CLOSING THE DIGITAL GAP IN AFRICA WOULD INCREASE THE CONTINENT'S POTENTIALS TO CREATE JOBS FOR IT'S GROWING POPULATION AND BOOST ECONOMIC RECOVERY
With Africa’s huge global workforce, it is critical for African countries to increase the uptake of digital technologies to drive employment growth for the more than 22 million Africans joining the workforce each year. The “Africa Digital Transformation Index” provides a comprehensive analysis of how digital technologies can enable economic transformation and boost jobs in the region. It also sheds light on how policy and regulatory reforms can widen the availability and increase usage of digital technologies.
The minimal usage of mobile internet is a lost opportunity for inclusive growth in Africa. Closing the uptake gap would increase the continent’s potential to create jobs for its growing population and boost economic recovery in a highly digitalized world. To transform internet availability into productive usage and job growth, the region needs affordable access, digital skills and digital technologies that meet the needs of Africans.
Even though technology and innovation are known to drive long-term economic growth and can lead to much-needed modernization in economic activities across agriculture, manufacturing and services, the digital divide continues to grow between large formal and micro-sized informal enterprises, between young men- and older women-owned enterprises, and between richer, urban, and more educated households and poorer, rural, and less educated households. Only 2% of micro-sized firms owned by young women and 8% of micro-firms owned by young men use a computer.
The Accelerating Public Sector and Rural Communities Digital Transformation Workshop is a forum bringing together key stakeholders in the state Digital transformation process to discuss key trends, strategic challenges, major issues and risks impacting on our public sector digital future.
The Workshop aims to promote greater understanding of the public sector digital transformation to create a better, smarter more inclusive and sustainable digital work force for the state. Developing forward future thinking and strategies will help shape the digital transformation process. Because the world will not wait, it is time for Africa to embrace digital future and go big on digital. At the same time, we need to address digital divide and inequalities and promote digital inclusion for all.
