Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: Roles for Policymakers

The document argues that while SADC countries face significant digital divides and infrastructure gaps, adopting 4IR technologies is essential for economic growth. It identifies key constraints as a lack of ICT infrastructure, policy agility, and digital skills, suggesting that spectrum and infrastructure sharing are vital for improving affordability and coverage.

• The digital divide in Africa is significant, with only 24% of the population having internet access in 2018, compared to a global average of 51% and 80% in Europe. Within the SADC region, the penetration rate was slightly higher than the continental average at 26% based on 2017 data.
• Adopting 4IR technologies—including AI, big data, and blockchain—is critical for African countries to avoid falling further behind the technological frontier and to achieve sustained economic growth and productivity.
• The primary barriers to harnessing new technologies in 'follower' countries include supply-side constraints like inadequate ICT infrastructure and a lack of policy agility, as well as demand-side constraints such as a lack of ICT skills and innovation ecosystems.
• To address constraints regarding internet affordability and access in SADC, the document highlights the importance of infrastructure sharing and ICT spectrum sharing among operators to lower costs and expand coverage.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2019). Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: Roles for Policymakers. https://saiia.org.za/research/harnessing-the-4ir-in-sadc-roles-for-policymakers/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: Roles for Policymakers. 2019. https://saiia.org.za/research/harnessing-the-4ir-in-sadc-roles-for-policymakers/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: Roles for Policymakers |date=12 November 2019 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/harnessing-the-4ir-in-sadc-roles-for-policymakers/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2019harnessing, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Harnessing the 4IR in SADC: Roles for Policymakers}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2019}, month = nov, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/harnessing-the-4ir-in-sadc-roles-for-policymakers/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }