Digital economy in Africa: Condition and problems of development

Abstract

Today, much attention is paid to the development of the digital economy all over the world. African countries are no exception, as they understand the importance of digital technologies for the entire region. The purpose of this study is to identify the level and trends in the development of the digital economy in Africa and to assess the relationship between the process of digitalization and the economic development of the region. The main research methods used were rating and statistical approaches, as well as correlation analysis to identify the relationship between digitalization and economic growth. The hypothesis of the significance of digitalization as a factor in the economic growth of African countries is being tested. The results confirmed the hypothesis only partially. It was found that for most African states, such a relationship exists and varies depending on the country from medium (Senegal, Cameroon, Tunisia) to very strong (Morocco, Rwanda, Kenya). At the same time, there is a group of countries, for which digitalization and economic growth are poorly interconnected. Ranking African countries should be the basis for further research in order to determine the place of digitalization in a number of factors of economic growth and development. The article identifies key problems in the development of the digital economy on the continent, including limited access to electricity, the low level of development of the Internet infrastructure, the gender gap in the use of digital technologies, as well as the insufficient level of funding.