Internet Usage in Sub-Saharan Africa

2011 ◽  
pp. 67-83
Author(s):  
Uzoamaka P. Anakwe
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Connected Region ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Future Trends ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

Using the Internet in the developed part of the world has become a necessity or a matter of choice. However, for the majority in countries of Sub-Saharan Africa, Internet usage is still an illusion since Africa has remained the least Internet-connected region in the world (Lishan, 1997). Such “digital divide” between the developed and developing countries has raised interests and concerns from different parties, ranging from indigenes and governments of these countries to international organizations or agencies. Since such a gap impedes development and progress in these countries, as well as limits the potential of a truly global and competitive e-economy, the need to understand the dynamics of Internet usage in these countries becomes relevant. This chapter discusses Internet usage in Sub-Saharan Africa, citing examples from Nigeria, Ghana, and Kenya. The factors that influence Internet usage in these countries are presented, followed by two general propositions. Furthermore, organizational implications and suggested guidelines for connectivity are discussed, as well as future trends, followed by a conclusion.

ICT Usage in Sub-Saharan Africa

2011 ◽  
pp. 786-792
Author(s):  
Vashti Galpin
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Large Body ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Broad Definition ◽  
Success Stories ◽  
Women's Lives ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Definition Of

Given the circumstances of women’s lives in sub-Saharan Africa, it may appear that information and communication technologies (ICTs) are only for wealthy, well-educated, urbanized women with time to use them, and that they are irrelevant for other women in sub-Saharan Africa. However, this is not the case: women see ICTs as providing opportunities for change, by giving them access to the information which will help improve their circumstances, as the abundant research shows (Hafkin & Taggart, 2001; Huyer & Mitter, 2003; Morna & Khan, 2000; Pacific Institute of Women’s Health [PIWH], 2002; Rathgeber & Adera, 2000). This article presents an overview of women as ICT users in sub-Saharan Africa, covering the challenges and the success stories. Since there is a large body of literature covering this area, only a representative subset is surveyed. The focus here is usage. Information technology (IT) professionals and more technological topics are considered elsewhere in this volume. Much of the literature about usage in developing countries takes a broad definition of ICTs because of the lack of the latest technologies. For example, Holmes (2004) includes computers, the Internet, mobile phones and wireless technologies as well as telephone, radio, television, print media, listening groups, and community theatre. This article will consider all electronic technologies, from computers and networking to radio and television. When considering ICTs and developing countries, the digital divide is often mentioned. This term is sometimes used specifically to refer to the Internet; for example, see DiMaggio, Hargittai, Neuman, and Robinson (2001). In line with the broad definition of ICTs given above, in this article, the term digital divide will be used to refer to inequality in access to ICTs and ability to use them. There are multiple divides: men vs. women, urban vs. rural, rich vs. poor, young vs. old, developed vs. developing. When considering developing countries, there is an underlying information divide—people do not have access to information sources they require, electronic or otherwise, due to poverty and lack of infrastructure. This is the real problem that needs to be solved—ICTs are a means to this end.

scholarly journals MANAGING THE RISK OF VIOLATING HUMAN RIGHTS UNDER INDUSTRIAL RESETTLEMENT PROGRAMS

2017 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 90-93
Author(s):  
Luca Bussotti ◽  
Rui da Maia
Keyword(s):  
Human Rights ◽  
World Bank ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World ◽  
Development Banks ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Resettlement Programs

The purpose of this reflection is understanding what approaches towards human rights are applied in the case of industrial resettlement programs, and, to investigate what policy could be employed to better protect rights of people who experienced un-voluntary relocation event caused by industrial pressure in the context of Sub-Saharan Africa. From the 1980s, international organizations as the World Bank and almost all the continental development banks (as the Asian, the Inter-American and African ones) have formally established and implemented guidelines to effectively and efficiently manage resettlements.

