Africa is a place which combines progress with backwardness. While it housed many of our earliest civilisations, the continent remains inconsistent in its growth.
It is one of the cradles of humanity, but still does not come at par with the development in some of the other continents. It has shown tremendous progress in some areas but lagged behind in other.
Different economies within Africa is seeing significant growth lately. There is Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa who have all blossoming economies and are seeing major investments in infrastructure and construction. These two are parameters that judge how well an economy could do in the future.
And with all of it, the nations are also investing in digital tech, which can help them power ahead of other developed countries. Digital tech can help improve productivity significantly ensuring better production and more GDP. Plus, it ensures there are more jobs for the countrys citizens too. We will be taking a look at the digital revolution taking place there below.
The beginning:
Recently it has been found that most of the continent cannot access a smooth Internet connection., In fact, only South Africa, Nigeria and Morocco have more than half their populations online. The sub-Saharan countries record an even lower number of Internet users.
However, the continent has had immense mobile phone penetration in the last few years. Almost 73% of the population in sub-Saharan Africa possessed mobile phones in 2014.
Every year, the number of mobile phones users is increasing in Africa. This boost can be attributed to the absence of internet connectivity through landline connections. More and more Africans are realising that their phones can give them access to online joys like social media, e-commerce and gaming.
A digital revolution has always had a significant impact on human society, so it will be interesting to see how Africa’s paradoxical nature adapts to the oncoming technological improvement.
The effect:
In most developed countries, the innovations of digital technology have led to the disruption of existing systems. To make a mark in the virtual market, they are trying to do away with the traditional way of doing things.
What is interesting about Africa is that it does not have most of the industries and services which are proving to be a barrier for digital innovations in other countries.
Africans can now avail better healthcare and education and also engaged in good retail and entrepreneurial services. The digital network has proved to be a boon for most people because of the possibilities it has opened up.
African entrepreneurs have begun to feel much more confident about their chances of making it big in the world. In fact, the development in African has proved to be a blessing for all the industries which now have greater digital connectivity.
Not only can Africans be a part of the global market now, but they are also a part of the world community when it comes to making important contributions. The digital revolution can spark off major economic growth and even social development.
Africa is all ready to be transformed.