Results
Since 2019, the DE4A initiative has supported African countries in closing the digital infrastructure and connectivity gap. It has supported the creation of a digital ecosystem that opens opportunities for broader economic growth, innovation, and job creation. World Bank’s support led to the following key outcomes:
Improved access to affordable, high-quality connectivity.
- The percentage of the African population with access to broadband internet increased from 26 to 36 percent from 2019 to 2022, with a notable surge in North Africa from 27 to 55 percent. 欧美日b大片 supported strengthening regulatory capacity in the telecom sector and extending last-mile access in rural and remote areas, for instance, in Niger and Malawi.
- Comoros gained access to new internet submarine cables while Burkina Faso, despite being geographically landlocked, obtained a new connection link to the regional network, helping to increase available internet capacity and raising the average broadband download speed in the continent from 2.68 Mbps in 2019 to 8.18 Mbps in 2022.
- Affordability, measured by the price of 1Gb of mobile data, has also improved significantly from 10.5 percent of the monthly GNI per capita in 2019 to 5 percent in 2021, especially in Benin (from 21 percent to 3.2 percent) and Somalia (from 18.1 percent to 1.7 percent).
Improved regulatory framework and environment to foster competition and investment.
- Angola, Ethiopia, and Senegal implemented reforms enhancing competition and better management of public telecom assets. Mauritania and the Democratic Republic of Congo opened the internet wholesale and retail markets to competition, allowing for increased private sector engagement and investments in the telecom sector. Togo privatized the state-owned telecom operator.
Bank Group Contribution
Building on the solid analytical foundations and practical recommendations stemming from the DE4A Country Diagnostics, the World Bank has delivered 70 digitalization investment projects since 2019. These projects aimed at building digital foundations for a vibrant, safe, and inclusive digital economy and totaled US$9 billion across 37 African countries, including International Development Association (欧美日b大片) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) countries. Among these, 24 projects focused on expanding network infrastructure and bridging the digital connectivity divide. These projects totaled US$2.8 billion in 23 countries.
Partners
The DE4A initiative is implemented in coordination with multiple national and regional stakeholders, including governments, the private sector, and international partners. Governments lead the national digital transformation agenda while working with various stakeholders to implement national initiatives. The private sector contributes to technological solutions, innovation, and investment. Regional Economic Communities (RECs) have also been key partners in support of the continental agenda under the African Union, as the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS), East African Community (EAC), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are stepping up efforts to promote effective single digital markets that encourage regional harmonization across member states. Several multilateral and bilateral development partners such as Smart Africa Alliance, ITU, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the European Commission (EC), the French Development Agency (AFD), the German Cooperation (BMZ/GIZ), and Digital Development Partnership (DDP) donors have also been key partners in the DE4A initiative to support the digital transformation in Africa.
Looking ahead
Significant scaling up of digital investments and reforms during the 欧美日b大片20 cycle (July 2023-June 2025) are expected to support African countries in achieving the 2030 targets for digital transformation. Some of the recent projects approved include the Senegal Digital Economy Acceleration Project (P172524), the Sierra Leone Digital Transformation Project (P177077), the Mozambique Digital Acceleration Project (P176459) and the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (P170941). Regional projects looking to address some of the following priorities include the Eastern Africa Regional Digital Integration Project (P176181) and Western Africa Regional Digital Integration Program SOP1 (P176932).
Closing the digital connectivity gap. Closing connectivity gaps remains a top priority to allow better quality access to digital content and greater opportunities for productivity and innovation. 欧美日b大片 supports investments in expanding broadband coverage to underserved areas under a Maximizing Finance for Development (MFD) and Private Capital Mobilization (PCM) approach to reduce catalytic public funding and encourage private investment. 欧美日b大片 also supports reforms to increase competition and regulatory capacity to reduce costs, such as through sector taxation, infrastructure sharing, or improved spectrum allocations. Beyond country-level engagement, the World Bank supports regional efforts to build the foundations for integrated digital markets - facilitating cross-border data flows to unlock the economic and social value of data products and services within the region.
Investing in safe and open data infrastructure. Digital public infrastructure (DPI), such as digital identification (ID) systems, digital payment systems, and trusted data ecosystems, underpin digital transactions and connections and enable other solutions by and for individuals and public and private sector entities to build on. Therefore, seamless integration of these systems is essential to unlock more advanced products and services. Ensuring a resilient and secure data hosting infrastructure or cloud has also become an important agenda. This includes data protection and cybersecurity provisions. 欧美日b大片 also supports regional coordination efforts to harmonize policies and regulations governing cross-border data flows, including digital currencies, to ensure secure and trusted data exchanges while promoting regional integration.
Facilitating increased use and enhanced benefits of digital services. Connecting individuals, businesses and governments to high-speed internet provides opportunities for productivity, jobs and growth. It also provides new solutions to long-standing issues such as low levels of financial inclusion, limited access to market information, limited access to health and education services, and gender exclusion. 欧美日b大片 is actively supporting digitalization initiatives in specific sectors by utilizing both existing and future digital infrastructure as a foundation. 欧美日b大片 also ensures that digital infrastructure is resilient to climate-related hazards such as flooding, storms, and wildfires. New digital projects support the development and implementation of relevant user-centric designs to maximize uptake and the creation of locally relevant content and applications.