scholarly journals The Dynamics of Extreme Poverty in Developing Countries

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 18-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edmore Mahembe ◽  
Nicholas M. Odhiambo
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
South Asia ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Poor People ◽  
World Population ◽  
Absolute Poverty ◽  
Critical Question ◽  
Extreme Poverty ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract This paper aims to analyses the trends and dynamics of extreme poverty in developing countries. The study attempts to answer one critical question: has the world achieved its number one Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target of reducing extreme poverty by half by 2015? The methodology used in this study mainly involves a descriptive data analysis during the period 1981-2015. The study used the World Bank’s US$1.90 a day line (popularly known as $1 a day line) in 2011 prices to measure the level of absolute poverty. In order to analyze the dynamics of poverty across different regions, the study grouped countries into five regions: i) sub-Saharan Africa; ii) East Asia and the Pacific; iii) South Asia; iv) Europe and Central Asia; and v) Latin America and the Caribbean. The study found that in 1990, there were around 1.9 billion people living below US$1.90 a day (constituting 36.9 percent of the world population) and this number is estimated to have reduced to around 700 million people in 2015, with an estimated global poverty rate of 9.6 percent. The world met the MDG target in 2010, which is five years ahead of schedule. However, extreme poverty is becoming increasingly concentrated in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia (SA), where its depth and breadth remain a challenge. SSA remains the poorest region, with more than 35 percent of its citizens living on less than US$1.90 a day. Half of the world’s extremely poor people now live in SSA, and it is the only region which has not met its MDG target.

Digital divide in the major regions of the world and the possibility of convergence

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
pp. 68-85
Author(s):  
Henry Egbezien Inegbedion
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rate ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
The Other ◽  
Empirical Literature ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The World

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate the nature of the inequalities in the usage of the internet and inequalities in the growth rate in the usage of the internet, and thus ascertain the possibility of convergence of the digital divide between the major regions of the world. Design/methodology/approach The design was a longitudinal study of the usage of internet and growth rate in the usage of the internet in the different regions of the world for the period 2009–2019. The quantitative research method was used. Simple percentages and F-test were used in data analysis. Findings The usage of internet in Asia and Europe is higher than all the other regions in the world but there is no significant difference in usage between the other regions. The results further showed that some of the digitally disadvantaged regions had higher growth rates in the usage of the internet and these digitally disadvantage states are not disadvantaged in access to smartphones and the emerging 5G technology, thus suggesting the possibility of imminent convergence in access to the internet given the increasing usage of smartphones for the internet subscription. Research limitations/implications The focus on internet usage in the major regions of the world without recourse to the variability of the usage and growth rate of internet usage within the regions. The dearth of the empirical literature on quantitative research on the research problem was another constraint. Finally, restriction in available statistics on digital divide constrained the use of 2009–2019 as the periodic scope of the study. Practical implications Inclusion of ICT in the school curricula of the component states to acquaint them with information and communication technology (ICT) usage at an early stage, as well as provision of the enabling environment for business to thrive and through a national culture that will encourage businesses to be vibrant, and thus lay a foundation for future convergence. Social implications Enhancement in employment opportunities through the increased investment in the ICT facilities and the subsequent reduction in social vices. Originality/value Use of secondary data through a longitudinal design to categorically indicate the differences between the different regions of the world in terms of internet usage, as well as the empirical determination of the discrepancies between the growth rates in the access to internet and usage of internet by different regions of the world, especially as regard some of the digitally disadvantaged regions having higher growth rates in the usage of the internet than the perceived digitally advantaged regions.

Editorial

2008 ◽  
Vol 33 (4) ◽  
pp. 6-7
Author(s):  
Christine Wamsler
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Everyday Life ◽  
Urban Poor ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Inadequate Housing ◽  
The World ◽  
Urban Settlements ◽  
Adults And Children ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa

HIV/AIDS has now become part of everyday life in urban settlements in the developing world, and presents the world with one of the most serious and disastrous urban challenges it has ever had to face. Since HIV first emerged in the early 1980s, more than 25 million people (adults and children) have lost their lives to AIDS worldwide. The UNAIDS 2007 figures estimate that 33.2 million people are currently living with the virus. Over 95 percent of these people live in developing countries, with Sub-Saharan Africa - particularly Eastern and Southern Africa - most affected. Slum conditions, in which up to 72% of the urban poor in Sub-Saharan African live, are marked by inadequate housing and settlements, which place their inhabitants in a position of heightened vulnerability to HIV infection.

scholarly journals Direction of Causality Between Financial Development and Economic Growth. Evidence for Developing Countries

2016 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sorin Nicolae Borlea ◽  
Codruta Mare ◽  
Monica Violeta Achim ◽  
Adriana Puscas
Keyword(s):  
Economic Growth ◽  
Developing Countries ◽  
Arab World ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
The European Union ◽  
The North ◽  
The Pacific ◽  
Financial Indicator ◽  
The World ◽  
Sub Saharan

