Original scientific paper
https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2020.1745661
Information and communication technology penetration level as an impetus for economic growth and development in Africa
Oladipo Olalekan David
orcid.org/0000-0002-9922-9504
Wynand Grobler
Abstract
Africa is an emerging, frontier economy that is gradually becoming
a gold miner of the fourth industrial revolution (industry 4.0)
to achieve speedy economic growth and development. Through
the transmission channel of technological drive that relies on the
penetration of modern communication means (information and
communication technology [I.C.T.]). It is on this basis that this
study examines the performance of I.C.T., economic growth and
development in Africa. In capturing I.C.T. performance; penetration
of I.C.T. indicators – mobile telephone, fixed-line telephone
and Internet access subscriptions are used as measurements and
reduced to a single index through principal components analysis
(P.C.A.). Economic growth and development is measured with the
real gross domestic product and the human development index
(H.D.I.), respectively. The data for this study were sourced from
the international telecommunication union (I.T.U.) and world
development indicators from the World Bank databases. The
results show that mobile telecommunication is growing faster
than other telecommunication indicators and I.C.T. penetration
has positive impacts on economic growth and development in
Africa. The study, therefore, recommends that simultaneous
investments are required in the fixed-line and Internet access telecommunications
in Africa in order to fully tap into the optimal
impetus of I.C.T. penetration for economic growth and development
in Africa.
Keywords
information and communication technology (I.C.T.) penetration; economic growth-development; Africa
Hrčak ID:
254455
URI
Publication date:
9.2.2021.
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