Document details

Lions Go Digital: The Internet’s Transformative Potential in Africa

Contains illustrations, bibliogr. pp. 111-112

"The Internet will generate economic growth and social transformation in six sectors in particular: financial services, education, health, retail, agriculture, and government. In financial services, for example, M.Pesa's mobile money solutions have brought millions of Kenyans onto the financial grid for the first time. Remote diagnostics are expanding medical services to rural areas that have few healthcare professionals. Students are beginning to learn with new digital education tools, and e-government initiatives are connecting citizens with services. This report examines the progress and potential of the Internet in 14 economies that together make up 90 percent of Africa's GDP. In addition to measuring the size of their current Internet economies, it evaluates the strength of five fundamental pillars of Internet readiness: national ICT strategy, infrastructure, business environment, access to financial capital, and the development of ICTrelated human capital. By combining these factors, it is possible to map each country's progress on its digital journey. Kenya and Senegal, for instance, are not Africa's largest economies, but they have nevertheless emerged as the continent's leaders in terms of the relative economic contribution of the Internet." (Executive summary)
Executive summary, 1
1 Africa's accelerating digital transformation, 17
2 Opportunities for Internet-driven growth and productivity in six sectors, 35
Financial services -- Education -- Health -- Retail -- Agriculture -- Government
3 Assessing each country's path, 53
4 Unlocking the Internet's full potential in Africa, 95