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This paper investigates digital inequalities in usage within African informal sectors. In particular, we examine whether the uneven digital diffusion is embedded in pre‐existing socio‐economic inequalities. After identifying three segments of informal firms, we rely on multivariate and decomposition analyses to identify predictors of usage of digital technologies for business purposes and explain usage gaps between segments. Our findings suggest that digital inequalities are rooted in the vertical heterogeneity of informal sectors, with some firm characteristics significantly predicting professional use of digital technologies. In addition, we find that there are both common and segment‐specific levers for addressing digital inequalities between informal firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainable agricultural progress is one of the world's greatest challenges in the twenty-first century as the global population is estimated to rise to over nine billion by 2050. Over the years, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the African Union (AU) have sought prosperous African Policies based on sustainable agriculture and inclusive growth. Additionally, the AU has adopted the Comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme (CAADP) policy framework. Given the growing need for innovative policies and studies to reduce the negative environmental effects of agricultural development in Africa, this paper investigates the significance of green finance and digital technologies on green agricultural growth in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 2003 to 2018. Analysis of panel co-integration estimates indicates all variables are integrated. Using the panel-corrected standard errors estimator for long-run equilibrium co-integration assessment, the outcomes indicate mitigated green finance (MGF), internet and mobile phone use (IMU), as well as sustainable energy utilization (RE), individually and collectively exert a positive effect on agriculture, forestry and fishing value added (AVA). Additionally, panel causality estimates indicate (i) a bi-directional causality between MGF and AVA. (ii) A uni-directional causality running from IMU towards AVA without any rebound effect. For policy insights, the AU could urge member states to implement macro-policies to increase agricultural green credit to sustain food production and employment generation. Similarly, the FAO and AU could provide technical support in digital agricultural research and value chains towards ensuring sustainable agriculture development in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This article attempts to formulate a school-based model to capitalise on the opportunities and strengths within schools in the Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) regions to ideate global school-driven digital innovation(s). Consequently, this article explores various digital innovation challenges, opportunities, and elements for schools, as well as proposed school-driven interventions. The paper seeks to open conversations among various international bodies and educational stakeholders, leading to school actors taking ownership of educational projects and school innovation. Methods: A traditional literature review was adopted to analyse the subject of Digital Transformation in Education (DTE). The traditional literature review is a comprehensive and critical overview based on the past and current literature on a subject matter without stringent methodology. Through the literature review methodology, existing materials on the subject matter are subsequently used. Terms and concepts about school innovation and management/leadership were extracted for consideration. These served as a basis for formulating a reference DTE model for interventions. This paper is underpinned by two main conceptual and theoretical bases: (i) The theory of school-based management and its related indicators, and (ii) Michael Fullan's concept of school innovation, which is based on the three key factors of Technology, Pedagogy, and Change knowledge. Fullan's concept is extended to showcase how Active Learning (AL) can inform pedagogical innovation. Results: This paper presents a school-based digital transformation in the education reference model as the outcome. The model uses concept maps to showcase the interrelations between DTE indicators and concepts, and the linkages around which Digital Transformation in Education could be developed as a School-Based Managed (SBM) agenda. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The use of unique national personal identification numbers (PIN) for linkage of medical records across health facilities and population-based studies is limited in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries. The disintegration of healthcare research with different participant identifiers creates methodological challenges in linking data from multiple sources to answer a diverse range of policy-relevant, clinical, administrative, and research questions. This commentary aims to provide recommendations for improved linkage of health services data in SSA for healthcare research. Main text: Linkage of health services data is a complex process that requires health system thinking, multisectoral collaboration between the public and private sectors, and long-term investments. We recommend transitioning from paper-based healthcare data collection and storage systems, at health facility and population levels, to the use of electronic computer-assisted systems and a focus on improved data quality. SSA countries implementing this transition will benefit from additional technical and financial support. At the health-facility level, change from collecting aggregated to individual-level data. The use of PIN across multiple data sources is paramount, in addition to clear and transparent legal and ethical data protection and sharing guidelines, centralized data linkage by the governments, and partnerships with the private sector. Conclusion: High-quality linked data in SSA are scarce. SSA countries should prioritize