The EDISON Alliance: Seeking to Close The Widening Digital Divide

 Due to the ongoing events of the global pandemic, the importance of technology and internet access has been greatly exemplified as a result of the transitioning of work and school culture. However, amidst this rapid transition towards greater reliance upon technology, there are still billions of people worldwide who do not have reliable access to internet, and in Africa, nearly two-thirds of the population does not have broadband access. Furthermore, this inaccessibility of technology has left many unable to access education, furthering education divides.

In light of these issues and the fact that the digital divide will persist far after the pandemic has ended, business leaders and governmental officials have launched a public-private partnership at the Davos 20212 summit in order to address the digital divide and create meaningful connectivity across the world. This initiative is called the EDISON Alliance, and more can be read about them here: https://www.weforum.org/the-edison-alliance/home.

The EDISON Alliance is headed by Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg, who, in regards to the widening gap in digital connectivity caused by the Coronavirus pandemic, states that “This is the time. If we don’t make it now and see that we have digital inclusion, I don’t know the moment we would have.”

Paula Ingabire, the Minister of Information and Communications Technology and Innovation for Rwanda says “We still see a huge divide. As we talk about the digital divide post-COVID, it becomes more and more urgent for some of our economies.”

In its first year of conception, the initiative plans to improve digital access as it pertains to healthcare, education and financial services, with a vision for "every person to affordably participate in the digital economy." The alliance seeks to foster affordable and accessible digital opportunities for everyone by 2025 through "building a 'network of networks' to identify and scale new and existing strategies, projects and initiatives leveraging connectivity as a key lever across the Sustainable Development Goals".