From hardware access to public health networks and responsible AI principles, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is working to shape effective programming that empowers its partners and breaks down digital divides. With over 25 years of international development experience primarily in sub-Saharan Africa, Chief Digital Development Officer Christopher Burns spearheaded the agency's first-ever digital strategy in 2020. Burns discusses USAID’s two mutually reinforcing objectives that guide digital development, as well as his personal collection of African art and wooden stools.