establishing a robust foundation for high-quality data collection and future linkage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Drawing on a representative survey of firms in 38 countries, eight of which are in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), this paper documents the impact of COVID-19 and firms' coping strategies in SSA, benchmarking with other regions. The paper shows that the impact of the pandemic is more pronounced in Sub-Saharan Africa compared with other regions. This disproportionate impact is not explained by differences in sectoral composition and other firm characteristics, but likely by the level of development. This underscores the important economic and structural contexts that predate the pandemic in understanding the differential impact. Contrary to expectations, the findings show that businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa are more likely to adjust their operations or products and services to adapt to the shock than those in other regions. However, firms in the region lag in leveraging digital technologies, remote working, and e-commerce, compared with those in other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proliferation of digital platforms in sub‐Saharan Africa (SSA) has increased job opportunities for informal businesses. However, the technological affordance of digital platforms in SSA has received very little attention in literature review. This paper presents an analytical review of the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA. We adopted a systematic literature review methodology that entailed gathering evidence from relevant literature and digital platforms in three countries in SSA (South Africa, Nigeria, and Kenya). Three research questions focusing on (i) critical issues of discussion on digital platforms in SSA and their distribution; (ii) understanding the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA; and (iii) assessing the extent to which the technological affordances digital platforms can address the challenges of the informal sector in SSA drove the investigation. The study developed an affordances criteria framework, the first of its kind, to evaluate digital platforms affordances in SSA. Our findings revealed the key topics that have gained researchers' attention so far and digital platforms distribution in SSA. We also found that most digital platforms in SSA currently lack affordances that support multimodal interface and native language contents, limiting their accessibility to persons with minimal digital literacy. Most platforms also lack support for public/private partnerships. The lack of critical affordances that match the profile of the informal sector in SSA makes existing digital platforms incapable of addressing many critical challenges of the informal sector. These challenges include low literacy levels, minimal/lack of government support, lack of electricity or expensive power supply, expensive internet connectivity, and health and safety issues. However, existing digital platforms can reasonably address the absence of social protection, lack of formalization, and poor operational infrastructure. As a contribution, this paper offers a new perspective on the technological affordances of digital platforms in SSA. It also provides insight into the imperatives for designing inclusive and accessible digital platforms for the informal sector in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early days of the internet, it was hoped that digital technology would bring about democracy and positive outcomes for society. Recently, the debate has shifted towards tech lash with many critics pointing towards technology companies undermining democracy, stability, and sustainability. As a result, a new consensus seems to be emerging among policymakers, companies, and civil societal actors that self-regulation has to move towards co-regulation. This Special Issue of Information, Communication and Society draws together cutting-edge contributions on three core themes in scholarly and policy discourse on platform regulation: First, the papers in this special issue enhance empirical understandings of the role of the state in governing social media platforms developing in the United States, Europe, and Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, they provide a holistic framework to understand policy problems that need to be addressed, which helps to develop and evaluate new policy initiatives. Finally, papers point towards three approaches in governing social media platforms and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of content moderation, process-based co-regulation, as well as competition regulation and alternative business models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Covid-19 pandemic, global trends, and technological advancements lead to the perception that digitalization is about the most sustainable means of growing Africa's agribusiness and food supply chains. Many global agribusinesses have successfully integrated digital technologies to enhance operational efficiencies and business relations with their upstream and downstream actors. However, evidence is scant on the uptake of digital technologies among small and medium agribusiness firms in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Against this backdrop, this review paper identifies research gaps regarding the adoption and implication of digitalization in building sustainable food systems for African economies. Our preliminary finds show some sustainable practices in the SSA food supply chains by adopting specific technologies related to production, grain storage, food waste management, and warehouse management but very low adoption of food processing technologies and digital marketing platforms. Most importantly, the application of the Internet of Things, Big data, Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain and/or Business Analytics is very rare. Most of the digitalization process tends to be mobile-based. