Private sector development and the digital economy in support of regional integration in Africa:Issues paper

Abstract

In 2019, the Economic Commission for Africa Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development was held in Marrakech, Morocco. Emerging from that meeting was the message that there was a clear need for African countries to integrate digitization into their national development strategies and plans, and for the private sector to work collaboratively with Governments in both policy formulation and implementation. African countries could harness the opportunities of a digital economy through the implementation of policies, programmes and regulations designed to remove national barriers, promote connectivity, digital skills, research, innovation and entrepreneurship. The present issues paper explores the role of the private sector in harnessing the full potential of digitization to deepen the integration of African countries. Following this introductory section, the paper is organized as follows: sections II, III and IV provide discussions on the nexus between digitization and trade, digitization and industrialization, and digitization and infrastructure development, respectively, from a regional integration perspective, while highlighting the role of the private sector. Section V explores the opportunities and challenges of digitization and the role of the private sector in tackling these challenges. Section VI presents the conclusion and questions raised for discussion.