How digital public goods are transforming public infrastructure

What successes have DPGs achieved? Why is it not necessary to start from scratch, and how can the way in which essential services are delivered be reimagined? Prof. Dr Matthias Stürmer, Head of the Institute for Public Sector Transformation (IPST) at Bern University of Applied Sciences, speaks with Liv Marte Nordhaug, CEO of the Digital Public Goods Alliance Secretariat, about her experiences with digital public goods in the context of digital public infrastructure. Liv Marte Nordhaug will deliver a keynote speech at TRANSFORM 2026 – the conference on digital transformation in the public sector – on the topic: ‘How Digital Public Goods are Transforming the Way Countries are Building Digital Public Infrastructure’.

Matthias Stürmer: Liv, could you briefly explain: What are digital public goods (DPGs)?

The concept of digital public goods is described in the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation, and the DPGA Secretariat applies the definition as open-source software, open data sets, open AI systems, and open content collections that adhere to privacy and other applicable best practices, do no harm by design, and are of high relevance for the attainment of the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In practical terms, DPGs are technologies that governments and other organisations can freely adopt and adapt to meet their own needs. Because they are openly licensed and built around shared standards, they allow countries to accelerate digital transformation, improve public services, and build digital systems that serve people while supporting innovation and economic growth.

What success stories can you tell us?

One example of a digital public good delivering significant impact is X-Road, stewarded by the Nordic Institute for Interoperability Solutions (NIIS), which is collectively governed by Estonia, Finland, and Iceland. X-Road is an open-source data exchange layer that allows government and private sector systems to securely share information while maintaining control over their own data. It underpins much of digital government in Estonia, enabling services such as taxation, healthcare, and business registration to operate seamlessly and securely across institutions.

Because it is openly licensed, X-Road has also been adopted and adapted around the world. This includes governments outside of NIIS, such as Argentina where it has helped facilitate data exchange across public services; Brazil, where it has strengthened interoperability across different levels of government and states; and Japan, where private sector companies are using it to enable efficient information exchange of client data in the energy sector. This demonstrates how DPGs allow both governments and private sector actors to build on proven digital infrastructure while maintaining sovereignty over their own systems.

Our most recent publication, the 2025 State of the DPG Ecosystem, highlights many more examples of governments successfully implementing digital public goods in various contexts and for different use cases. For example, since 2025, the French Presidency has been using LaSuite Docs, a collaborative text editor that allows teams to work on documents together. And since December 2025, Liberia has been using an instant payment system based on the DPG Mojaloop, called “Pay Na-Na”.

What are the benefits of adopting DPGs?

There are a number of reasons why governments are increasingly turning to digital public goods when building their digital infrastructure. One of the most important is that they are open and accessible. Because DPGs are openly licensed, countries can freely adopt and adapt them to meet their own needs rather than starting from scratch or relying entirely on proprietary systems.

They also give governments greater control over how their digital infrastructure evolves. Instead of being locked into a single vendor or technology stack, countries can shape, customise, and improve these systems over time in ways that reflect their own policy priorities and local contexts.

DPGs can also be more cost-effective and faster to implement. By building on existing open technologies that have already been tested and improved by a global community, governments can reduce development time, avoid costly licensing arrangements, and focus resources on delivering better services to residents.

Finally, because these technologies are open, they often help catalyse local innovation ecosystems. When developers, researchers, and companies can build on shared digital foundations, it can stimulate collaboration, support job creation, and contribute to broader economic growth.

How do DPGs relate to digital public infrastructure?

What makes digital public infrastructure so exciting is that it allows countries to rethink how essential services are being delivered. When digital identity systems, payment systems, registries and data exchange platforms are designed to interoperate, governments can create entirely new possibilities for service delivery, innovation, and participation in the digital economy.

Digital public goods play an important role in making this possible. Because they are open, reusable, and apply best practices, they can serve as the tools that countries adopt and adapt as they develop their digital public infrastructure.

The DPGs for DPI Collection highlights digital public goods that governments around the world are using to build their DPI.

How can collaboration by governments be enabled by DPGs?

One of the most powerful aspects of digital public goods is that they allow countries to collaborate while still maintaining sovereignty over their own digital transformation processes.

Because DPGs are openly licensed, governments can adopt and adapt technologies that have already been developed elsewhere, contribute improvements back to the ecosystem, and learn from each other’s implementation experiences. This makes it easier for countries to move faster, reduce duplication of effort, and strengthen the digital foundations needed for inclusive development.

In this way, DPGs can become a practical foundation for digital cooperation between governments. This is one of the reasons the Digital Public Goods Alliance Secretariat is co-leading the 50-in-5 campaign, which aims to bring together 50 countries to implement at least one component of their safe, inclusive, and interoperable digital public infrastructure in five years. The campaign runs until late 2028, and more than 30 countries have already joined.

What else will you show us in your keynote at TRANSFORM 2026?

At TRANSFORM 2026, I will explore how digital public goods are enabling countries to collaborate on open and interoperable digital systems that serve people and the planet.

Specifically, I look forward to highlighting how this type of collaboration is the most effective way for countries to protect their agency and autonomy at a time of rapid geopolitical change. I will also touch upon how digital public goods can help ensure that emerging technologies — including generative AI — are developed in ways that align with the public interest.

Thank you very much for the interview – we’re really looking forward to your keynote speech on 5 May 2026 at Bern Town Hall!