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the direct and combined impacts of trade facilitation and information and communication technology (ICT) on bilateral flows of 25 sub‐Saharan countries. For that purpose, we select time to export and import as specific trade facilitation indicators and broadband use to study ICT impacts. Our sample covers a total of 93 countries over the period 2004–2018. By preprocessing data analysis, we impute time costs missing values, an essential shortcoming of the available databases, to study trade facilitation over time. Lastly, we employ a gravity model and implement a Bonus Vetus Estimation. Our results show that broadband use exerts a positive and significant effect on trade, especially relevant for intra‐African trade flows. Furthermore, the combined effects indicate that broadband also modulates the negative impacts of time to export and time to import in the case of intra‐SSA countries' trade. The more significant result is found for time to export. Our results also confirm that time costs are not only particularly harmful to intra‐African trade but also negatively impact trade flows from SSA countries to the rest of the world. These outcomes show the importance of coordinating trade facilitation and digital transformation policies, particularly those devoted to digitally transforming African customs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary objective of this research is to explore the elements that shape the progression of digital technology in Sub-Saharan African nations. The study employs data obtained from 16 countries, covering the period between 2000 and 2020. Employing fixed effect panel regression analysis, our research indicates that various non-technological factors significantly impact digital technology development in the region. The results highlight that variables including general government final consumption expenditure, inflation rate, employment growth rate, financial development, ease of doing business index, logistics performance index, international migration, access to electricity, and access to safe drinking water have a positive impact on the development of digital technology. Conversely, international trade is identified as a negative influence, primarily due to insufficient infrastructural development. These findings underscore the significance of non-technological elements, encompassing aspects like globalization, economic conditions, favorable digital ecosystems, and the fulfillment of basic human needs, in shaping the landscape of digital technology in the region. The study, while acknowledging limitations in terms of selected indicators, years, and countries, emphasizes the need for broader investigations in future research. Practically, the study suggests that governments in the region should prioritize addressing these non-technological factors to fully leverage the potential of digital technology development. The originality and value of this research lies in its exploration of non-technological determinants, shedding light on their pivotal role in shaping the digital technology landscape in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Across sub-Saharan Africa where access to adequate maternal healthcare is fraught with myriad challenges, especially for hard-to-reach populations, digital health technologies offer opportunities to improve maternal health outcomes. Digital health can circumvent inefficiencies in the traditional healthcare system and address challenges such as limited access to in-person medical consultations, and poor access to skilled birth attendants and health promotion activities. These benefits notwithstanding, digital health can be exclusionary. Too often, digital maternal health programs are not designed with a focus on equity in distribution nor are they designed from a gender equity standpoint. In this paper, we illustrate exclusionary practices of digital health programs through an extensive literature review of digital maternal health programs across sub-Saharan Africa. Taking an intersectional approach, we discuss how women are most vulnerable and excluded at the intersection of gender, literacy, and disability. Tackling exclusionary practices in digital health is crucial to ensure that no woman or girl is left behind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has the highest maternal and under-five mortality rates in the world. The advent of the coronavirus disease 2019 exacerbated the region's problems by overwhelming the health systems and affecting access to healthcare through travel restrictions and rechanelling of resources towards the containment of the pandemic. The region failed to achieve the Millenium Development Goals on maternal and child mortalities, and is poised to fail to achieve the same goals in the Sustainable Development Goals. To improve on the maternal and child health outcomes, many SSA countries introduced digital technologies for educating pregnant and nursing women, making doctors' appointments and sending reminders to mothers and expectant mothers, as well as capturing information about patients and their illnesses. However, the collected epidemiological data are not being utilised to inform patient care and improve on the quality, efficiency and access to maternal, neonatal and child health (MNCH) care. To the researchers' best knowledge, no review paper has been published that focuses on digital health for MNCH care in SSA and proposes data-driven approaches to the same. Therefore, this study sought to: (1) identify digital systems for MNCH in SSA; (2) identify the applicability and weaknesses of the digital MNCH systems in SSA; and (3) propose a data-driven model for diverging emerging technologies into MNCH services in SSA to make better use of data to improve MNCH care coverage, efficiency and quality. The PRISMA methodology was used in this study. The study revealed that there are no data-driven models for monitoring pregnant women and under-five children in Sub-Saharan Africa, with the available digital health technologies mainly based on SMS and websites. Thus, the current digital health systems in SSA do not support real-time, ubiquitous, pervasive and data-driven healthcare. Their main applicability is in non-real-time pregnancy monitoring, education