A Digital Africa

• Author: Vera Songwe
• Position: Executive secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa
• Pages: 27-29

A

s more nations have made the transition

to technology-enabled platforms for

services, low-income countries have not

been left out of the digital boom. With

the right policies, they sta nd to benet the most.

With digitaliz ation come opportunities to leapfrog

development. Digital technology lowers costs and

enhances eciency wh ile safeguarding inclusion. For

low-income countries, it provides a way to deliver

services when trad itional institutions are weak. Yet

the potential is far from being realized. at will

require additional investment in information and

communication technology (ICT ) infrastructure,

an enabling policy environment, adequate sk ills,

and steps to ensure privacy and security.

Africa in pa rticular faces ma ny challenges. While

growth is recovering a nd expected to reach 3.5

percent in 2019, the continent needs to triple its

growth to achieve the United Nations Susta inable

Development Goals. With about 33 percent of the

continent’s population living in extreme poverty,

0.6 percent GDP growth per capita is too low to be

of much help. Governments, with debt averaging

more than 50 percent of GDP, have little room to

invest in economic and social in frastructure. More

than 60 percent of the population lack s access to

Technology can be a springboard for faster, more inclusive growth

Vera Songwe

A Digital Africa

PHOTO: GE TTY I MAGE S / YANICK FOLLY; AR T: ISTOC K / IVANA STAR

June 2019 | FINANCE & DEVELOPMENT 27

Schoolchildren attend

computer training in Benin,

where the internet penetration

rate is just over 42 percent.