15% less than men. Yet they are vital and form the backbone of Liberian society. Women play an important role in agriculture and informal markets and own 55% of enterprises. Yet their enterprises are small, less established than those of men and less than 5% of women have formal sector jobs. This means that women are important contributors to the Liberian economy but face significant and ongoing socio-economic inequalities that hinder their potential, sustainable income, and financial equality.

Liberia’s Women Project, Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Women Empowerment Forum are three initiatives that are bridging the socio-economic gap and empowering women through technology, training, and programmes designed to increase their financial rights and advocate for change. These initiatives not only empower Liberia’s women but also pave the way for a flourishing and equitable nation.

Liberia’s Women Empowerment Project

Liberia’s Women Empowerment Project (LWEP) utilizes a community-driven and multi-sectoral approach, which has impacted 498 communities across six counties in Liberia. Its strategy involves individual and group-based, income-generating activities such as business training, credit and saving groups and life skills programmes for more gender inclusive training. Most importantly, the project empowers Liberia’s women by teaching them how to increase their confidence and develop sustainable and resilient livelihoods. By strengthening their voices and agency, women become leaders as they engage in household and community decision-making.

Alongside the educational part of the project, it also mobilizes communities and helps change attitudes surrounding women’s socio-economic engagement which is how prejudices start to dismantle.

Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment

Digital Inclusion for Women’s Economic Empowerment focuses on the economic challenges women in rural areas face. Led by U.N. Women, alongside various NGOs, the initiative uses technology to improve financial inclusion and entrepreneurial opportunities for women.

Women in remote areas experience greater economic inequalities than women in urban areas, often only being engaged in subsistence farming that has limited opportunities for increasing business or accessing broader markets. The digital platform Buy from Women connects women to wider markets beyond their area.

Since the launch in 2022, more than 3,000 women have had an income increase through better access to markets powered by the Buy from Women platform. Besides broader market access, women learn about financial literacy and have more growing opportunities to carry out secure transactions and oversee their businesses, income and job opportunities.

Women Empowerment Forum Liberia

Women Empowerment Forum (WEF) enables women across Liberia to become active and influential voices in their communities. The economic empowerment program includes microfinance and entrepreneurship training to assist women in starting businesses. Vocational training workshops provide instructions and discussions on market-driven trades, which women can participate in.

Additionally, community engagement focuses on leadership training where women can practise and engage in local development issues, rights, and opportunities hosted by community forums and workshops. Not only are women taught strategic and confidence-building techniques, but they also have the chance to apply them. Alongside their financial literacy, women can put these into practice in real-life scenarios, while learning about opportunities involving entrepreneurship and business.

This holistic approach empowers women on an individual level but also builds social cohesion and economic stability. WEF has impacted several regions, alongside their increasing partnerships with local and international stakeholders. These initiatives and collaborations have made them a contributing force in Liberia’s path to gender equality.

Empowering Liberia’s Women

All three initiatives adopt a multifaceted approach to break down gender inequalities and build a more equal and prosperous future for women’s socio-economic opportunities in Liberia. By addressing the various hardships women face, from being in remote regions to having their voices suppressed or lacking access to financial literacy information, these initiatives have developed sustainable solutions. At the core, they have raised women’s voices and encouraged women to become leaders of change, self-sufficiency and empowerment in Liberia.

– Jule Riemenschneider

Jule is based in Oxford, UK and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Renewable Energy in Comoros

Renewable Energy in ComorosThe innovative production of novel renewable energy technologies are essential to the economic development of countries in the developing world, such as Comoros. The East African country of Comoros is a least developed country with a low GDP per capita, which was $1,784.12 in 2024. Comoros is located in the Indian Ocean, encompassing a group of islands by which Grande Comore is the most massive in size of the islands and Mohéli is the tiniest in size.

