The Initiative at a glance
The Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative was launched in September 2019 by ITU in partnership with Cisco, with the objective of supporting countries to strengthen the digital capacities of citizens, particularly those in rural and the underserved communities.
Objectives of the Initiative:
- Contribute towards the goal of an inclusive digital society by ensuring that citizens are equipped with relevant digital skills to fully engage in the digital space in a safe and responsible manner.
- Narrow the digital divide by developing digital skills for the most underserved groups.
- Improve the livelihoods and economic prospects of citizens through the use of digital technologies and services.
The Centres
The DTC Initiative operates through a global network of national institutions, the Digital Transformation Centres (DTCs), which have a mandate to deliver digital skills programmes in their countries. The DTCs operate nationally and demonstrate proven capacity, infrastructure and experience to implement training at basic and intermediate levels.
Events
By joining the Initiative, the DTCs become part of a global network of organisations sharing a common vision and committed to accelerating the uptake of digital technologies among citizens as well as to boosting their capacities to integrate into the digital economy and society.
ITU and Cisco have been facilitating networking opportunities for the DTCs by organising face-to-face workshops and virtual meetings held every year. These meetings contribute to strengthening the global DTC community and provide a platform to discuss the implementation of the Initiative, review the progress made and results achieved, as well as exchange experiences and lessons learned among DTCs.
Empowering communities through digital skills: Looking back, moving forward: A five-year review of the DTC Initiative
The Digital Transformation Centres (DTC) Initiative began with a clear vision: to help more people, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, acquire the digital skills they need to thrive in today’s connected world. Launched in September 2019 through a partnership between ITU and Cisco, the Initiative has grown into a global effort to support communities left behind in the digital age.
From an initial network of nine centres, the DTCI has expanded to 14 Digital Transformation Centres across Africa, the Americas, the Arab States and the Asia-Pacific regions. These centres provide free training in basic and intermediate digital skills, including internationally accredited courses that empower learners to build confidence, find employment, start businesses, and engage safely and fully in an increasingly digital economy and society.
With the release of the five-year review of the DTC Initiative "Empowering communities through digital skills: Looking back, moving forward" (2020–2025), ITU and Cisco reflect on the Initiative’s success, the power of multi-stakeholder partnerships and cross-sectoral collaboration, as well as the lasting impact of investing in people’s digital capacities.
As we look to the future, ITU and Cisco remain committed to expanding the DTC network, fostering collaboration, and bridging the digital divide and digital skills gap, so that everyone, everywhere, can benefit from the opportunities of the digital age.
Download the full report here.
Highlights and impact to date
Since it was launched in 2019, the Initiative progressively expanded, growing to a network of 15 centres. To date, the total number of course participants trained by the DTCs since the start of the programme has exceeded 758,000 (51 per cent female). The continued support from ITU, Cisco, and other partners has contributed to further strengthening the Initiative's scalability and impact to reach underserved communities where the DTCs operate. For more information about hte DTC activities and results achieved to date, please visit the DTC News page.
A multistakeholder partnership model
The DTC Initiative is committed to bridging the digital skills gap and has been instrumental to supporting the DTCs in their roll-out of basic and intermediate digital skills training interventions. With proper resources and scaling, the DTCI has the potential to make a direct impact on the lives of people and communities around the world, and multiply the impact and benefits achieved to date.
The DTC Initiative can only achieve scale through the engagement of partners. Private and public sectors, UN agencies, governments, and the international/donor community interested in partnering with ITU and Cisco are welcome to contact the ITU Capacity and Digital Skills Development Division at dtc@itu.int.