Towards a flourishing digital economy for all – a spotlight on Africa

Digital trade is a driver of business growth all over the world. A good example of this is e-commerce. It has been changing the way people spend and shop since the 1990s.

In the process, it has spurred innovation and created the infrastructure on which entire new industries have been built. Indeed, eMarketer predicts that online sales will soar from $3.3 trillion 2019 to $7.4 trillion by 2025.

Much of this growth will come in developing markets.

In this paper, we explore the African digital economy in more detail. We focus on the continent’s four most developed markets: Egypt, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. And we review the progress made – and the work to be done – in the following areas

• Digital infrastructure
• Mobile connectivity and internet access
• Mobile money
• Social and digital inclusion
• Mobile commerce

The report also highlights some of the companies, products and services that are opening up these exciting new markets both to African businesses and to partners overseas.

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