Somalia successfully completes Digital Fitness Programme, shares insights

Somalia successfully completes Digital Fitness Programme, shares insights

Authors:  Nonso Jideofor, Digital Fitness Programme Co-Facilitator (UNDP Chief Digital Office); Aizhan Kapysheva, Digital Fitness Programme Co-Facilitator & Head of Solutions Mapping (Accelerator Lab, UNDP Kazakhstan); Hodan Abdullahi, Head of Exploration (Accelerator Lab, UNDP Somalia); Ahmed Mohammed Abdirizack, Youth Delegate (Accelerator Lab, UNDP Somalia)

The Digital Fitness Programme (DFP) recently took place in Somalia over the course of five days. Twenty-two participants worked on both new and existing projects to harness digital solutions.  

Some of the solutions will contribute to future projects while others will complement ongoing programmatic work. Additionally, new initiatives emerged from this endeavour, including:

• Improving the national digital identity process for Somali people
• Supporting rural communities to adopt conservation practices
• Strengthening civic education by working with public servants
• Enhancing public health planning using data from private and public sector 

One highlight that all participants mentioned was the adoption of an open, collaborative and systematic problem-solving approach. They expressed confidence in using this process for future programme design, even considering it a transformative practice. 

“Inspired by Mogadishu, nestled on the coast of the Indian Ocean in the Horn of Africa, which was the location of the workshop, we kicked off this digital fitness journey and committed on Day 1 to learn together. And indeed, every day unfolded as a collaborative learning experience with the remarkable team at UNDP Somalia.”

~Aizhan Kapysheva, DFP Co-Facilitator

So why the Digital Fitness Programme?

UNDP's Digital Strategy for 2022-2025 urges us to "get ahead of the ever-evolving digital reality, equipped with the knowledge and tools to support our partners in this time of rapid change." It goes beyond learning specific technologies; it aims to instigate a broader behaviour change in how UNDP personnel approach digital technology.  

UNDP adopts an ethical, human-rights-based, inclusive approach to digital transformation. The objective of how we work internally is always to cultivate an inclusive environment for learning and the effective exchange of ideas among team members. DFP instills a digital mindset, particularly at the country level, where Country Office (CO) personnel are the driving force for change and connection with partners on the ground. 

Photo: UNDP Somalia

Below are three reasons why DFP is a unique instrument for a digitally native way of working:

1. Looking beyond digital: At first glance, one might assume that DFP is solely about digital skills, tools and methods. However, the DFP serves as a time for a country office to foster connections, test a user-centric approach and view everyday problems through a new lens. Conversations in Somalia spanned diverse thematic topics, such as water security, human identity and digital health systems, emphasizing cultural norms to spur change.
2. Focusing on technology as a tool: UNDP's decentralized presence in over 170 countries and territories positions DFP as an opportunity to dive into specific country contexts. For Somalia, digital identity meant more than helping government improve revenue mobilization and resource allocation. It touched on data privacy, ethics, public safety and if certain data found its way into the wrong hands. The DFP approach made it possible to focus on the appropriate use of technology.  
3. Combining digital expertise with programme knowledge: DFP's human-centered design approach encourages participatory processes, facilitating collective learning and addressing bottlenecks using innovative approaches. The Somalia workshop created an interactive space that encouraged teamwork and sparked creativity. For the first time, colleagues gained clarity into what others were working on and methodologies that they would apply to other aspects of their programmatic work that wasn’t being worked on during the DFP.  
    

“The programme not only addressed priorities in our Country Programme Document, but the facilitation method is also something that we should adopt when designing our next one and other project designs and implementation. The participation and co-designing are noteworthy and remarkable.”

~ Golda Keng, Adaptive Management Coordinator, UNDP Somalia

How does it work?  

The DFP is designed to bring together global best practices in digital with UNDP’s unique capacity to deliver impact. The programme is aimed to ensure UNDP makes the best use of digital to amplify our development impact.  

The DFP is structured into four blocks, presenting digital standards and discussing their application:

1. Discover and ideate: Systems thinking and problem identification
2. Design: Needs assessment and understanding the digital divide
3. Prototype and test: Importance of testing, open source and cases where the digital component may not be necessary
4. Create and launch: Final section covering digital standards like building the right team, measuring success and long-term planning

For Somalia, we had four teams, from different portfolios and projects. Each team worked on a digital solution, going step-by-step through the four blocks. This culminated in a Pitch Day, where teams presented their digital solutions to colleagues and the Regional Representative.  
 

“The Digital Fitness Programme was a valuable learning experience for all of us. It demonstrated the power of digital technologies to connect, communicate and collaborate across borders and cultures. It also showcased the potential of UNDP as a global network of knowledge and innovation.”

~ Lionel Laurens, Resident Representative, UNDP Somalia

Photo: UNDP Somalia

Want to learn more about our fitness marathon?  

Reflections from UNDP Somalia underscored the programme's value, emphasizing the power of digital technologies to connect, communicate and collaborate globally. Witnessing UNDP Somalia colleagues test and innovate was both incredible and humbling.  

The DFP stands as a practical tool for every country office to test how digitalization can amplify UNDP's impact. Designed and run by the Chief Digital Office (CDO), it serves as a knowledge exchange platform, with plans to spread insights globally. Today, 28 country offices have hosted CDO facilitators, with the Accelerator Labs, the world's largest and fastest learning network on sustainable development challenges, playing a crucial role.  

To deliver transformational development outcomes, UNDP must continue to address the urgent need to stay current with digital thinking. DFP is a starting point, emerging as a valuable tool amidst constant technological innovations.