and information dissemination. Unless new and more effective approaches are implemented, SSA might remain with the highest and unacceptable maternal and under-five mortality rates globally. The study proposes feasible emerging technologies that can be used to provide data-driven healthcare for MNCH in SSA, and the recommendations on how to make the transition successful as well as the lessons learn from other regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal of Disciplines Economics & Administrative Scienves Studies is the property of International Journal of Disciplines in Economics & Administrative Sciences Studies and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Supply chain finance continues to play an important role in servicing businesses that have limited access to finance. With the disruptions associated with the fourth industrial revolution, opportunities exist in Africa to increase participation by small businesses. While the effect of digitalization on supply chain finance has been explored, evidence from Africa is still limited. This study sought to determine the effect of digitalization on supply chain financing of small businesses in Africa. The study utilized a dataset that consists of observations from 4409 small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa, including agricultural businesses. Four indicators of digitalization (use of company websites, social media, online advertisements, and mobile phone ownership) were used to compute and index digitalization. A logit regression model was fitted on the dataset to determine the effect of digitalization on supply chain finance. The results showed that digitalization significantly affects adoption of supply chain finance by small businesses. The results were robust and did not change significantly due to the inclusion of confounding factors. The results additionally indicated that supply chain financing is also affected by education level, company age and government training programmes in supply chain financing (p < 0.05), although there was a significant difference in the adoption of supply chain finance across countries and between small agricultural businesses and businesses from other sectors of the economy. Thus, any efforts to improve financing activities of small businesses should consider their digitalization development. Investments in digitalization infrastructure by Africa governments should be scaled up. The regulatory environment should be kept favourable to facilitate development of inclusive digital markets. Future research should explore available digital solutions, adoption costs and factors that affect demand by small businesses in sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Globally the health space is being revolutionised by rapid digital transformation to support care activities, promote healthier lifestyles and ensure informed decision making to improve service delivery. However, many health systems in sub-Saharan Africa are yet to realise the full potential of health information systems (HIS) as a digital transformation initiative. The objective of this article is to establish how the sociotechnical challenges in Africa's health systems can be addressed by recommending a fitting approach to implement HIS relevant to the context of the continent. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta- Analyses (PRISMA) technique was applied to search, identify and filter articles over a 10-year period by applying inclusion and exclusion criteria accordingly. Only 42 articles satisfied the objective of this article. The emergent themes include contextual factors, coordination and collaboration, data complexity, organisation structure, accountability and stakeholders' perspectives. The results indicated that less attention has been given to how the implementation approach could impact the output of health systems. In conclusion, the authors argue that a decentralised approach to the implementation of HIS is more appropriate for Africa's health systems. The premise of the authors' argument is informed by the tiered structure of health systems, varying levels of infrastructural development and use of large volumes of healthrelated data for resources allocation at the national level. Future studies should investigate the processes for formulation and evaluation of health policies to actively redress the administrative issues associated with the current functional HIS in each African country. Transdisciplinarity Contribution: The paper contributes to the practical implications of implementing HIS in sub-Saharan African health systems by highlighting the contextual realities and data governance complexities that support a decentralised approach towards ensuring resilience and health security. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Canadian Journal of Learning & Technology is the property of Canadian Network for Innovation in Education and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Engagement of adolescents and young adults (AYA) in HIV research is increasing in many settings. We organized a crowdsourcing open call to solicit examples of how AYA have been engaged in HIV research in Africa and to develop an engagement typology. We formed a steering committee, promoted the open call, organized judging and recognized finalists. We used a multi-methods approach to identify emerging themes and measure engagement. We received 95 entries from individuals in 15 countries; 74 met the eligibility criteria. More than three-quarters of entries were from AYA (55/74, 74%). Four themes characterized AYA engagement: (1) AYA were co-creators in the HIV research process. (2) AYA were involved in community-level capacity building. (3) AYA were co-leaders in minor risk research. (4) AYA used digital methods to enhance engagement. Our open call identified diverse methods of AYA engagement, which can enhance strategies used to reach AYA in African HIV studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigated perceived impacts of COVID-19 on the delivery of adolescent HIV treatment and prevention services in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by