Views : 21
A new report from the World Bank highlights that African countries must step up their productive use of digital technologies to foster job creation for the more than 22 million Africans who enter the labor market every year. Entitled “Digital Africa: Technological Transformation for Jobs”, the report released on Monday analyzes how digital technologies can foster economic transformation and boost employment in the region.
It also highlights the role of policy and regulatory reforms in expanding access to digital tools and increasing their use. the greatest gap between the availability of digital infrastructure and people’s actual use of it,” the paper points out. On average, 84% of the population of a given country in the region had access to at least 3G mobile internet and 63% had some level of 4G mobile services at the end of 2021, but only 22% were using them, according to unique subscriber data collected by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA). Usage rates range from 6% in South Sudan to 53% in South Africa, which emphasizes the heterogeneity of average use and the need for differentiated reforms depending on the country.
“The very limited use of mobile internet is a missed opportunity for inclusive growth in Africa,” said Andrew Dabalen, World Bank Chief Economist for Africa. “Closing this gap would boost the continent’s potential to create jobs for its growing population and drive economic recovery in a highly digitalized world,” Dabalen said.
Technology and innovation are drivers of sustainable economic growth and essential modernization of economic activities in agriculture, manufacturing and services, notes the Bretton Woods institution, noting however, the digital divide continues to widen between large formal enterprises and informal micro-enterprises, between those owned by young men and those run by older women, and between wealthier, urban and educated households and families poorer, rural and less educated. Only 2% of micro-enterprises owned by young women and 8% of those owned by young men use a computer. The report highlights that the availability of the internet has a positive impact on job creation and the reduction of poverty in African countries.
“To ensure that internet availability translates into productive use and job growth, the region needs affordable access, digital skills and technologies that meet the needs of Africans,” says Christine Zhenwei Qiang, Global Director for Digital Development at the World Bank. unlocking enormous potential to create more and better jobs for a growing population,” Qiang points out.
“For the 40% of Africans who live below the global extreme poverty line, the cost of basic mobile plans is often out of reach,” the report says, noting that African small and medium-sized businesses are also penalized by more expensive data plans than they are for businesses in other regions. exploitation, according to the document.
In order to stimulate productive use, they should implement policies supporting the development of more attractive digital solutions, adapted to people’s skills and productive needs, while increasing awareness and education, the report recommends.
Follow with We all news of Benign a you Continent