Abstract The results of extensive studies that analyzed the existence and meaning of correlations between the economic growth and the financial market development lead us to a more thorough study of these correlations. Therefore, we performed a broad study of the developing countries from around the world (the developing part of each region constructed by the World Bank through its Statistics Bureau). The regions taken into analysis were: Europe and Central Asia, South Asia, East Asia and the Pacific, the Arab world, Latin America & and the Caribbean, the Middle East and North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa. For comparison purposes, we have also included in the sample the North American countries, the Euro Area and the European Union as a whole, because these last three areas are the main benchmarks of the financial markets. The results are consistent with those from previous studies on the subject and vary depending on region and financial indicator considered.

scholarly journals Bridging the Digital Divide in Rural Appalachia: Internet Usage in the Mountains

10.28945/2708 ◽  
2003 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob J. Podber
Keyword(s):  
Oral History ◽  
Digital Divide ◽  
Web Site ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Mining Communities ◽  
Media Usage ◽  
The World ◽  
Rural Appalachia ◽  
Oral History Interviews

This project looks at Internet usage within the Melungeon community of Appalachia. Although much has been written on the coal mining communities of Appalachia and on ethnicity within the region, there has been little written on electronic media usage by Appalachian communities, most notably the Melun-geons. The Melungeons are a group who settled in the Appalachian Mountains as early as 1492, of apparent Mediterranean descent. Considered by some to be tri-racial isolates, to a certain extent, Melungeons have been culturally constructed, and largely self-identified. According to the founder of a popular Melungeon Web site, the Internet has proven an effective tool in uncovering some of the mysteries and folklore surrounding the Melungeon community. This Web site receives more than 21,000 hits a month from Melungeons or others interested in the group. The Melungeon community, triggered by recent books, films, and video documentaries, has begun to use the Internet to trace their genealogy. Through the use of oral history interviews, this study examines how Melungeons in Appalachia use the Internet to connect to others within their community and to the world at large.

scholarly journals Maps and the Internet: What a Mess It Is and How To Fix It

2008 ◽  
pp. 4-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Peterson
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
International Organizations ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
The Internet ◽  
The World ◽  
Online Maps ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Small Screen ◽  
Centralized System

The promise of the Internet for cartography has faded into stark realities of commercialism, connectivity problems and confusion about what represents quality in Internet mapping. Accessing the Internet is still problematic and a great digital divide separates the developed from the developing world. Interaction with the online map, the single greatest advantage of maps and the new medium, has been either poorly implemented or not incorporated at all. The commercial aspect of the Internet has been turned upside down. We pay to access the Internet, not for its content. As a result, there is little competition to improve the quality of online maps, other than for bragging rights, and little incentive to create quality content. On top of this, in many parts of the world, access to the Internet by computer is expensive or inconvenient and people prefer to use the Internet through their mobile phone. Almost all new users to the Internet are connecting through mobile devices and a small screen that is hardly suitable for the display of maps. While a de-centralized system like the Internet is impossible to fix in traditional ways, solutions must be found for making the medium more accessible and useful for maps. National and international organizations can play a key role in providing examples of what is possible with maps and the Internet. Low-cost, easy-to-use tools also need to be made available so that online cartographers can create quality content.

Algorithmic Capitalism and the Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 514-537
Author(s):  
Haytham Karar
Keyword(s):  
Digital Divide ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
Internet Usage ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Internet Users ◽  
Urban Rural ◽  
Phone Service ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Privately Owned ◽  
Existing Structure

Digitalization generates new opportunities for employment and earnings, but also entails a plethora of uncertainties and challenges. This article highlights the implications of algorithmic capitalism and how it relates to the digital divide in sub-Saharan Africa by discussing specific examples (Ghana and Kenya), considering the existing structure of social inequality. Both case studies refute the World Bank’s argument that economic liberalization and deregulation are sufficient approaches to improve material access to Internet services in the Global South. The article concludes that the digital divide is an extension of the global phenomenon of inequality. Although algorithmic capitalism has increased the number of Internet users in the region, it has failed to bridge the digital divide, particularly the urban–rural division. This article also suggests that privately owned mobile phone service providers can contribute to Internet usage and to bridging the digital divide in sub-Saharan Africa.

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