- Ghazi Mabrouk
- Queenie Tam
Intermediate
Event Organizer(s)
Supported by
Description
Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) is emerging as a leading approach for national digital transformation, built on reusable components, interoperable standards, and open architectures that prevent vendor lock-in.
This course equips government implementers and digital practitioners with a "Safeguards-by-Design" framework to build resilient, trust-based systems. Participants will develop the technical, legal, and institutional capabilities required to deploy inclusive Digital ID and secure Data Exchange systems at scale.
Through an intensive capstone, teams work in country simulations to navigate trade-offs between innovation and citizen protection, producing a national DPI strategy covering consent-based architectures, data minimization, and sustainable financing.
By the end, participants will be able to articulate the DPI value proposition, design safeguards, navigate governance, and mobilize investment for implementation.
With the generous funding from the Global Gateway initiative of the European Union, this course is offered for free for selected participants.
The course is designed for government officials, legal professionals, policymakers, ICT specialists, digital transformation leaders, and civil society actors involved in nation-wide digital transformation initiatives. It is most suitable for those looking to leverage digital identity, standardize and exchange data across different parts of the government, and/or advance digital payments. It is particularly relevant for officials in lead ministries and agencies of digitalization, social protection, finance and business authorities.
The maximum number of participants is limited to 40 persons.
The selection process for this course is competitive, seeking a diverse cohort of implementers and practitioners who are actively positioned to influence their national digital ecosystems. Participants should have a fundamental understanding of digital systems in government and digital-led development. A background in public administration, legal services, or digital transformation is preferred.
Selection criteria:
- Government officials, policymakers, and civil society practitioners from developing countries, particularly women, are encouraged to apply.
- Hold an undergraduate degree or have a minimum of five years of relevant professional experience.
- Possess a fluent level of English, as course instruction and materials will be in English. Live translated captions will be available via Zoom.
- Complete an application questionnaire, attach an up-to-date CV, and provide a motivation letter or employer recommendation.
- Selection will be conducted by the course organizers, who will consider the above entry requirements along with an analysis of the application questionnaire and the motivation of each applicant.
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Outline the DPI Approach: Define key principles of Digital Public Infrastructure—shifting from siloed digitization to architectures built on interoperability, modularity, and open standards.
- Frame Safeguards as Accelerators: Position safeguards not as regulatory barriers, but as trust and inclusion catalysts that drive citizen adoption, ensure sovereign data control, and secure international "bankability."
- Analyze Foundational Layers: Evaluate the technical and legal requirements for core DPI pillars, specifically Digital Identity systems and Data Exchange platforms, with a focus on data minimization and consent-driven architecture.
- Assess Institutional Readiness: Identify the enabling conditions for DPI, including stakeholder management, governance frameworks, and the establishment of Open-Source Program Offices (OSPOs) and cross-ministerial steering committees.
- Design Sustainable Models: Develop long-term strategy elements, including 10-year sustainable financing models and organizational structures required for national scaling.
This course is delivered through a high-engagement, simulation-based lab environment to emphasize applied learning, peer exchange, and iterative design.
Format: Delivered online via Zoom led by instructors, combining expert inputs, short case studies, and real-time collaborative whiteboarding.
Session Structure: A total of 6 sessions, each lasting 2 hours. Sessions 1-5 will focus on building foundational technical and framework knowledge. This will be followed by a 2-week break for teams to refine their strategies and work on deliverables, and reconvening for Session 6 to present their capstone project.
Country Simulations: Participants are assigned to small, diverse teams, each working within a specific national simulation. This ensures all exercises are grounded in a consistent socio-technical context.
Interactive Engagement: Sessions include live polls, rapid-fire "Risk vs. Multiplier" brainstorms, and cross-team critiques. Participants are encouraged to draw direct parallels between the simulation and their own national environments.
Capstone Project: An iterative artifact built across all sessions:
- The Build: Teams progressively add layers to their simulation—from ID blueprints and data consent maps to 10-year financing plans.
