Article by Yasemin Derebasi and Benjamin Bertelsen: “Thousands of reliable open-source solutions exist that can help countries address pressing development challenges. At the same time, an estimated 80% of government digital transformation projects fail to achieve their planned objectives…Across the world, there are several examples already demonstrating the art of the possible. For example, Linux powers more than 96 percent of the world’s top one million web servers. OpenSSL is an open-source technology that secures millions of encrypted connections daily, protecting everything from bank transfers to private messages. OpenMRS supports electronic medical records for more than 22 million patients in over 80 countries…
Open source operates around ‘Four Freedoms’, that include the freedom to inspect, use, modify, and distribute software. These freedoms directly map to the principles of human capability and agency. When communities can inspect code, they build technical literacy and transparency that bolster both personal autonomy and collective knowledge. When they can use software without restrictions, powerful technologies remain accessible to journalists, farmers, activists, and communities regardless of economic resources. When they can modify software, users can adapt tools to their specific contexts, such as customizing climate monitoring systems to local environmental conditions or tailoring financial platforms to national regulations. When people can distribute software freely, innovations spread rapidly across communities facing similar challenges. These freedoms enable power to become distributed rather than centralized, and innovation can flourish because solutions can be adapted to local challenges…
The Digital X 3.0 project, supported by Japan, offers a curated catalogue of mostly open-source solutions that have been deployed and validated in real-world development contexts – helping match what exists with what’s needed…You can learn more about the Digital X Catalogue here…(More).
