Originally published by Devex on 10 March 2020

In Uganda, a businesswoman is using Pinterest to keep track of trends in the U.S. and Europe for her basket designs. In Comoros, a perfumer promotes her locally sourced and scented beauty products on Facebook, trying to garner buyers. And in the Solomon Islands, one family’s remote beach bungalows can now be reserved online.

Yes, the internet now allows — some of — us to digitally crisscross the globe. But information about the ways we use digital tools, and about who is benefitting from them and who is not, remains elusive for many parts of the world and for many segments of the population, even with all of our innovations.

Take the examples above of women who hail from what the United Nations identifies as least developed countries, or LDCs, because of the structural impediments to development and low incomes. These women’s entrepreneurial efforts are notable, but knowing of one, two, or three standouts isn’t enough.

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