- The Pitch: The course culminates in "The Ministerial Pitch," where teams present their end-to-end "Safeguards-by-Design" National DPI Strategy to a panel of mock Ministers and peers for expert feedback.
- Knowledge Synthesis: The final session includes guided reflection to translate simulation insights into actionable next steps for participants’ professional roles.
Timeline of the live sessions:
- Session 1 - July 28, 2026 | 14:00-16:00 UTC
- Session 2 - July 30 2026 |14:00-16:00 UTC
- Session 3 – Aug 4 2026 |14:00-16:00 UTC
- Session 4 – Aug 6 2026 | 14:00-16:00 UTC
- Session 5 - Aug 11 2026 | 14:00-16:00 UTC
- Session 6 - Aug 25 2026 | 14:00-16:00 UTC
Students’ performance in this course will be determined using a combination of grades for pre-class short questionnaire, attendance and participation in class/ zoom session, and the capstone project:
- A pre-class short questionnaire to gauge participants’ existing knowledge level and expectations. The completion will be awarded 10 points.
- Attendance and contribution to discussion, feedback, and presentation during live sessions will be awarded 40 points.
A capstone project requiring participants to develop a "Safeguards-by-Design" National DPI Strategy based on their assigned country simulation. The project must outline technical architectures for ID and Data Exchange, institutional governance (e.g., OSPO), and a 10-year sustainability plan, including an assessment of safeguards as trust-accelerators versus risks. Participants will present this as a "Ministerial Pitch" during the final session. Completion - 30 points Good - 40 points, Excellent - 50 points.
Activity Weighting (%)
- Pre-training knowledge check -10%
- Attendance and in-class contributions (active participation) - 40%
- Final project - 50 %
A total score higher than 70% is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
Week 1 – Session 1: Foundations of DPI: Shifting from Siloed Digitization to Interoperable, Open-Standard Architectures
Tuesday, 28 July 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Get to know instructors and fellow participants
- Clarify the objectives of the course and what to expect in subsequent sessions
- Distinguish between traditional e-Gov and DPI, identifying the value of modularity and open protocols in preventing vendor lock-in.
- Synthesize examples across the world
Week 1 – Session 2: The Safeguards Multiplier: Safeguards as a catalyst for citizen adoption and international "bankability."
Thursday, 30 July 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Outline the Universal Safeguards Framework
- Recognise risks and mitigation strategies
- Frame safeguards as investment-readiness tools that decrease project risk and accelerate ROI through increased public trust.
Week 2 – Session 3: Digital ID: Designing inclusive, trust-based identity systems
Tuesday, 4 August 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Master principles of "No-ID-Left-Behind," minimizing exclusion errors, and establishing robust, digital-first grievance redressal mechanisms.
- Develop design-to-adoption strategies.
Week 2 – Session 4: Data Exchange: Enabling secure innovation through consent-based architectures and data minimization.
Thursday, 6 August 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Outline data governance principles, building with Safeguards
Week 3 – Session 5: Institutionalizing the Process: Establishing OSPOs, steering committees, and 10-year financing models
Tuesday, 11 August 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Define the institutional "home" for DPI, articulating the role of an OSPO and navigating cross-ministerial budget and loan cycles.
Week 4 – Self-Learning Module: Guest Speaker Reflections and Preparatory Learning
Self-paced Learning | Between 12–24 August 2026
Week 5 – Session 6: The Ministerial Pitch: Presenting the National DPI Strategy
Tuesday, 25 August 2026 | 14:00–16:00 UTC
- Pitch a compelling technical roadmap to non-technical leaders (Finance/Tech Ministers), emphasizing fiscal and social impact.
- Summarize lessons learned from the course and define real-world next steps
Registration information
Unless specified otherwise, all ITU Academy training courses are open to all interested professionals, irrespective of their race, ethnicity, age, gender, religion, economic status and other diverse backgrounds. We strongly encourage registrations from female participants, and participants from developing countries. This includes least developed countries, small island developing states and landlocked developing countries.
