Distance education and blended learning have become increasingly relevant aspects of higher education due to the impact of COVID-19 which has seen universities switch to online teaching at unprecedented pace and scale. Hybrid models of teaching are becoming more prevalent with aspects such as recorded lectures, online fora, chat rooms and flipped classrooms now commonplace. While many of these innovations had started before the pandemic, all can be improved in the light of recent experience. By engaging constructively with the higher education sector, Commonwealth governments have an opportunity to realise a significant digital dividend as a result of these changes. However, distance and blended learning approaches come with a set of challenges, most prominently the need to implement new and innovative pedagogy approaches and the challenges of maintaining the overall quality of teaching in blended mode. Even in those countries which have been at the forefront of digital learning, many still lack the specialist skills and confidence to use technology effectively. A recent JISC survey found that only 13% of respondents teaching in UK universities felt they had the time and support to innovate with digital technologies. Given the pressures on some higher education systems in the Commonwealth -- in Kenya, for example, where student enrolment increased eleven-fold in 12 years -- staff are less likely to have that time and support. Following a consultation of Commonwealth higher education stakeholders, the following recommendations are made to Commonwealth Education Ministers: (1) Support higher education institutions to develop and maintain partnerships, pedagogy, and scale up to transition to blended learning; (2) Commit to expanding opportunities to access international mobility; and (3) Create innovative solutions to widen access to higher education through digital and blended higher education.