Development Gateway

DEVELOPMENT GATEWAY IS a nonprofit organization started in 2001 by the World Bank. Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn promoted its formation. A board of directors governs Development Gateway. The board's members come from 12 countries (Australia, China, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Mali, Mozambique, Pakistan, and Rwanda). In addition, other members are from a private company (MphasiS) and from the United Nations and the World Bank.

The Development Gateway Foundation is a promoter of development. Its primary goal is empowering people in developing countries so that they can live more wholesome lives. The method of development used by the foundation is to build partnerships, especially through internet information systems. These networks provide access to the knowledge and information necessary for sound and permanent development. The foundation seeks to serve the needs of development practitioners, civil society, private sectors, the official donor community, and many others.

The spread of the internet has allowed Development Gateway to utilize the new cheaper information and communication technologies that are currently available. These allow people to increase their knowledge by sharing information to enhance development effectiveness, to improve public-sector transparency, and to empower communities so that they can build a new, more prosperous life. Development Gateway uses internet portals to assemble people, information, and resources interactively so that a community of those dealing with poverty is created. Internet portals allow for greater communications not only between individuals but also between organizations and communities.

The end result is that communities can share information much more effectively than ever before.

The sharing of information not only pools development understanding and information, it also creates new communities as people share experiences. Development Gateway is using epurchasing for public agencies to serve the poor (dgMarket). The dg Market is an online service that provides access to government contracting for purchases of supplies around the world. The goals are to foster government transparency and efficiency. The dg Market seeks to promote business opportunities for suppliers so that the market is more efficient and cost benefits go to the poor.

The information gathered is available as major development topics (called Topic Pages) and as local information service providers (Country Gateways). The Topic Pages are e-communities led by experts in the development field. The Topic Pages allow people to connect with partners, members, organizations, and other stakeholders. The connections create opportunities for exchanging knowledge, know-how, and opinions. The Topic Pages allow people who are development specialists to “virtually” meet and to exchange information on development. There are 26 critical areas in which experts are used as guides and global topic advisers to arrange information into forms that can be used to promote development.

Another feature of Development Gateway is AiDA (Accessible Information on Development Activities). AiDA is an online directory of the development activities of organizations around the globe and is the largest online source of information on development projects in the world. It allows access to records on planned, current, and completed activities and programs from international organizations by country, region, sector, or thematic area.

Gateway has a monthly newsletter, Development Gateway Newsletter, that seeks to promote development. The newsletter provides news about conferences, development projects, and development resource links.

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