Publication: Overview of Digital Development in the Horn of Africa
Date
2021-06-21
ISSN
Published
2021-06-21
Author(s)
Kelly, Timothy
Dunand, Eric
Abstract
This paper follows the World Bank Group’s
approach to Jobs and Economic Transformation
(JET) which identifies economic transformation
as key to creating more and better jobs. It builds
on the Digital Economy for Africa (DE4A) approach
to developing a digital economy to create the
jobs of the future, which is aligned with the
African Union’s Digital Transformation Strategy,
2020-2030. Helping countries build new digital
This section is prepared in the context of
Covid-19 pandemic that threatens decades of
hard-won development gains and is likely to have
triggered the deepest global recession since the
World War II. The economic crisis is generating
massive unemployment, particularly affecting
the poor and vulnerable, and highlights the
importance of jobs and economic transformation.
The HoA countries already faced the challenge
of a population growth at a rate around 3% preinfrastructure,
and to develop regulations, skills and
platforms that are compatible with neighboring
countries should enable them to develop a larger
and more efficient digital market that can facilitate
economic transformation by enabling technological
leapfrogging, and the creation of new jobs in old and
new sectors. New forms of market connectivity can
bring opportunities for new services and regional
economic development in the Horn of Africa.
Citation
“Kelly, Timothy; Dunand, Eric. 2021. Overview of Digital Development in the Horn of Africa. Horn of Africa Regional Economic Memorandum Background Paper;No. 6. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/36458 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”