World Bank 2024 Youth Summit Case Challenge Winners.
In just a few days, the 2025 World Bank Group Youth Summit will take place in Washington, D.C. As delegates prepare to participate in this flagship event, we reflect on our experience as winners of last year’s Case Challenge—now known as the Innovation Lab.
Last year, our team explored the subtheme of digital inclusion. This year, the Summit builds on that momentum, expanding the focus to youth-led innovation across a range of critical sectors—including sustainable agriculture, data and digital transformation, and the creative industries. While the theme has broadened, the relevance of digital inclusion remains constant—as does the Summit’s close collaboration with the World Bank’s digital Vice Presidency.
The Youth Summit brings together young changemakers from around the world to engage in dialogue, exchange ideas, and co-create solutions to global development challenges. As part of the Summit, the Innovation Lab offers in-person delegates the chance to work in teams to develop practical, innovative responses to real World Bank Group case studies. Through this hands-on experience, we explored the complex realities of digital inclusion, challenged our assumptions, and collaborated under pressure to craft feasible solutions. The process deepened our understanding of innovation, strengthened our teamwork, and revealed the power of diverse perspectives—insights we hope will resonate with this year’s participants.
The Challenge: A Mirror of Global Reality
In today's hyper-connected world, a stark reality persists: while the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries enjoy over 90% internet penetration, less than 35% of people in low-income countries have access to the internet. Our case study reflected challenges existing across developing economies: an unemployment rate disproportionally affecting youth (14% versus 6% in the total population), and a digital economy growing faster than its people could adapt. These were not merely hypothetical problems; they mirrored the realities in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where only 26% of people use the internet, and South Asian countries, where less than 40% of women own cell phones compared to 80% of men.
Our ABC Strategy: Simplicity Meets Impact
Through applying first-principle thinking—a problem-solving approach that involves breaking down complex problems into their basic elements and then rebuilding them—we developed the ABC Strategy—a straightforward yet comprehensive approach aligned with the World Bank's digital development pillars.
Awaken: We integrated digital literacy into formal education while creating parallel paths for those outside traditional education systems. It entailed utilizing school buildings as training centers for women to equip them with digital skills and tools needed to thrive in job markets as well as their traditional businesses. This addressed gaps seen in many countries where digital skills are essential for economic participation but remain out of reach for vulnerable populations.
Build: Our solution established digital hubs equipped with internet connections in rural schools, particularly effective in regions where poor transportation and climate vulnerabilities make traditional infrastructure challenging. These hubs serve a dual purpose: education centers by day and training facilities by evening.
Collaborate: By bringing together government ministries, technology companies, and NGOs, we created a sustainable ecosystem for digital growth. This framework included:
Digital financial services training to engage in the modern economy
Local online job-matching systems connecting trained participants with opportunities
Partnerships with local startups for mentorship and hackathons
From Competition to Real-world Impact
Our solution's strength lies in its adaptability to different contexts:
In Nigeria's booming fintech sector, our approach could empower youth to engage with digital financial services
For Bangladesh's rural women, our evening training programs could provide crucial pathways to digital employment
In Colombia, our digital hub model could complement existing initiatives like the Vive Digital program
These examples show how tailored innovation can build inclusive systems that respond to local challenges with scalable potential.
Lessons Beyond the Summit
The exercise at the Youth Summit taught us that effective solutions do not need to be complex; they need to be implementable. Through collaboration, innovative thinking, and strategic partnerships, young people can shape the future of digital development. Our victory at the Summit wasn't just about winning—it was about proving that simple, scalable solutions can address complex global challenges.
To future change-makers: the data shows us where the challenges lie, but the solutions must come from understanding the human stories behind these numbers. Whether in East Asia, Latin America, or Africa, the principles of digital inclusion remain the same: access, education, and opportunity must go hand in hand.
As we move forward, we're excited to see how our framework can be adapted and implemented in different contexts. The journey toward digital inclusion continues. We can’t wait to see what this year’s Summit inspires!
The authors are members of the Team “Talia Tigers”, winners of the 2024 World Bank Youth Summit Global Case Challenge. Their solution for bridging the digital divide combined innovative infrastructure solutions with comprehensive education and training programs.
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