Publication: South Africa Digital Economy Diagnostic
Date
2019-12-01
ISSN
Published
2019-12-01
Author(s)
World Bank Group
Abstract
South Africa is one of the digital
economy leaders on the African continent, but lags developed
countries. In this context, the digital economy for Africa
targets appear within reach for South Africa, although
efforts need to be maintained. Launched in 2018 through a
collaboration between the African Union (AU) and the World
Bank, the digital economy for Africa initiative aims to
ensure that every individual, business, and government in
Africa will be digitally enabled by 2030. South Africa can
also play a leading role for regional digital development,
particularly within the context of the recently signed
continental free trade area (CFTA) agreement, as well closer
to home in the Southern Africa development community (SADC)
and common market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
context, following on the East Africa single digital market
as an example. South Africa can assist by leading the agenda
to harmonize customs, disseminating best practices to other
countries around issues such as data regulation, improvement
in the ecommerce environment, promotion of Africa wide
payment systems, and the provision of an even stronger
regional hub for tech entrepreneurs. In this context, the
South African government is aiming to pass several reforms
across core elements of the digital economy, recognizing the
need for new policy directions and preparing for the fourth
industrial revolution (4iR). While South Africa’s wealthy
households have broad access to quality and relatively
affordable internet, people earning less than South African
rand (ZAR) 7000 a month are largely unconnected. This report
reviews how the digital divide affects the foundations of
the digital economy and provides policy options for bridging
the divide. This report will provide a diagnostic and offer
recommendations on the five foundations of the digital
economy in South Africa. The report will examine challenges
concerning digital infrastructure, public digital government
platforms, digital financial services, digital
entrepreneurship, and digital skills.
Link to Data Set
Citation
“World Bank Group. 2019. South Africa Digital Economy Diagnostic. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/33786 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”