Panama City
Panama
- Queenie Tam
- Ghazi Mabrouk
Intermediate
Event organizer(s)
Supported by
Description
This course is designed to provide participants with foundational knowledge and practical skills in applying Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) as an approach to national digital transformation. Participants will explore core DPI concepts, governance frameworks, the role of open-source, and implementation strategies for advancing inclusion, innovation and prosperity for all.
Through an interactive, hands-on approach, participants will analyze real-world scenarios and develop practical solutions while learning about stakeholder engagement strategies, trust and inclusion principles, financing models, and capacity building. The course will feature successful DPI implementations worldwide, highlighting governance, open-source principles, and inclusive design. The course culminates in a capstone project where participants will work in teams and apply their learning to either map gaps in existing DPI infrastructure or design a digital transformation initiative grounded in DPI principles and tailored to their national contexts and goals.
With the generous support of the European Union’s Global Gateway initiative, participation in this training is free of charge for selected applicants. This includes meals during the period of the training and 3 nights of accommodation. Participants or their organizations are responsible for covering the costs of travel expenses to and from their home country to Panama City, Panama.
The course is designed for government officials, legal professionals, policymakers, ICT specialists, and digital transformation leaders involved in nation-wide digital transformation initiatives. It is most suitable for those looking to leverage digital identity, standardize and exchange data from other parts of 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.
Participants should have a fundamental understanding of e-governance. A background in public administration, legal services, or digital transformation is preferred.
Selection criteria:
- Hold an undergraduate degree or have a minimum of three years of relevant professional experience.
- Possess a fluent level of English, as course instruction and materials will be in English. Group work and the capstone project may be completed in either English or Spanish.
- 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 recommendation/motivation letter of each applicant.
- Government officials and policymakers from developing countries, particularly women, are encouraged to apply.
Number of available places for the cohort: 32
Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
- Outline key principles of the DPI approach to national digital transformation, including openness, modularity, minimalism, and digital ecosystem engagement.
- Identify how countries have deployed a DPI approach to accelerate innovation, inclusion and growth through comparative analysis of global implementations.
- Analyze the underlying "building blocks" necessary for DPI, including digital identity systems, data exchange platforms, and digital payment infrastructure.
- Assess and shape the enabling conditions for DPI implementation, including stakeholder management, governance frameworks, funding models, and safeguarding mechanisms.
- Develop practical strategies for deploying DPI through hands-on exercises and scenario-based simulations.
This course will be delivered primarily face-to-face. There will be one short online session for participants and instructors to get to know one another, align expectations and learning objectives, and get a glimpse of topics to be covered during the course.
The date and time of the online session is: 8 October from 9:30 to 11:00 am Eastern Standard Time (EST)
The face-to-face sessions will consist of interactive lectures and group work. To maximize engagement, there will be breakout sessions for brainstorming and discussions, as well as short presentations throughout the course that encourage participants to draw on their specific environments. Participants will be assigned to smaller groups to facilitate teamwork and provide opportunities for networking. In addition, a scenario-based simulation activity, “The Governance Game”, will be held on Day 1, enabling participants to apply DPI-related digital transformation concepts to real-world digital transformation challenges. On Day 2, participants will work in teams on a DPI project to apply concepts taught during the course, to either develop a DPI use case and road map, or conduct a DPI gap analysis, and present the results on the last day to a panel of instructors and peers for evaluation and feedback.
While instruction will be in English, participants may choose to complete group exercises and the final project in either English or Spanish.
Participants’ performance will be evaluated using a combination of assessment methods, including pre-class survey, active participation and final group presentations.
- Pre-class survey (10%): Participants will be required to fill out a pre-class survey that assesses their existing knowledge levels on the subject. Completion is mandatory.
- Active participation (35%): Attendance and active class participation are considered an integral component of the learning process. Participation focuses on participating in group discussions and completing daily group tasks will be awarded 35 points in total.
- Final Group Presentation (55%): Participants will work in groups to solve a scenario-based simulation challenge and propose a draft DPI strategy, including a solution to address the situation.
Attendance in all sessions is mandatory, and a total score of 70% or higher is required to obtain the ITU certificate.
Day 0 - Online Pre-Session
Course Introduction
October 8, 2025, 09:30 - 11:00 Eastern Standard Time
Learning outcomes:
- Welcome and introduction
- Overview of course methodology, simulation approach, and in-person sessions
- Overview of the UNDP DPI Playbook
Day 1 - October 14th, 2025
DPI Foundations Part I
Learning outcomes:
- Overview of key digital transformation concepts
- Introducing DPI foundations: identity systems, data exchange systems, and digital payments
- Exploring key DPI concepts: openness, modularity, minimalism and digital eco-systems
- Contrasting the “DPI approach” vis-à-vis business as usual (government) digital transformation
DPI Foundations Part II
Learning outcomes:
- DPI approaches across the world: Understanding different country journeys
- Overview of key stakeholders in DPI-led digital transformation
- Managing stakeholders, competing interests, and building coalitions
DPI, Open-Source and DPGs
Learning outcomes:
- Explore the interconnection between open-source, inner-sourcing, digital public goods (DPGs) and DPI
Activity: “The Governance Game”
Learning outcomes:
- Overview of the different roles in government digital transformation
- Role-based, turn-based, card-game
- Summarise outcomes and learnings from the game
The Global DPI Ecosystem
Learning outcomes:
- Overview of DPI funders, capacity providers, campaigns, and non-governmental organizations
Day 2 - October 15th, 2025
Recognising different DPI technical architectures
Learning outcomes:
- Explore different technical architectures for digital identity systems and data exchange systems
- Methodologies for exploring what is fit-for-purpose: assessing different trade-offs
Governance, Funding, and Capacity
Learning outcomes:
- Institutional capacity requirements for DPI implementation
- Designing effective cross-agency collaboration
- Funding streams for DPI
Safeguarding DPI
Learning outcomes:
- Identify potential exclusion risks in DPI design and implementation
- Apply inclusive design principles to DPI projects
DPI Deep Dive: Regional Insights
Learning outcomes:
- Gain insights into the real-world implementation of DPI through a regional case study
- Identify key success factors, challenges, and lessons learned from the speaker’s experience
- Reflect on how the case study relates to your own country or institutional context
Group Project: develop a DPI use case and roadmap OR DPI gap-analysis
Learning outcomes:
- Overview of templates
Define a use case (any sector). Must be dependent on digital identity and/or a national data exchange:
- Definition of the problem
- Definition of the digital solution (s)
- Identify stakeholders and identify challenges/benefits for each
- Plan for scale
- Explain funding-structure
- Develop a roadmap and governance structures
OR
- Map gaps in the existing DPI infrastructure in a selected country
- Use a template to focus on innovation, safeguarding or governance gaps.
- Design a roadmap to bridge the gaps identified.
- Consider funding mechanisms and the involvement of the digital ecosystem
Day 3 - October 16th, 2025
Group Project Presentations
- Each group will pitch their solutions/gap analysis
Wrapping Up
- Refresh key learnings from the course
- Set actionable goals to apply them in real-life settings
- Course evaluation
Closing Ceremony
- Celebrate the successful completion of the course
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.