administering a survey to members of the Adolescent HIV Prevention and Treatment Implementation Science Alliance (AHISA) from February to April 2021. We organized COVID-19 impacts, as perceived by AHISA teams, under three themes: service interruptions, service adjustments, and perceived individual-level health impacts. AHISA teams commonly reported interruptions to prevention programs, diagnostic testing, and access to antiretroviral therapy (ART). Common service adjustments included decentralization of ART refills, expanded multi-month ART distribution, and digital technology use. Perceived individual-level impacts included social isolation, loss to follow-up, food insecurity, poverty, and increases in adolescent pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. The need for collaboration among stakeholders were commonly cited as lessons learned by AHISA teams. Survey findings highlight the need for implementation science research to evaluate the effects of pandemic-related HIV service adaptations in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While information and communication technologies (ICT) have proven to be useful in boosting agricultural production and productivity, regardless of the geographical location, much of the discussion on ICT and their impact focus on the global north, with deficient literature on the global south. The limited account of the global south shows mixed conclusions on the impact of information and communication technologies on agricultural production, with most studies focusing on crop production, as a proxy for agricultural production, leaving out livestock production. Animated by this concern, this article explores the impact of ICTs on agricultural production (crop and livestock) in Africa using panel data from 32 African countries and the panel autoregressive distributed lag model as the estimation technique. We find that individuals using internet significantly increased crop production in the long run. Specifically, a percentage increase in internet patronage increases crop production by 0.071% but significantly decreases the livestock production index, both in the short and long run. Mobile phone subscriptions had a significant negative impact on crop production in the long run but had a significant positive impact on livestock production in the long run. Fixed phone subscriptions significantly increased crop production in the long run but significantly decreased livestock production index in the long run. The findings show bidirectional causality between crop production and internet patronage, livestock production and individuals using internet, crop production and mobile cellular subscription, crop production and net national income, and rural population and both crop and livestock production. We recommend that governments in Africa increase funding investment in digital technologies to foster increased agricultural production while addressing structural challenges that constrain increased access to digital agricultural technologies. It might be useful if governments in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) incentivize the telecommunication companies to extend digital coverage to rural areas through tax rebates and holidays to encourage rural inclusion in the digital space to bridge the digital divide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the indisputable roles of remittance and financial development in countries' economic performance, enhancing the nexus between the two variables has become pertinent. The remittance–financial development literature has surged, with a growing argument that making the relationship work is conditioned on mediating roles of certain economic indicators. Despite the overwhelming evidence of the transformative roles of digital technology, the assessment of its possible mediating role in the remittance–financial development nexus is lacking in the literature. Hence, using pooled data of 35 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries sourced from the World Bank's Development Indicators, this study examined the mediating effect of digital technology in the relationship between remittance inflows and financial development. Using two indicators of ICT—fixed broadband and mobile cellular subscription—the results of the generalized method of moment analysis suggest that digital technology spurs remittance inflows to promote financial development in SSA. The results are consistent for both measures. These findings imply that remittance and digital technology are complementary in promoting financial development in the sub-region. Based on these outcomes, the study therefore advances the enactment of policies aimed at fostering diffusion of digital technology and achieving the sustainable development goal's recommendation of lower transaction cost of remittances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article highlights the effects of Digital Transformation as a General Purpose Technology and bank stability on banking inclusion and thus on financial inclusion in Sub‐Saharan African countries. We use simultaneous panel model estimates covering 36 Sub‐Saharan African countries from 2004 to 2017. The results show positive and significant effects of digital transformation as general purpose technology and bank stability on financial inclusion. The results show also that the effect of digital transformation on financial inclusion is more substantial when the banking sector is stable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to analyse the determinants for digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) by considering inequalities in internet use and broadband subscriptions. The study considers 41 countries in the region which are geographically linked, and it allows for spatial interdependence. It also accounts for differences in demographic characteristics as well as social, political and economic infrastructure which affect ICT access and use. Globally, about half of the world's population is connected to the internet whereas the remaining half, i.e. about 3.8 billion people, are not (yet) connected. The problem is more severe in