Digital Connectivity and African Knowledge Economies

Abstract

Connectivity throughout the world is rapidly changing. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Sub-Saharan Africa.The region is quickly moving from a state of digital dis-connectivity, to a state where hundreds of millions of citizens are connected to the digital economy. This rapid change in connectivity has generated a lot of hope and excitement for the potentials of an emergent knowledge economy in the region. Sub- Saharan Africa can, in theory, compete in the production of all manner of digital goods and services with anywhere else in the world. This article surveys the current state of our ongoing multi-year research into the topic, based on empirical research into a range of sectors and domains (including computer code writing, online freelancing, business process outsourcing, and digital entrepreneurship).

Keywords: Sub-Saharan Africa, Knowledge Economy, Connectivity, Economic Geography, Outsourcing, Digital Entrepreneurship