What is the 50-in-5 campaign?

Most global campaigns produce a logo, a launch event and not much else. 50-in-5 has been different, and I'll admit a lot of us in the DPG world are happily riding on its coattails.

The short answer: 50-in-5 is a country-led global campaign launched in November 2023 to help 50 countries design, implement and scale at least one digital public infrastructure component, safely and inclusively, by the end of 2028. It's run in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, the Centre for DPI, Co-Develop, the Digital Public Goods Alliance and UNDP. As of 25 September 2026, 40 countries had joined, according to the official campaign site.

Key facts:

• Launched on 8 November 2023 with 11 first-mover countries: Bangladesh, Estonia, Ethiopia, Guatemala, Moldova, Norway, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Sri Lanka and Togo (DPGA)
• Goal: 50 countries with at least one DPI component designed, implemented and scaled by the end of 2028 (DPGA)
• Also supported by GovStack, the Inter-American Development Bank and UNICEF (DPGA)
• Recent members include Benin (May 2026), Bhutan (June 2026) and Italy (September 2026) (ASIN Benin, GovTech Bhutan, AgID)

What does joining 50-in-5 actually involve?

Countries commit to designing, implementing and scaling at least one DPI component, such as digital identity, digital payments or data exchange, in a way that's safe, inclusive and interoperable.

In return, they join a community that shares learnings, practices and open technologies, including digital public goods. The point is to shorten each country's DPI journey by learning from others who've already done it.

It isn't only for developing countries. Norway, Estonia and Singapore were first movers. Italy joined in September 2026 to share its own experience.

Why 50-in-5 has worked

My view: timing and backing.

The campaign landed just as DPI moved from niche concept to mainstream development priority. And it's been lucky enough to have serious donors behind it. That has done two things:

1. Sped up execution. Countries that might have spent years deliberating have moved faster, with peers and partners to lean on.
2. Brought new money into the sector. Funding that simply didn't exist before is now flowing into DPI programmes. See how DPI is funded.

The halo effect for DPGs

Technically, 50-in-5 is about DPI. But DPI and DPGs are so closely linked that the whole ecosystem benefits.

When a country commits to building its identity or data exchange rails, the next question is what runs on them. That's where digital public goods come in. So every country that joins 50-in-5 is, in effect, a country more open to the DPG conversation.

That's the halo effect, and it's real. It's one of the reasons I'm so bullish on the sector right now.

Is 50-in-5 controversial?

Some critics frame campaigns like 50-in-5 as a push towards digital surveillance, and the debate has turned more political in 2026 (HackerNoon).

Those concerns deserve a serious answer, not a dismissal. The answer is safeguards: consent, purpose limits, oversight and recourse, built in from the start. The campaign's own language emphasises "safe, inclusive and interoperable" for that reason. I cover the real risks, and the one I worry about most, in what are the real risks of DPI?

Sources

• 11 first-mover countries launch 50-in-5, Digital Public Goods Alliance
• Italy joins 50-in-5, AgID
• Bhutan joins 50-in-5, GovTech Agency Bhutan
• Benin joins 50-in-5, ASIN Benin
• Gates 50-in-5 initiative is turning the DPI debate political, HackerNoon

Is your country joining 50-in-5 and planning its first DPI component? Let's talk.