developing countries compared to developed countries; it is said to be unsatisfactory in SSA compared to other countries. We apply a spatial panel analysis using the spatial Durbin model (SDM) specifications for 451 observations from 2006 to 2016. Our estimation results show that there is a strong spatial interdependence among SSA, implying that internet access and broadband subscriptions in one country are affected by internet access and broadband subscriptions in another country, most likely due to spillover effects. Our results reveal that GDP per capita, gross capital formation, political stability, regulatory efficacy and electricity infrastructure directly affect the digital divide. Moreover, GDP per capita, population growth, government consumption, trade openness, and electricity infrastructure also indirectly affect the digital divide through spillover effects. Regarding policy implications we suggest that SSA governments should work closer together in ensuring internet openness and to increase the level of coordination between their countries in order to ensure digital inclusion in their countries. • Analyses digitalization and digital divide determinants in 41 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies. • Employs spatial Durbin model for 41 geographically connected SSA countries. • Finds strong interdependence of internet usage and access across SSA countries. • GDP per capita, gross capital formation, political stability, regulatory efficacy and electricity infrastructure are important for digitalization. • SSA governments should work closer in ensuring internet openness and increase the level of coordination between countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Digital technologies have unique characteristics for achieving radically disruptive transitions within the energy sector. They provide opportunities for new production and consumption models between micro-producers and consumers of electricity within communities in a way that transforms the traditional energy generation and consumption model. The study critically assessed the digitalisation of energy systems in Africa within the context of existing policy frameworks in the quest to achieve sustainable energy transitions in Africa. It investigated how digital technologies such as blockchain, digital platforms and smart grids were adopted and implemented within the energy sector to achieve new energy production and consumption models that are both environmentally sustainable and socially inclusive. This assessment was done within the context of existing policy and regulatory frameworks of the society where the use cases were domiciled. Methods: The aim of the research was to investigate how sustainable energy transitions are being achieved in Nigeria and South Africa through the digitalisation of energy systems. A qualitative methodological approach was done in three stages—a document analysis that reviewed relevant literature on the energy sector policies in Nigeria and South Africa; the next step involved a comparative case study conducted to assess the characteristics of digital technology deployment in each country's energy transition. Finally, outcomes of the comparative case studies were then situated within the context of existing policies within the countries covered by the study. Results: Results from the research indicate that Africa is still in the early stages of adoption and application of digital technologies such as blockchain and smart grids within the energy sector. The results also showed a disconnect between the policy environment and industry efforts at achieving this. The current applications as exemplified in the use cases by the three companies covered in this study indicates that Africa's sustainable energy transition is in a rudimentary or early adoption stage, and they are not currently aided by the policy environments in which such projects are domiciled. Conclusions: The research provides deep insights into the current state and developments within the energy sector especially in relation to how digital technologies are being adopted and implemented in solving the energy poverty prevalent across sub-Saharan Africa. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Telemedicine is the use of technology to achieve remote care. This review looks at the utility of telemedicine during the pandemic, period March 2020 to February 2021. Eleven articles met inclusion criteria. There was moderate use of telemedicine in sub‐Sahara Africa during the pandemic, however, there were also some limitations. Benefits of telemedicine include continuing medical service provision, connecting relatives with loved ones in quarantine, education, and awareness of mental health issues, and toxicovigilance and infection control. Challenges to the implementation of telemedicine on the continent were lack of supporting telemedicine framework and policies, digital barriers, and patient and healthcare personnel biases. To address these challenges, this article proposes the development of policy frameworks that fosters telemedicine use by all stakeholders, including medical insurance organizations, the introduction of telemedicine training of medical workers, educational awareness programs for the public, and improvement of digital platforms access and affordability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent boom of the services sector, especially in developing countries, coincides with the rise of digital technologies. While the former might be attributed to the latter, empirical analysis of this relationship is still limited. This paper fills this gap by examining the effect of digital infrastructure on services sector employment. Employing a panel data comprising 45 Sub-Saharan Africa countries over the period 1996–2017, we find that digital infrastructure contributes positively to services sector employment. However, further analyses reveal that the positive effect of digital infrastructure on services sector employment depends on education, institutional quality, and macroeconomic conditions as captured by the inflation rate. In particular, we find that the positive effect of digital infrastructure on services sector employment increases as institutional quality becomes better, while poor macroeconomic conditions decrease the effect of digital infrastructure on employment in services. We also find evidence suggesting that the effect of digital infrastructure on employment in the services sector tends to benefit countries at low levels of education. • Examines the effect of digital infrastructure on the services sector employment in Sub-Saharan African countries. • We find a significant positive effect of digital infrastructure on the services sector employment. • The effect of digital infrastructure on the services sector depends on institutional and economic conditions. • Digital infrastructure is more beneficial for employment generation at the base of the pyramid. