NGO Leapfrogging: bridging the technological divide

Jan 24, 2025 | 3 min read

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“Leapfrogging” is a huge part of NGO (non-governmental organizations) work. The practice refers to the process by which individuals, companies, or even entire societies bypass intermediate stages of development and move directly to more advanced stages. A society can “leapfrog” over older ways of doing things, to build a better future.

Here, we’ll expand on that definition, and look at examples and advantages of this practice.

Technology leapfrogging is when a form of tech or infrastructure is supplied that bypasses, or ‘leapfrogs’ older or more conventional tech. Perhaps the most famous and illustrative example is mobile phones bypassing landlines. So, a community might be waiting on a landline for years (decades, even), and during that time, mobile phone infrastructure has been installed in its surrounds. In this case, residents are given mobile phone handsets, bypassing or leapfrogging the need for landline setup.

Leapfrogging happens because technology often moves faster than the provision of infrastructure. In other words, affordable access to the next technology becomes available before the infrastructure for the older technology gets built or installed. Mobile phone banking is another classic illustration. As CIO reports:  “There are only five bank branches per 100,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, according to World Bank data. By contrast, mobile phone penetration across the continent is at 73 percent." Leapfrogging is also associated with ‘tunneling through’. This refers to bypassing environmental hazards and mistakes that other countries have done in the past on the road to industrialisation.


As you might imagine, with technology moving at its current speed, examples of leapfrogging take place around the world with increasing frequency. Here are some modern examples.
Similar to the ‘mobile phones before landlines’ example, 3G and 4G phones are available in many areas before broadband is installed. Smartphones are often blamed for society’s ills, but they also offer social mobility: Users can start a business, use online banking, apply for jobs, access vital information and access telemedicine using their smart phone

Solar energy has seen incredible innovation in the 21st century. Cells and panels are getting smaller and more affordable, energy storage is improving, and now, power can be supplied without access to the main grid. Again, this is an example of technology overtaking infrastructure.

Here are some reasons why leapfrogging can be so effective.
Probably the greatest advantage is that it’s cheaper and faster than the older way of introducing energy and communications. A cell phone tower is less time-consuming and disruptive than, for instance, installing broadband fibre cables.

One very welcome advantage of leapfrogging is that it frees communities to bypass mistakes made in the past by other, more industrialized communities. So, for instance, they might not have an infrastructure dependent on fossil fuels, or they might not need to dig up or damage landscapes to install cumbersome, old technology.

Telemedicine offers remote clinical services, via real-time communication between the patient and the healthcare provider. Unsurprisingly, this has strong connections with technology leapfrogging. As The World Economic Forum reports: “The World Health Organization's  six building blocks for health systems  offer a lens through which to view the everyday challenges of healthcare delivery... These are: service delivery, health workforce, health information systems, access to essential medicines, financing and leadership/governance.”

Telemedicine offers patients in remote areas the opportunity to consult with health professionals remotely, and it is exploding in regions that are remote and/or limited in their access to healthcare. (It’s a subject we’ve discussed in other blogs, such as How Telehealth can Improve Healthcare for Expats and Telemedicine from Home.) The World Economic Forum report offers numerous examples: “In Africa, startups like Nigeria's   Lifebank  are pioneering technology to speed up blood donations and deliveries, saving lives where every second counts. Meanwhile Kenya's   Flare – an 'Uber for ambulances' – has dramatically reduced emergency response times, becoming a lifeline for countless patients.

“In India, the digital platform  eSanjeevani serves a dual purpose – it bridges the doctor-patient gap with telemedicine consultations and ensures healthcare workforce training, with millions of consultations to its credit.”


In remote locations, technology is helping bridge the inequality in accessing care and education. So, while the digital divide is real, protect your NGO in mission in remote location by providing access to care everywhere.

For additional information, we published a range of NGO-related blogs in recent months, including ‘How do NGOs Hire the right Employees? and Prioritizing the wellbeing and safety of NGO workers abroad. And we also have a range of articles about telehealth, including Virtual Check ins for Mobile Professionals.

Feel free to contact us today for information on NGO Care, our dedicated international health insurance for NGOs.