Global Digital Inclusion Partnership

What Global Digital Inclusion Partnership does

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership (GDIP) is an independent, non-profit coalition founded in 2022 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, that brings together public, private, and civil society organizations to advance meaningful internet connectivity for the global majority. Its work is organized around five programmatic areas — Meaningful Connectivity, Inclusive Societies, Universal Access and Connectivity, Sustainable Internet Access, and Policy and Regulatory Good Practices — and produces research reports (notably Connected Resilience and the Beyond Resilience country series), policy briefs (such as Good Practices for Subsea Cables Policy), and advisory engagements with governments in markets including Pakistan, Malawi, Indonesia, Bangladesh, and across sub-Saharan Africa.

GDIP does not operate a technology platform or sell commercial software; its 'products' are policy frameworks, datasets from surveys of more than 6,000 women across six countries, and convening power at major venues such as MWC, ICEGOV, and Submarine Networks World. Its underlying capability is coalition management, policy research, and evidence-based advocacy rather than engineering or AI.

The business model is grant-funded: GDIP receives foundation grants and donations, co-manages the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) alongside CARE and GSMA Foundation under funding from USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and accepts individual donations via its website. Customer-facing stakeholders are governments and policymakers, international development organizations, and indirectly the women and rural communities in low- and middle-income countries whose digital inclusion outcomes its work targets. Governance is led by Founder and Executive Director Sonia Jorge, Executive Director Onica N. Makwakwa, and an Advisory Board chaired by Meta's Kojo Boakye.

Name

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership

Legal name

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership

Website

https://globaldigitalinclusion.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

GDIP is a non-profit coalition of public, private, and civil society organizations that produces policy research, advocacy, and advisory services to advance meaningful internet connectivity and close the gender digital divide for women and rural communities in low- and middle-income countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Inclusion Policy and Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Human Rights Organizations (813311), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Government Digital Service & eGovernment (Service Delivery, IDs, Portals) (BPAIAAAE)

Keywords

• Digital inclusion advocacy
• Meaningful connectivity
• Gender digital divide
• Policy research coalition
• Universal broadband access

Headquarters

HQ city

Alexandria

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants and Donations: GDIP operates as a non-profit coalition funded through grants, donations, and partnerships with foundations and development organizations. Their funding supports research, policy work, and initiatives to close the digital divide.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

GDIP is a non-profit coalition that conducts original research on digital inclusion, produces policy briefs and reports (e.g., Connected Resilience, subsea cable policy guidance), and delivers direct advisory and capacity-building engagements to governments, international organizations, and civil society. Its offerings are aimed at closing the gender digital divide and expanding meaningful internet connectivity in low- and middle-income countries, rather than selling commercial software, hardware, or transactional services.

Product overview

Global Digital Inclusion Partnership is a coalition of public, private, and civil society organizations focused on bringing meaningful internet connectivity to the global majority. GDIP's work spans five core programmatic areas: Meaningful Connectivity, Inclusive Societies, Universal Access and Connectivity, Sustainable Internet Access, and Policy and Regulatory Good Practices. The organization produces research reports and policy briefs including the Connected Resilience report on gendered experiences of digital connectivity, and participates in joint initiatives like the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF). GDIP does not offer a commercial product or technology platform, but rather serves as an advocacy, research, and policy advisory organization advancing digital inclusion globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF): A joint initiative between USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation focused on accelerating progress on closing the gender digital divide. Managed by CARE, GDIP, and GSMA Foundation.

Products and services

• Connected Resilience Flagship research report examining gendered experiences of meaningful connectivity during the COVID-19 pandemic, drawing on focus group discussions in India, Mozambique, Nigeria, and the Philippines and surveys of over 6,000 women from Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Mozambique, South Africa, and Uganda. Targeted at policymakers, donors, and practitioners working on gender digital inclusion.
• Impact Assessment: Rural Household Devices Project Impact assessment examining the effectiveness of rural household device programs in advancing digital inclusion outcomes. Targeted at policymakers and program designers in universal access initiatives.
• Good Practices for Subsea Cables Policy: Investing in Digital Inclusion Policy brief providing guidance for developing and implementing subsea cable policies that contribute to digital inclusion in the global majority, supported by regional workshops in Malawi and Indonesia. Targeted at telecommunications regulators and infrastructure policymakers.
• Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) Joint initiative between USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, co-managed by CARE, GDIP, and GSMA Foundation, that identifies, funds, and accelerates proven solutions to close the gender digital divide and improve women's livelihoods, economic security, and resilience.

