Enablers — Tech Bets for an Urban World

Cross-Cutting Enablers

Most of this website outlines how tech actors can advance each use case individually and what UNICEF could do to support. This section synthesizes cross-cutting enablers where tech actors should lean-in to simultaneously increase the success of multiple use cases.

TECH ENABLERS

Key technologies that underpin many of the use cases which global tech actors can improve upon, make more affordable, and share with local innovators.

Better more affordable connectivity

Integrated data & analytics

Cashless payment systems

Smart matching algorithms

Iot sensors, meters, digitally enabled devices

Navigation & mapping

Content curation & certification

Digital identity systems

NON-TECH ENABLERS

Non-technology centered interventions where local innovators need your support to build successful revenue generating use cases and scale them in their markets.

Guidance

Investment

Resources

TECH ENABLERS

Better more affordable connectivity

WHAT
Invest in better and cheaper connectivity. Investments are needed in metro fiber, mesh and Wi-Fi networks to help people connect more cheaply and easily.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Increase the intelligence and sustainability of new solutions. Help innovators locally host cloud services by continuing to innovate on making these solutions more affordable. Work with local innovators to subsidize data storage and analytics solutions from AWS and others to help reduce overhead costs.

mapping to the tech bets
digital learning
multi-modal skilling
emergency response
smart recruiting
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

Integrated data and analytics

WHAT
Increase the intelligence and sustainability of new solutions. Help innovators locally host cloud services by continuing to innovate on making these solutions more affordable. Work with local innovators to subsidize data storage and analytics solutions from AWS and others to help reduce overhead costs.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Local innovators are in the best position to identify immediate needs and develop products that serve them. But they struggle to scale and optimize learnings over time to improve their business models as well as capture impact data.

mapping to the tech bets
digital learning
multi-modal skilling
emergency response
smart recruiting
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

Cashless payment systems

WHAT
Support the creation of a digital finance system that is interoperable and coordinated between markets. Access to payment systems is a crucial building block for any innovator designing a B2C service, particularly systems with seamless cash in and cash out capabilities.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Despite the growth in digital financial services, largely driven by the tech sector, 2 billion people remain without any form of bank account.

mapping to the tech bets
emergency response
smart recruiting
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

Smart matching algorithms

WHAT
Create new marketplaces for providers and customers. To work effectively and benefit low income communities, services that use smart matching algorithms need access to more powerful algorithms that can match service providers and customers at very low cost based on a set of dynamic and contextual factors.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Many tech innovations address market failure or value chains that are dominated by informal providers. Access to these algorithms can allow innovators to better adapt to changing local needs and capture value dynamically, even in low cost transactions.

mapping to the tech bets
emergency response
smart recruiting
commuter ride-sharing

IoT sensors, meters, digitally enabled devices

WHAT
Design better hardware. Global tech players will open up new opportunities if they design more cost effective components and integrate affordable and lighter footprint infrastructure in low income communities at the household and municipal level– from robust, low-cost water sensors to tablets able to withstand the classroom.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Most tech is developed for wealthy cities and designed for the preferences (and ability to pay) of wealthy customer segments. Many local innovators are adept at developing cost effective solutions at the software level, but struggle to pair those skills with affordable, and sustainable, hardware solutions.

mapping to the tech bets
digital learning
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

Navigaton and mapping in informal and underserved settings

WHAT
Design maps which work for emerging cities. Tech companies have the capabilities to address gaps in navigational knowledge and mapping, which holds innovation back across sectors, through satellite, GPS and other platforms. Investment is needed to make this happen which tech companies can also unlock.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Not knowing where your users are holds back innovation across sectors. Road networks in cities across emerging economies are not well documented and current mapping software is not well adapted to the realities of how people identify their streets and local points of interest (POI), particularly for those living in highly marginal communities.

mapping to the tech bets
emergency response
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

Content curation and certification

WHAT
Create excellent content. Tech actors can support local content creators by making it easier for their content to be discovered more effectively by curating channels for key market needs and making the content easier to share and recommend.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
Children and youth are discerning customers regardless of where they come from in the world. Tech players will only have impact if they can create content that makes sense in the local context, from great learning applications for children and teenagers, to better skills training for job seekers.

mapping to the tech bets
digital learning
multi-modal skilling
smart recruiting

Digital identity systems

WHAT
Support digital identity systems integrated, robust, trustworthy. Tech players can lead the way in developing mobile-based digital identities and working with Governments to integrate them in to public services.

WHY IT'S NEEDED
1.5 billion people lack any form of legal identity; most of these are in Africa and Asia and tend to be low income people, women, children, and other vulnerable groups. Unreliable identity systems remain a barrier to innovation and product roll-out.

mapping to the tech bets
emergency response
smart recruiting
commuter ride-sharing
water metering

NON-TECH ENABLERS

Guidance

Provide mentoring and talent transfer to innovators.
It is a constant challenge for tech start-ups to find and retain top management and technical talent in emerging markets. Innovators are competing against larger firms and employers overseas who can easily outcompete for the limited supply of talent being produced by education systems which were not set up for 21st century job markets.

Investment

Provide patient capital to innovators.
Innovators are being held back by a lack of investors who understand tech markets and can offer the scale and type of capital needed. For example, few innovators can capital that allows them to compete for large Government contracts.

Resources

Open up delivery channels.
Many markets will grow through partnerships with local innovators who know their clients, can adapt content and applications to local contexts, can deliver offline parts of the service. Many innovators could scale access to popular delivery channels, be they social media platforms, to learning management systems, to mapping software.

Facilitate tech transfer.
Innovators can keep costs low if they don’t have to reinvent the wheel. Sharing best IP, practices and models allows innovators to build out their brand and business model in local markets.

Invest in grassroots innovation.
Where individuals are empowered to innovate new and unusual ideas emerge. Governments should continue to increase investment in grassroots community activities and infrastructure, and tech players could be valuable partners in this effort by providing training, space, hardware, software licenses and other resources.