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research explores the design of mobile money value‐added services in Kenya that engage marginalized users during the design process. Building on past research that sets out principles for user centered design (UCD), and drawing upon evidence from three case studies, the research finds that system designers follow UCD principles, but decisions to involve users are largely born out of pragmatism, to increase the probability of acceptance of the system, whereas the users main concern were the associated costs, and there was (at least in the early stages) resistance to involvement. This resistance was borne out of a tension between the motivation of the system designers (which was largely non‐altruistic) and the motivation of the users who became involved in the projects through self‐interest or some coercion. The research concludes that system designers require greater appreciation of diversity in interests, asymmetric power and cross‐cultural differences when applying UCD methods. The research extends current knowledge with regard to design interventions in the development of mobile money applications in sub‐Saharan Africa and the recommendations formulated from this research provide practitioners with actionable knowledge to reflect on their current tools and techniques to ensure better localized design processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In spite of increasing adoption of Cloud Computing (CC) by organizations in developed countries, the rate of adoption of the technology in sub-Saharan Africa has stagnated, although it has the potential to accelerate the speed of digital transformation. This paper contributes to the extant literature in this light by examining how the institutional environment influences the adoption of cloud computing. We investigated the role of mimetic, coercive and normative institutional pressures in predicting adoption outcomes of cloud computing among organizations in the region. After testing three main hypotheses and ten corollaries, and analyzing data collected from seventy-nine organizations with the partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), the study found that the institutional pressures (mimetic, coercive and normative) explain 27% of the variance in cloud computing adoption. The mimetic – CC adoption path coefficient of 0.35 made the biggest contribution to the model while the normative – CC adoption path was the least contributor with a path coefficient of 0.18. The findings explain the determinants of adoption of CC in environments of low adoption and institutional challenges. • Institutional factors influence organizational behavior towards adoption of Cloud Computing in Ghana. • Perceptions about the nature of prohibitions placed on data transfer is very important in shaping Cloud Computing adoption. • Models of IT adoption may should not be imported wholesale from one context to another. • The view that Cloud Computing is a fashion promoted by interest groups as status symbol is unsupported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Coverage of palliative care in low and middle-income countries is very limited, and global projections suggest large increases in need. Novel approaches are needed to achieve the palliative care goals of Universal Health Coverage. This study aimed to identify stakeholders' data and information needs and the role of digital technologies to improve access to and delivery of palliative care for people with advanced cancer in Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Methods: We conducted a multi-country cross-sectional qualitative study in sub-Saharan Africa. In-depth qualitative stakeholder interviews were conducted with N = 195 participants across Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe (advanced cancer patients n = 62, informal caregivers n = 48, health care professionals n = 59, policymakers n = 26). Verbatim transcripts were subjected to deductive and inductive framework analysis to identify stakeholders needs and their preferences for digital technology in supporting the capture, transfer and use of patient-level data to improve delivery of palliative care. Results: Our coding framework identified four main themes: i) acceptability of digital technology; ii) current context of technology use; iii) current vision for digital technology to support health and palliative care, and; iv) digital technologies for the generation, reporting and receipt of data. Digital heath is an acceptable approach, stakeholders support the use of secure data systems, and patients welcome improved communication with providers. There are varying preferences for how and when digital technologies should be utilised as part of palliative cancer care provision, including for increasing timely patient access to trained palliative care providers and the triaging of contact from patients. Conclusion: We identified design and practical challenges to optimise potential for success in developing digital health approaches to improve access to and enhance the delivery of palliative cancer care in Nigeria, Uganda and Zimbabwe. Synthesis of findings identified 15 requirements to guide the development of digital health approaches that can support the attainment of global health palliative care policy goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the