Beyond Broad Pledges: India's Tech Sovereignty Push in Africa, ASEAN

India has built helpful computer systems for its own people, like digital identity cards and a way to send money using phones.

Now India wants to share these digital tools with other countries, like giving away building blocks that anyone can use.

The Indian government said it has signed agreements with 24 countries to do this.

In Africa, Ethiopia is using India's system to give people digital IDs — more than 33 million so far — which helps them open bank accounts and get healthcare.

In Southeast Asia, India is connecting its payment system with those of other countries so people can pay across borders easily.

Some people worry that keeping so much information in one place can be risky, because governments might be able to watch their citizens.

Other countries, like China, are offering their own digital tools, and big companies there already have many users, so there is competition.

India says its tools are open-source and cheaper for developing countries to use.

But to succeed, India must deal with these privacy worries, missing internet and electricity, and the many different rules in Southeast Asia.