Digital Divide in Africa

James B. Pick () and Avijit Sarkar ()
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James B. Pick: University of Redlands
Avijit Sarkar: University of Redlands

Chapter Chapter 9 in The Global Digital Divides, 2015, pp 275-310 from Springer

Abstract: Abstract Africa with over a billion population has the lowest overall use of information technologies among inhabited continents. Our exploratory conceptual model includes 18 independent factors that are posited to relate to six ICT use factors. Geographically, several nations in the northern tier of Mediterranean countries and South Africa and two island countries of Seychelles and Mauritius are at a moderate world ICT level, while the other 44 mostly sub-Saharan nations have low to very low levels. For the full sample, ICT laws are the dominant predictor of technology use. When the seven leading nations are excluded, gross national income is the dominant correlate and mobile tariffs is inversely associated with use of ICTs. This points to the more basic influence of affordability in the poorer nations. Two case studies the South African governmental role in ICT diffusion and of challenges of mobile telephony in Nigerian small enterprises are examined, relative to study findings. Suggestions on African policy are to improve openness, ICT laws, and regulations and foster relevant socio-economic development.

Keywords: Human Development Index; Digital Divide; Mobile Telephony; African Nation; International Telecommunication Union (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
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DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-46602-5_9

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