“The true value of DPI lies not in the technology alone, but in how modular, open systems can adapt to local contexts. When AI is layered responsibly on these foundations, it enables services, jobs, and trust to reach communities that have long been overlooked.”

Kunal Walia has spent almost two decades working in technology with a focus on connectivity and leveraging tech for social impact. Based in Delhi, he leads Dalberg’s Global Digital and Data practice, focusing on digital inclusion, digital transformation, Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI), AI for good, building inclusive and safe technologies across SDGs. 

Kunal’s work explores how digital systems can power societal change, from helping design a national digital transformation strategy in East Africa to assessing how fintech models can close the gender gap in financial access. He’s advised major institutions like the UNDP, IFC, and Google, and led the development of a landmark report for the UN on how DPI can accelerate progress across the 17 SDGs. Whether mapping new pathways for MSME digital credit or analyzing the role of tech in combating misinformation, his work bridges cutting-edge innovation with real-world impact. With roots in both strategy and technology, Kunal has previously supported high-profile telecom and media mergers and acquisitions that have redefined Asia’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) landscape

In this conversation, Kunal reflects on the promise and pitfalls of the digital age. He shares where DPI is unlocking new possibilities and what it will take to ensure that digital transformation truly leaves no one behind. 

Digital Public Infrastructure is much more than a collection of digital tools; it’s a blueprint for building open, modular, and interoperable systems that unlock innovation and trust at scale. Unlike traditional tech solutions, DPI creates shared rails that both governments and businesses can build on, without getting locked into closed systems. 

In Dalberg’s joint study with UNDP on the DPI impact across the finance, climate, and justice sectors, we modeled how DPI across sectors could accelerate GDP growth by as much as 33 percent in nearly 70 low- and middle-income countries by 2030. This is equivalent to advancing economic growth by an additional two to three years simply by putting the right digital foundations in place.

We’re already seeing this in action. India’s Aadhaar-enabled direct benefit transfers have helped millions receive welfare payments more efficiently, directly advancing goals like poverty reduction and reduced inequalities (SDG 1 & 10). In Togo, during the pandemic, digital IDs and mobile money enabled rapid emergency cash transfers to households in need (SDG 1 & 5). In Bangladesh, interoperable health records are improving maternal care and strengthening health systems (SDG 3). These are just a few examples captured in the DPI-SDG Compendium that Dalberg and UNDP published to illustrate how DPI tangibly accelerates progress across multiple goals. 

Looking ahead, a few trends stand out. More countries are recognizing DPI as essential national infrastructure, as critical as roads or electricity, that underpins inclusive growth and resilience. We’re also seeing a move towards sustainable financing models that blend grant capital with domestic and private investment, so DPI can scale and endure. Finally, robust governance will be key to keeping these systems safe, inclusive, and trusted, especially in low-capacity contexts. 

The big question now is about the economic model and the impact: What is the cost of building and ensuring adoption of DPI, and how do we ensure DPI not only expands digital service access but also generates jobs, livelihoods, and real long-term value for citizens? 

When Dalberg partnered with an East African government to shape its national digital transformation strategy, our focus was clear: how do you put job creation and inclusive growth at the center of digital ambitions? We’ve also been working closely with other governments to help them assess different elements of their digital transformation from connectivity, infrastructure, digital services, skills, and regulation through the lens of expanding economic opportunities. 

One key lesson is that while many countries now recognize DPI as essential, recognition alone doesn’t deliver results. They need clear, actionable roadmaps that detail how core DPI elements like digital IDs, payments, and data exchanges will be built, scaled, and governed. Equally important is having a strategy for how these foundations will strengthen priority sectors such as health, agriculture, or education, and how to build institutional capacity to see it through. 

Creating the right conditions for private innovation on top of DPI matters just as much; it’s where new services, local jobs, and grassroots solutions take shape. That demands robust institutions, sound governance, and policies that safeguard inclusion, privacy, and public trust. Each country’s path should be shaped by its own context; levels of digitization, delivery capacity, national priorities, and what citizens need most. India’s experience offers inspiration, but there’s no single template. 

Our collaboration with Co‑Develop on the Inclusivity Pulse for DPI is one example: it helps countries understand who their DPI is reaching and where it’s falling short, so they can adapt in real time and make sure no one is left behind.

AI and DPI are converging in powerful ways. Together, they can unlock the next wave of inclusive innovation if we design them well. DPI lays the foundation with digital IDs, payments, and data exchanges that allow AI to reach people at scale. Meanwhile, AI makes these services smarter, more targeted, and more efficient. 

Take agriculture: AI can generate hyperlocal advisories for smallholder farmers but it’s DPI, such as farmer registries and interoperable data exchanges for weather and soil data, that makes these tools scalable and equitable. In healthcare, AI-powered diagnostics become far more accessible when integrated into national health systems built on DPI. 

AI can also make DPI itself stronger. AI-enabled biometrics can improve the accuracy and accessibility of digital authentication. AI-driven cybersecurity can detect threats in real time, protecting critical infrastructure and citizen data. 

At the Global AI Summit for Africa, I moderated a session on “AI: The Next Frontier in DPI,” exploring how these two forces can make public systems more adaptive, secure, and citizen-focused. That discussion directly connects to how we at Dalberg work with governments and partners to ensure this intersection is built thoughtfully, expanding reach and trust, not just speed. 

The potential is significant: well-governed AI + DPI can make public services more efficient, unlock new kinds of support for those who need it most, and open pathways for economic participation that didn’t exist before. The real challenge lies in designing these systems to center people with strong safeguards, ethical data practices, and inclusion at their core. 

As digital services expand rapidly, especially in low- and lower-middle-income countries (LICs and LMICs), cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and data protection are emerging as urgent yet under-discussed priorities. Many of these countries remain highly vulnerable to cyber threats yet often lack the capacity or capital to manage them effectively. For example, cyber fraud is estimated to cost India billions of dollars every year, and Africa reportedly loses over 10% of its GDP to cybercrime. 

Generative AI is further reshaping the fraud landscape. Deepfake scams, AI-generated phishing emails, and executive impersonation are becoming more common and harder to detect. One forecast by Juniper Research suggests that AI could push global e-commerce fraud losses from around $44 billion in 2024 to over $100 billion by 2029.

Yet current responses remain overly focused on technical and regulatory controls. We urgently need more behavior-based solutions; interventions that build user awareness, strengthen digital resilience, and create community-level safeguards. Vulnerability to fraud is not uniform: first-time internet users, elderly citizens, or people with lower digital literacy often face heightened risks. Interventions must account for these differences. 

Finally, there is a lack of a coordinated evidence base. There is still little shared understanding of what works to prevent AI-enabled fraud and even less collaboration between governments, technology companies, and civil society to address it systematically. Tackling these risks will require integrated, context-aware, and behaviorally informed strategies that protect users while preserving the promise of digital transformation. 

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