Page 41 - Building digital public infrastructure for cities and communities

addresses these limitations by providing an integrated foundation that streamlines operations
across government functions. Through the unification of digital identity systems, interoperable
data exchanges and e-payment platforms, DPI enables cities to reduce bureaucratic redundancies,
automate administrative tasks and deliver services more efficiently and reliably (OECD, 2024).

The benefits of DPI-driven efficiency are increasingly evident across diverse city contexts. For
example, the implementation of the Philippine Identification System (PhilSys) has rapidly transformed
how services are accessed and coordinated. With more than 91 million citizens enrolled by late
2024, PhilSys has become the backbone for integrated service delivery across financial aid, health
care and local governance systems. This large-scale enrolment has enabled cross-agency data
verification and significantly shortened service processing times (Philippine Statistics Authority,
2023).

A comparable transformation is taking place in Rwanda through the Irembo platform, which
digitizes more than 50 per cent of government services and centralizes access through a single
online portal. From civil registration to insurance renewals and land applications, services that once
required time-consuming visits to multiple offices are now completed online, leading to a 42 per
cent increase in processed applications between 2022 and 2023 (Umutoni, 2024).

Furthermore, Digital Egypt, a forward-looking people-centred digital transformation strategy
that reinvents how government, businesses and citizens interact with technology, unlocking
unprecedented opportunities for progress. At its core, Digital Egypt is about integration – bringing
together infrastructure, policy and innovation to forge a cohesive, intelligent ecosystem. It turned
complex bureaucratic processes into intuitive digital experiences, transforming raw data into
actionable insights and ensured that no citizen, regardless of geography or background, is left
behind in this rapid evolution (Egypt, 2024).

What PhilSys, Digital Egypt and Irembo reveal is how DPI facilitates not just faster transactions but
also more reliable service tracking, transparency and data-driven management within government.

Local-level impacts and citizen perceptions

This pattern of reform extends into local contexts such as Makassar City, Indonesia, where
digitalization has had a direct and measurable impact on citizen experience. Here, the shift to digital-
based public services led to a 40 per cent reduction in processing times for documents like business
licenses and civil records. Crucially, 75 per cent of surveyed residents reported improvements in
government responsiveness – a testament to how DPI not only optimizes operations internally but
is also perceived positively by the public (Mannayong, 2024).

Moreover, DPI enables real-time data flows that strengthen urban infrastructure and governance
resilience (Digital Cooperation Organization, 2024; UNDP, 2023). The Golden Mile Project in
Vijayawada, India exemplifies this, transforming a 2.9 km corridor into a digitally integrated urban
zone. Features such as smart lighting, Wi-Fi, traffic systems and public surveillance are coordinated
through a City Digital Platform, allowing for rapid, evidence-based responses to emergencies

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