Marvin Meyer via UNSPLASH

Digital divides or dividends?

Including basic services in Africa’s digitalisation agenda

This research programme has been designed to gather important information to support the effective digitalisation of basic services in Africa. It looks at what interventions exist, which of these are inclusive of poor and vulnerable groups, and to what extent governments are facilitating the enabling conditions for digital transformation.

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About the research programme

The main goals of this research programme are:

  1. To take stock of digital government service interventions in different African countries
    (both pre-and post-COVID)
  2. To assess how inclusive these interventions are in terms of reaching and improving the wellbeing of poor and vulnerable citizens
  3. To analyse progress in the enabling environment for inclusive digital transformation
    (incl. physical infrastructure, digital skills, regulation, political economy, and institutional capacity)
  4. To extract lessons and best practices for scaling/replicating digital basic services and making them more inclusive
Statistics
  • 5 country case studies (Benin, Ghana, Mauritius, Rwanda and Uganda)
  • 1 synthesis paper
  • One year (from Oct 2021)
Core Themes
  • Inclusion (access, usage, affordability, safety, participation)
  • Spatial equity (rural-urban divides)
  • Government-to-citizen services