Poverty in Comoros is catastrophic with poor, unprofitable harvests on a national economy that is dependent on farming. In 2014, the poverty headcount ratio measured up to a 31.4% of the population of Comoros living on less than $3 a day, in scale with 2021 purchasing power adjusted prices. In the combat against poverty, improving public health especially the incidence of waterborne infectious diseases, acute lower respiratory infections and lung cancer through the use of renewable sources of energy over other energy sources is beneficial. Non-renewable sources of energy have high damage costs, which was $16.4 million in 2021 as a result of carbon dioxide gas emissions from the use of fossil fuels and cement production. Here is more information about renewable energy in Comoros.

Hydroelectric Power Plants in Comoros

Comoros has hydroelectric power plants constructed on the island, which are a renewable source of energy. Hydroelectric power plants transform the potential energy of water into electrical energy, which holds advantages of having low operational and maintenance costs, a long lifespan, as well as wide-ranging uses in: irrigation, the supply of water to urban areas, flood control and navigation. The greater the water flow rate, height of the water descending and conversion efficiency of the turbine, the greater the electrical power generated from the hydroelectric power plant. However, Comoros still has a poor supply of electricity and water, largely due to poverty. Comoros and other low-economic countries could develop the technical potential of hydroelectric power, since only 6% of the technical potential for hydroelectric power has undergone development for use in Africa, compared to half in Europe.

The Benefits of Hydroelectric Power

The use of hydroelectric power as a renewable energy source over non-renewable energy sources reduces carbon emissions and decreases greenhouse gas emissions, which is of great importance in light of the Paris Agreement (2016) – a legally binding international treaty on environmental welfare that 195 parties adopted at a United Nations conference to limit global temperature rises. The necessity for the integration of renewable energy sources is paramount to an eco-friendly economic development, since for Comoros a weighty 0.23 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent greenhouse gas emissions emitted were from the transportation sector in 2021, which is just a fragment of the wider societal infrastructure.

Although Comoros has built and installed hydroelectric power plants on the island, a greater number of other renewable energy source technologies would be beneficial to the increasingly urbanized towns and industrialization as the country develops economically in strategies to reduce extreme forms of poverty. Since hydroelectric power is helpful in supplying storage and load balancing for solar, wind and other renewable energy sources, further investments in other renewable energy sources would be a fitting extension to the hydroelectric power plants present on the island.

Solar Energy Project in Comoros

Comoros has invested in solar energy via a Solar Energy Access Project for Comoros, with the goal of expanding the renewable energy generation capacity and enhancing the operational performance of the solar energy system for electricity. Power storages in addition to photovoltaic and system upgrades were installed as part of the project at solar photovoltaic power plants built at Grande Comore, Anjouan and Mohéli, while the battery storage remained situated in Grande Comore and Anjouan. The photovoltaic cells transform solar energy radiation from sunlight directly into electrical energy that people can use as electricity.

The vast majority of photovoltaic cells in international financial retail market shares comprise crystalline silicon materials. According to a review on solar photovoltaic technology, innovative carbon nanotube cells used as a material for photovoltaic cells have the capacity to convert 75% of the light energy it receives into electricity, which could aid in providing a more reliable source of electricity to Comoros. Comoros has a tropical weather climate with peak temperatures of 35°C at the beginning of the humid season, therefore the warm sunny climate makes solar energy an ideal renewable energy source.

The Comoros National Electricity Corporation will aid the enlargement across territories of the management information system of the solar energy project plus the installation of the advanced metering infrastructure to all customers. Solar energy projects have great potential compared to other renewable sources of energy as the International Energy Agency (IEA) suggested, and could even help disinfect water for safe drinking.

Looking Ahead

The use of renewable energy sources rather than non-renewable sources of energy is crucially important in the industrial development of Comoros, in order for the country to expand economically as a poverty-reduction effort without causing pollutive damage to the ecosystem, public health or financial trade markets. Hydroelectric and solar energy power plants are renewable sources of energy that have been constructed in Comoros, although maximizing the technical benefits of the renewable energy sources is vital to ensure an efficient, reliable electricity and water supply in a country that has poor utilities due to poverty.

– Deborah Asante 

Deborah is based in London, UK and focuses on Technology and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Youth Opportunities: Digital Literacy Programs in Southeast Asia

Digital Literacy Programs in Southeast AsiaSoutheast Asia is at the heart of one of the world’s fastest-growing digital economies. However, millions of people miss out on these opportunities because they lack digital skills, even as the region’s marketplaces grow and sectors are transformed by technology. This digital divide often leads to economic hardship, limiting the chances of upward mobility. Programs for digital literacy have become an essential response, giving young people the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the modern workforce. By linking youth to employment, entrepreneurship and innovation, these initiatives aim to reduce unemployment and address poverty at its roots.

Growing Digital Economy and Skills Gap

Southeast Asia’s digital economy could reach $360 billion by 2025 and surge toward $1 trillion by 2030. However, most of the region’s workforce still lacks the digital skills needed to participate fully in this transformation. For instance, in Indonesia and Singapore, only 52% of non-tech employees receive digital skills training annually, as compared to 81% of tech employees. As a result, roughly half of non-technical employees do not have access to annual digital training. This gap threatens to widen inequality, as those without digital literacy remain locked out of opportunities created by online platforms, remote work and technology-driven industries. Thus, young adults run the risk of becoming stuck in low-wage, unofficial jobs that perpetuate poverty cycles. 

Impact of Digital Literacy Programs in Southeast Asia

Digital literacy programs in Southeast Asia are proving to be effective engines of opportunity as they equip young people with marketable skills. Initiatives such as “Digital Jobs Philippines” and Singapore’s “SkillsFuture” help thousands of young people get hands-on experience in coding, e-commerce and digital communication. Similarly, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched its “Skill Our Future” program in 2023. It offers free online training in AI, digital literacy and workplace skills to underserved youth in the Philippines and across Asia, specifically to improve employability. In the same year, UNDP and Microsoft announced a joint initiative to equip 2 million underserved youth in Asia with digital and AI skills, further boosting their chances in the labor market. 

Digital Literacy and Inclusivity

The impact of digital literacy programs in Southeast Asia extends beyond individuals. Marginalized youth, especially rural populations and women, often face the greatest challenges when it comes to digital participation. U.N. Women highlights that in several Asia-Pacific low and middle-income countries, women are 20% less likely to own smartphones or access the internet compared to men, emphasizing the critical need for training that is inclusive by design.

Moreover, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), by 2030, 80% of jobs in Southeast Asia will require basic digital literacy and information and communications technology (ICT) skills. These digital literacy programs aim to close the inequality gaps by reshaping entire communities when designed to be inclusive. When marginalized youth gain digital skills, they secure better employment opportunities and also uplift their families and communities. Bridging these divides strengthens social cohesion and ensures that economic growth does not exclude anyone. These measures directly advance the fight against poverty as minoritized groups obtain opportunities to acquire skills that are greatly in demand, hence helping them access a plethora of opportunities. 

Long-Term Gains for Economies and Communities

Digital literacy does more than prepare individuals for immediate job opportunities. It also strengthens national economies. The Asian Development Bank expects improved digital skills to add $1 trillion to Asia’s GDP by 2030. A workforce with strong digital skills draws in investment, encourages innovation and increases resilience to shocks to the economy. This ensures that Southeast Asian economies remain competitive in the global marketplace. This long-term growth translates into poverty reduction on a national scale, as higher employment rates generate tax revenue that governments can reinvest in social programs, infrastructure and education. 

Looking Ahead

Digital literacy provides a pathway to opportunity by equipping Southeast Asia’s youth with highly demanded skills. In addition to empowering young entrepreneurs and ensuring that disadvantaged groups are not left behind, programs that offer these skills open avenues to employment. As governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector expand their investment in digital education, they are laying the groundwork for inclusive growth and long-term poverty reduction.

– Anagha Rajithkumar

Anagha is based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada and focuses on Business and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr