The DPI Summit took place in Cape Town from 4 to 6 November 2025, and Digital Frontiers hosted an informal DPI Alumni Showcase and Reception in collaboration with our partner, the Centre for Digital Public Infrastructure (CDPI).
Digital Frontiers and the CDPI hosted “From Learning to Action: Cross-Regional Exchange on DPI Use Cases” in Cape Town, an inspiring evening that celebrated innovation, collaboration, and the power of turning learning into real-world impact.
Over 70 alumni, partners, and thought leaders in digital public infrastructure gathered at our offices at Workshop17 to recognise the finalists of the 2023/24 DPI Use Case Challenge, innovators who transformed ideas from our Introduction to Digital Public Infrastructure course into practical solutions addressing real challenges across the Global South.
Lisa Forte, Head of Corporate at Digital Frontiers, highlighted the energy in the room – the presenters’ excitement to share their journeys and an audience that was deeply engaged throughout.
Figure 1: presenters and audience networking at Workshop17 Watershed
From Kenya, Elijah Kiptoo Ng’etich presented SME Digital Surety Verification, a solution that helps small businesses access credit more easily by enabling instant and secure verification of surety documents. Vimbai Tsododo and Doreen Gift Bujjingo from Uganda and Zambia shared their Digital LC1 Certification solution, which transforms a paper-based proof-of-residence system into a secure digital credential accessible even offline.
Our CEO, Todd Malone, highlighted that these projects embody the mission of the course:
“These projects are a powerful reflection of what the course set out to achieve. They show how learning can lead to real capability, and how capability can drive institutional and national change. This is more than a course. It is a growing movement to ensure that countries across Africa and beyond can shape the digital systems that serve their people.”
Figure 2: Samantha Achieng shares her thoughts on CDPI’s partnership with Digital Frontiers
The event reflected the deep collaboration between Digital Frontiers and CDPI, blending technical expertise with capacity building and localisation to ensure learning translates into local action. This was a rare chance for us to truly see and feel the impact of the work we do beyond the screens.
“Thank you so much to all our presenters for sharing your work and your insights this evening. Each of your projects shows how the principles of digital public infrastructure can be translated into real, practical pathways for implementation.
You have taken ideas from the Institute and turned them into use cases that are grounded in your own national priorities. That is what this course was designed to do: to help bridge learning and application, and to create a community of people who can lead digital transformation from within.” – Todd Malone, Chief Executive Officer at Digital Frontiers
Thank you to our partners, finalists, and community for joining us, engaging with us and for celebrating together in this milestone. Together, we are shaping a more inclusive, innovative, and sustainable digital future across the Global South.
To learn more about our work or explore partnership opportunities, explore our website www.digitalfrontiers.org or contact us at info@digitalfrontiers.org