Global South must build a digital, inclusive future

The Global South has a once-in-a-generation opportunity. And what we've seen here in China is a reminder that digital capabilities are no longer optional — they are the new engine of development.

Digital capacity matters because it defines four core elements of our future: competitiveness, inclusion, state capability and human development. For countries in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East and beyond, the digital gap is not just a technical issue — it's a social and economic challenge with real consequences for millions of people.

If the twentieth century was about physical infrastructure, the twenty-first is about digital infrastructure and digital talent. And the nations that fail to build both will be locked out of global value chains.

Today, most of the Global South is rural. Rural families, rural economies, rural youth. And yet, most digital policies still focus on major cities.

One of the most powerful lessons we've learned here in China — from Urumqi to Turpan, from smart factories to community digital centers — is this: digitalization becomes truly transformative only when it reaches rural areas.

Because when rural communities gain connectivity and digital skills, three things happen: agriculture becomes data-driven, public services become accessible, and young people can create opportunities locally instead of migrating out of necessity.

And this matters deeply for Latin America and the Global South. Rural inclusion is not charity, it is strategy.

The Global South actually has a unique window of opportunity. We don't carry the burden of old, outdated digital systems. We can leapfrog straight into modern, interoperable, AI-ready ecosystems.

We can build digital governments that are designed for the future. We can design data governance frameworks with privacy and inclusion from the start. And we can build digital talent pipelines that match the jobs of the next decade, not the last one. However, in most cases we also have to build physical infrastructure that supports the digital transformation, but now we can focus on building the infrastructure that will be needed for the future.

Our countries — with their young populations, entrepreneurial energy and hunger for transformation — can move faster than many expect. China shows us that long-term vision, investment in people and disciplined execution can reshape a nation's trajectory in just a few decades.

And that brings me to our responsibility moving forward. Each one of us represents a country, a community, and an entire generation that is counting on us to translate what we saw here into real policies, real projects and real impact.

The opportunities across the Global South are massive: fintech, agtech, health-tech, ed-tech, digital government, AI for public services, smart villages, innovation sandboxes — the list goes on.

If we stay connected as a network… If we share what works and what doesn't… If we collaborate across regions… then the work we do in Africa, in Latin America, in Asia and in the Pacific will scale faster, reach further and transform lives.

The future is digital. The future is inclusive. And the future is ours to shape — boldly, together.

Julio Andres Moron Ovalle is a consultant for the Government Agency Affairs Bureau of the Cesar Department, Colombia.

The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

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