Page 31 - SAMENA Trends - May-June 2023

FEATURED SAMENA TRENDS

The 1 Billion Lives Challenge

Achieving Digital Inclusion through the Power of Commitment, Innovation
and Collaboration

The 1 Billion Lives Challenge is open to credible initiatives. The focus must align
any organization or initiative that either with one of the three focus areas above,
makes an existing or new commitment or tackle one of the three structural bar-
to improve a quantified number of lives riers: access, affordability, and usability.
through digitally inclusive services, or Many partners have joined the challenge
provides a defined, verified, and material and made sizeable public commitments
resource contribution towards an to improve a quantified number of
initiative with a recognized commitment. unique lives. They have recently reported About the EDISON Alliance
back the progress made against their The EDISON Alliance is a global
As such, the core metric is the outcome – individual 2025 targets. movement of public and private sector
a life improved through new adoption of stakeholders who are bringing people
a digital service. Members are requested Since January 2021, EDISON Alliance online so they can access critical services
to make a commitment on the number partners have positively impacted the in healthcare, finance and education.
of lives they aim to positively impact by lives of 454 million people around the
2025. Commitments must be backed by world by activating over 250 initiatives About the Device Affordability
across 90 countries. This represents Workstream (Co-led by EDISON Alliance
45% of the 1 billion target already, with and GSMA)
three full years left until 2025.
Challenge
EDISON partners also reported back on • Key to using these critical digital
how they have addressed key barriers, healthcare, finance and education
such as affordability, usability and services is connectivity. Yet around
accessibility, in different parts of the 3.2 billion people are not using mobile
world. internet despite living in areas with
mobile broadband coverage (3G+).
Key Messages for the Industry • Device affordability remains one of
While one-third of the 250+ partner two regions with most lives improved the key barriers to digital inclusion. In
initiatives are pursuing online learning by EDISON partners are South Asia many LMICs, handsets can cost over
solutions, only 4% of the total number (79% of total) and Africa (10%) and 70% of average monthly income.
of lives were impacted through online map to the two regions most in need. • This is a growing concern, particularly
education. The low conversion ratio for those with limited income to save
demonstrates the difficulty and Four out of the five countries with most or limited access to credit or financing
resources needed to offer meaningful lives improved are in South Asia (India, options, that needs to be tackled.
services such as online education to Bangladesh,Pakistan and Indonesia).
underserved communities. The combined population of these five Solution
countries totals over 2 billion people. • To solve the affordability challenge, the
Digital literacy is a key priority, well EDISON Alliance is working on a new
covered by partner initiatives (40% Out of the 10 countries with most pillar to develop a global call to action
of initiatives are aimed at increasing partners activating commitments, two to improve the affordability of low-cost
digital literacy), but it also requires are high-income countries and three handsets.
time, capital and effort, which explains are upper middle-income countries.5 • Co-led by the GSMA, this pillar aims to
why only 11% of the total number of Digital deserts in rural and urban areas convene a range of ecosystem players
lives were impacted through digital and the lack of sufficient connectivity to develop a breakthrough solution for
skills training at this stage. speeds and skills to meaningfully low-cost smartphones.
One of the key barriers to closing connect are challenges that most • The end goal is to produce a call to
the digital divide, which remains countries in the world face, irrespective action, roadmap and a Playbook with a
underappreciated, is affordability. The of GDP levels. set of recommendations.
Source: Extracted from the “1 Billion Lives Challenge” Impact Report by EDISON ALLIANCE, January 2023
31 MAY-JUNE 2023