impact of digital technologies as emerging platforms for social activism in sub-Saharan Africa. Even though the African continent still lags behind in smartphone ownership and internet connectivity compared to other regions of the world, there is enough evidence to suggest that online-based movements have fundamentally transformed political engagement in Africa. This article uses the cases of hashtag activisms #ThisFlag (Zimbabwe) and #RhodesMustFall (South Africa), to demonstrate that social media has accentuated resistance in Africa. Particular attention is directed to the unique ways in which online-based movements have been used to enact resistance. The article provides critical insights into the centrality of context in the discussion of social media efficacy. State response and the promise of social media activism as foci for resistance is further outlined in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the contribution of digitalization to economic growth of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) in comparison with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) economies. The main reason for comparing the most and the least developed countries to measure the effects of digitalization is to have an insight of whether such effects depend on the levels of development of the country. New technologies in Sub Saharan Africa are assumed to have played significant roles in economic activity, including accessibility of communications, which was impeded by poor infrastructure, accommodation of the poor majority who were initially financially excluded from mobile banking and participation of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in e-commerce. On the other hand, due to the effects of digitalization, least developed countries in SSA have been facing a premature deindustrialization. This study employs a panel dataset consisting of 11 years from 2006 to 2016 for 41 SSA and 33 OECD economies and we use the generalized linear methods of moments (GMM) estimators. The results show that digitalization has a positive contribution to economic growth in both groups of countries. The effect of broadband internet is minimal for SSA compared to OECD countries, whereas the impact of mobile telecommunications is higher in SSA compared to the OECD counterpart. These results are particularly interesting as less advanced technologies create more opportunities in the least developed countries since there is more space for improvement. With respect to policy implications, this study recommends that SSA governments should invest more in ICT along with other infrastructures, so as to benefit from digitalization and to realize significant economic growth. • Examines the contribution of digitalization to economic growth of Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) in comparison with the OECD economies. • Analyses the positive and negative effects of digitalization developing countries. • Employse a panel data set for 74 countries and uses GMM estimators. • Finds that digitalization has a positive contribution to economic growth in both groups of countries. • Finds that broadband internet and mobile telecommunications have different impacts for OECD and SSA countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until recently, the shortage of rigorous empirical studies has been attributed as the main cause of inadequate policy guidance in enhancing information and communications technology (ICT) and the largely underdeveloped ICT in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). While recently there is an increasing number of national initiatives to enhance broadband infrastructure in SSA, there is also a need for evidence-based decision-making with respect to the relationship between internet usage and economic well-being in Africa to reposition the continent for increased digital dividends. This study, therefore, examines the effect of internet usage on economic well-being for 45 SSA countries for the period 1995-2015 using panel fully modified least square (FMOLS) and panel dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), and within a panel causality analysis. The panel FMOLS and panel DOLS analyses show that internet usage has a significant and positive effect on economic well-being. The panel causality analysis shows that there is bi-directional causality between internet usage and economic well-being in the short and long run, meaning that internet usage plays significant roles in increasing economic well-being, and economic well-being also plays significant roles in the expansion of internet usage both in the short and long run. Interestingly, the study shows that internet scams have a significant and negative effect on economic well-being, meaning that growing internet scams lead to lower economic well-being in SSA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the complex relationship between the physical and digital spaces of the city of Douala, Cameroon by comparing its online representation with the social representations emerging orally by locals. Using the results of two existing studies reporting on the online image of the city, we investigate the social representations foreigners and locally relevant people have of Douala and uncover similarities and discrepancies of the two resulting representations. Outcomes from the analysis permit reflection on the implications of these and show an unripe, intermediate stage of the “hybrid Douala,” where the virtual space seems still not to be affecting the way the physical space is experienced, as well as where the gaps in the digital divide are perpetuated. At the same time, strong local ownership of certain digital activities suggests how the online image of the city is in the process of being constructed and developed locally. As the spaces of the city start appearing online, the process of hybridization between physical and digital Douala is slowly taking place and offline and online narratives, now rather separated, will possibly communicate a different image of the city to global online narratives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]