Quantifiable outcome

• 244 million more men than women using internet globally in 2023
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, regional and core.

• MetaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Meta's Kojo Boakye was appointed as GDIP's new Advisory Board Chair, bringing industry leadership experience to guide the organization's strategic direction on digital inclusion.
• Internet Society FoundationflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2024Internet Society Foundation's Research Grant Program supported GDIP's Connected Resilience study on gendered experiences of meaningful connectivity through a global pandemic. This partnership produced key research findings on the gender digital divide.
• Smart AfricaregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 September 2024GDIP held subsea cables policy workshops in Lilongwe, Malawi with Smart Africa to promote good practices for subsea cable policy in African regions.
• Telkom UniversityregionalStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 July 2024GDIP held subsea cables policy workshop in Jakarta, Indonesia with Telkom University and signed an MOU to advance digital development cooperation.
• Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWiDEF is a joint effort between USAID and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate progress on closing the gender digital divide. GDIP serves as one of three managers (alongside CARE and GSMA Foundation) working to identify, fund, and accelerate proven solutions to close the gender digital divide, improving women's livelihoods, economic security, and resilience.
• CAREcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARE co-manages the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) alongside GDIP and GSMA Foundation, working together to build an evidence base, scale solutions, and facilitate partnerships to close the gender digital divide.
• GSMA FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGSMA Foundation co-manages the Women in the Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF) alongside GDIP and CARE, leveraging its mobile industry expertise to accelerate progress on closing the gender digital divide.
• Africa CDCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAfrica CDC's Jean Philbert Nsengimana served as GDIP Advisory Board Chair before transitioning out, demonstrating GDIP's strong ties with African health and development institutions.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Alliance for Affordable Internet (A4AI): A4AI is a Web Foundation initiative focused on policy and regulatory reforms to make broadband affordable and accessible. Like GDIP, it works on meaningful access, policy advocacy, and coalition-building around digital inclusion in low- and middle-income countries.
• Association for Progressive Communications (APC): APC is an international civil society network using ICTs to advance social justice, gender equality, and human rights. Its focus on gender and digital rights, plus its research and policy outputs, overlaps directly with GDIP's gender digital inclusion work.
• Internet Society: Internet Society is a global nonprofit promoting an open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy Internet. Its Internet Society Foundation funds research grants that have supported GDIP work and it addresses similar themes around access and digital inclusion.
• Web Foundation: Founded by Tim Berners-Lee, the Web Foundation advances an open web as a public good and houses A4AI. Its mission on universal, meaningful internet access aligns closely with GDIP's meaningful connectivity agenda.
• Digital Impact Alliance: Digital Impact Alliance (hosted at Mercy Corps) promotes digital inclusion and responsible use of digital technology for development. Its donor-backed programs and policy work mirror GDIP's coalition-driven approach to closing the digital divide.
• World Wide Web Foundation: World Wide Web Foundation advocates for a free and open web as a means to build a more equitable world. Its work on universal, affordable internet access and the 'Contract for the Web' puts it in the same digital rights and inclusion space as GDIP.

Broad incumbents

• GSMA: GSMA represents the global mobile industry and runs programs on mobile internet adoption and the gender gap (e.g., Connected Women Commitment). It co-manages WiDEF with GDIP and addresses overlapping mobile-inclusion themes at much larger scale.
• International Telecommunication Union (ITU): ITU is the UN agency for ICTs and produces widely cited global connectivity statistics (including the gender internet usage gap GDIP references). It is a much larger incumbent setting global digital inclusion norms and targets.
• UN Women: UN Women leads UN efforts on gender equality and increasingly addresses the gender digital divide, including through Generation Equality commitments. Its global mandate overlaps with GDIP's gender digital inclusion focus, but at significantly larger scale.

Emerging players

• IT for Change: IT for Change is a smaller NGO working at the intersection of gender rights, digital governance, and development in the Global South. Its research and advocacy on women's digital rights closely parallel GDIP's gender-centered digital inclusion agenda.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/GDInclusion
• Facebookfacebook.com/GDInclusion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gdinclusion

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Global Digital Inclusion Partnership