Digital economy blueprint

5.3.2 Political Rationale

There is a strong political rationale for governments 

to support and provide digital infrastructure to facil-

itate digital trade and service delivery to citizens. On 

the other hand, there are political consequences that 

may arise due to unregulated access to broadband, 

digital infrastructure and e-commerce.

5.3.3 Economic rationale

The economic rationale for digital infrastructure is 

very strong with clear historical evidence of the im-

pact of broadband on economic growth. For exam-

ple, a one percent increase in a country’s score on 

the Global Connectivity Index correlates with a 2.1% 

increase in competitiveness, 2.3% increase in produc-

tivity, and 2.2% increase in innovation. 

It is estimated that the Digital Economy will be worth 

US$23 Trillion by 2025 and that returns on ICT In-

vestment will be 6.7 times higher than other sectors. 

Ultimately, because digital infrastructure rarely leads 

to direct social or economic impact, and any returns 

on investment (Whether public or private) may be 

long-term, there can be a lack of willingness to make 

the necessary investments. 

Alignment with Africa Agenda 2063 and SDGs ac-

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DIGITAL ECONOMY BLUEPRINT

cording to the ICT SDG benchmark, the correlation 

between ICT and SDG progress is as high as 91%, 

with SDG 4 (Education), SDG 3 (Healthcare) and 

SDG 9 (Industry and innovation) having the most po-

tential for ICT-enabled transformation.