Driving Digital Inclusion Within the AfCFTA Framework

The paper examines the 'digital Grand Canyon' in Africa, identifying infrastructural, financial, and regulatory barriers to internet connectivity. It highlights the disproportionate impact of the digital divide on women and youth and proposes a combination of top-down government strategies and bottom-up market initiatives to foster inclusion. The authors argue that the AfCFTA framework should be used to harmonise digital trade rules, encourage diverse infrastructure financing, and implement comprehensive digital upskilling to ensure the continent's participation in the 4th Industrial Revolution.

• Africa faces a significant connectivity gap, with GSMA estimating that in 2020, 46% of the population owned a mobile phone, but only 28% had access to the internet.
• Closing Africa's digital divide by 2030 is estimated to cost $100 billion, with approximately $86 billion specifically required for infrastructure investment.
• Increased mobile internet penetration has a high economic impact in Africa; a 10% increase in penetration is linked to a 2.5% increase in GDP per capita, which is higher than the 2% global average.
• Data costs are a major barrier to inclusion, with the average price of data in Africa being 5.7% of gross monthly income, compared to 2.7% in South America and 1.6% in the Asia-Pacific region.
• There is a pronounced gender digital divide; globally, women are 26% less likely than men to have a smartphone, and in Africa, this gap is 34%.
• South Africa's 'SA Connect' strategy aims to bridge the digital divide by connecting 44,800 government sites, including 18,036 schools and 3,873 health facilities, over three years.
• The paper identifies critical infrastructural deficits, noting that Africa accounts for less than 1% of the world's co-location data centres.
• Digital taxes and levies can reverse financial inclusion gains, as seen in Tanzania where a mobile money levy led to an estimated 12% contraction in mobile money use compared to 2020 levels.
• The AfCFTA can drive digital inclusion by digitising trade documentation, harmonising rules on data sharing and privacy, and implementing a Digital Trade Protocol with Special and Differential Treatment for least-developed countries.

APA

Chivunga, M., & Tempest, A. (2022). Driving Digital Inclusion Within the AfCFTA Framework. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_OP_338_DrivingDigitalInclusion.pdf

Chicago

Chivunga, Michelle, and Alastair Tempest. Driving Digital Inclusion Within the AfCFTA Framework. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2022. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_OP_338_DrivingDigitalInclusion.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Chivunga |first1=Michelle |last2=Tempest |first2=Alastair |title=Driving Digital Inclusion Within the AfCFTA Framework |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=October 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_OP_338_DrivingDigitalInclusion.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{chivunga2022driving, author = {Chivunga, Michelle and Tempest, Alastair}, title = {{Driving Digital Inclusion Within the AfCFTA Framework}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/SAIIA_OP_338_DrivingDigitalInclusion.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }