"Intended as a guide for policy-makers and other stakeholders in crafting a national AI and data strategy for development, the report highlights opportunities and outlines good policy and regulatory practices for implementation, while also flagging key challenges and offering hands-on suggestions in ... managing and overcoming these roadblocks. The report describes the main building-blocks of a national AI and data system for development, including governance, regulation, ethical considerations, digital and data skills, the overall digital environment, the technological innovation landscape and opportunities for international collaboration. It goes on to detail the main components of an effective AI and data system action plan, including the principles governing stakeholder engagement, the setting of clear milestones and budgets and administrative structures to support implementation and coordination mechanisms." (Foreword) more

"There are several overarching reasons why billions of people remain offline, ranging from a lack of network infrastructure availability and affordable Internet services to gaps in skills and ability, the availability and cost of personal devices, and a perceived lack of relevancy. For example, over ... 750 million people (approximately 10 per cent of the global population) are not covered by mobile broadband (3G or higher).2 This lack of coverage is particularly concentrated in rural and remote areas. In addition to the coverage gap, usage gaps exist in places with broadband coverage. For example, while up to 31 per cent of individuals in Africa do not have mobile broadband coverage, around 45 per cent do not use mobile Internet even though they live in places with mobile coverage. Estimates also suggest that there are at least 88 countries worldwide where average prices for entry-level mobile broadband service are considered unaffordable (above 2 per cent of average monthly GNI per capita). The Last-Mile Connectivity Internet Solutions Guide was developed to support the design and development of programmes and interventions that address two of these main issues: the lack of Internet infrastructure availability in certain areas; high Internet service prices that make Internet connectivity unaffordable for local populations. The Solutions Guide presents a methodology for introducing sustainable, affordable connectivity solutions in unconnected and underserved geographies. Although the other challenges (e.g. digital literacy, personal devices and locally relevant content) are as important, they are not the focus here, as they are addressed in depth in other resources listed in the Annex 2. This Solutions Guide was developed to help accelerate actions by Member States to address last-mile Internet connectivity issues in situations that include a lack of network infrastructure and with a view to encouraging more affordable service delivery. It has been written from the perspective of localities and users in geographies without Internet access: the last-mile connectivity communities. The tools, service interventions and policy solutions therefore reflect how best to extend Internet access to those localities, taking into account their unique characteristics." (Executive summary) more