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    • Focus on: DevPros 2030

    The growing demand for digital skills in global development

    Coders and mobile app developers aren’t the only ones who can help integrate digital technology into development work, explains Anand Varghese, digital advisory manager at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration.

    By Emma Smith // 11 July 2019
    Anand Varghese talks to Devex about the demand and opportunities for professionals with digital expertise.

    New technologies have had a significant impact on the global development sector. They are changing the way information is collected and how aid is delivered on the ground, improving how programs are monitored, and fostering cross-sectoral collaborations in areas such as public health, governance, and disaster response. As a result, there is an increasing demand across the sector for different skill sets.

    More on tech in development:

    ► 4 emerging tech careers in development

    ► What it will take to be a next generation development professional

    ► What top technologies should the next generation know how to use?

    In the next 10 years, the demand for professionals with digital technology expertise will continue to increase, explained Anand Varghese, digital advisory manager at DAI’s Center for Digital Acceleration. While there will still be a need for social science professionals and more traditional development profiles who have a solid understanding of technology in the sector, the number of professionals with information technology, computer science, or data science backgrounds will grow, he continued.

    There is a growing demand for expertise in data analysis, data visualization, and similar platforms, he said. Bespoke apps, software, and web platforms are being developed that focus on the challenges of development, so there is a need here for regular coding skills, he added.

    Coders and mobile app developers aren’t the only ones who can help integrate digital technology into development work — there is a growing need for integrators who can translate development challenges in ways that technology experts can grasp, Varghese explained. The sector needs to find ways to integrate the skills, insights, and tools that technologists bring to development, he concluded.

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    About the author

    • Emma Smith

      Emma Smith@emmasmith_bcn

      For four years, Emma Smith covered careers and recruitment, among other topics, for Devex. She now freelances for Devex and has a special interest in mental health, immigration, and sexual and reproductive health. She holds a degree in journalism from Glasgow Caledonian University and a master’s in media and international conflict.

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