The OPEC Fund for International Development will invest $1.5 billion in digital transformation projects between 2026 and 2030, ramping up support for digital infrastructure, public services and private sector innovation as developing countries seek to narrow the global digital divide.
The financing, outlined in the institution’s Digital Transformation Action Plan, will be deployed across sovereign and private sector operations to help partner countries expand connectivity, modernize public administration and improve access to digital services.
“Digital transformation is no longer a peripheral issue,” OPEC Fund President Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said in the foreword to the strategy. “It is increasingly central to how economies grow, how institutions function and how people access opportunity, services and markets.”
The five-year commitment will support growing demand from developing economies that are placing digitalization at the center of their economic development strategies while grappling with inadequate infrastructure, limited digital skills and weak institutional capacity.
The Vienna-based multilateral development finance institution said the funding will support both the physical foundations of digital economies, including connectivity infrastructure, and digital applications that improve service delivery, strengthen institutions and expand economic participation.
The strategy identifies digital transformation as a cross-cutting priority under the OPEC Fund’s Strategic Framework 2030, reflecting the increasing role of digital technologies, artificial intelligence and data-driven services in economic development.
Many low- and middle-income countries remain at risk of falling further behind as technological change accelerates, with billions of people still lacking reliable internet access, affordable digital services or the skills needed to participate in the digital economy, according to the document.
The Action Plan is intended to help partner countries build digital ecosystems that support economic diversification, improve government efficiency and create employment opportunities, particularly for young populations entering increasingly technology-driven labor markets.
The OPEC Fund said the financing will be delivered through partnerships with governments, development institutions and the private sector, positioning digital transformation as a catalyst for broader economic and social development rather than a standalone sector.
Alkhalifa said the institution’s objective is to ensure that the benefits of digital transformation are “more inclusive, resilient and widely shared” by supporting investments that strengthen institutions, expand opportunity and promote sustainable development across partner countries.
