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1、 China-Africa Economic&Trade Research Institute Add.:No.2,Zhuyuan,Hunan University,Yuelu District,Changsha,Hunan Province,China Zip code:410012 Tel.:+86-(0)731 88684856 E-mail: Official website:http:/ Official Account:China-Africa Economic&Trade Research Institute The China-Africa Economic&Trade Res

2、earch Institute reserves the right of final interpretation of the Report on Africas Digital Economy Development Index and China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy(2024).Any findings,interpretations,or conclusions in this Report do not necessarily reflect the views of the Government of the Peoples

3、 Republic of China.This Report is subject to refinement and we welcome comments and corrections.This Report is made available for citation,download,and reproduction for personal use in articles,blogs,websites,or other materials,provided that the China-Africa Economic&Trade Research Institute is duly

4、 acknowledged as the source.Contents Abbreviations.1 Summary.2 Chapter I African Digital Economy Development Index.6 1.1 The History and Background of Africas Digital Economy Development.6 1.1.1 Establish a Digital Connection:The Origin and Early Challenges of Africas Digital Economy Development.6 1

5、.1.2 Accelerate the Integration of Digital and Real Economy:A Leapfrog Development of Digital Economy for Africa in the 21st Century.8 1.1.3 Respond to Challenges with Innovation:The Adaption and Innovation of Africas Digital Economy in the Post-COVID Era.9 1.1.4 Bridge the Digital Divide and Explor

6、e Inclusive Growth for the Digital Economy 11 1.2 The Evaluation System for Africas Digital Economy Development.13 1.2.1 A Statement of the Main Concepts.13 1.2.2 Our Thoughts on the Evaluation and the Design of the Evaluation System.16 1.2.3 Africas Digital Economy Comprehensive Evaluation Indicato

7、rs System.20 1.2.4 Africas Digital Finance Evaluation Indicators System.22 1.2.5 Africas Digital Consumption Evaluation Indicators System.24 1.2.6 City-level Africas Digital Economy Development Evaluation System.27 1.3 The Method for Measuring the Development Level of Africas Digital Economy.28 1.3.

8、1 Descriptions of the Samples and Data.28 1.3.2 The Method to Evaluate the Development of Digital Economy.29 1.3.3 The Evaluation Method for Digital Economy Development Coordination.30 1.3.4 The Measuring and Calculating Method of Digital Divide.32 1.4 The Evaluation Results of Africas Digital Econo

9、my Development Level.33 1.4.1 The Characteristics of Africas Digital Economy Comprehensive Development.33(1)There is a Huge Potential for Africas Overall Development,But Significant Differences in Development Exist Among the Regions.33(2)Africas Digital Economy Development is Undermined by the Bucke

10、ts Effect and the Systematic Development Imbalance Should Raise Concern.35(3)A Severe“Digital Divide”with a Multi-layered Structure.36 1.4.2 The Characteristics of Africas Digital Finance Development.37(1)A Three-layer Pipeline Feature for Africas Digital Finance Development at the National Level wi

11、th South Africa and Kenya Leading the Pack.37(2)There Is a Mismatch of Digital Finance Development in Various Dimensions in Some African Countries and Their Huge Potential Is Yet to be Tapped.38(3)Traditional Financial Service Lays the Foundation for Digital Finance and Fintech Is the Main Driver fo

12、r the Transformation.39 1.4.3 The Characteristics of Africas Digital Consumption Development.40 (1)There is an Imbalance in Africas Digital Consumption Development and the Carrying Capacity of Digital Consumption Scenes is the Driver of Africas Digital Consumption Development.40(2)Coordination in di

13、gital consumption growth to be enhanced,and growth edges in some Africa countries to be released.43(3)Entertainment&gaming and social media apps as digital consumption darlings in Africa.43 1.4.4 Characteristics of digital economy development in African cities.46(1)Education apps as an emerging focu

14、s in African key cities,following communication and social media apps.46(2)Lagos and Cairo as pioneers in smart phone usage among key African cities.47(3)Mobile data is more popular than Wi-Fi in key African cities for Internet traffic consumption.49 1.5 Overall Development of the Digital Economy in

15、 Africa and Analysis of Key Cities by Country.49 1.5.1 Analysis of overall development.49 1.5.2 Analysis of key cities by country.52(1)Countries grouped into leading-coordination zone and their cities.52(2)Countries grouped into catch-up-coordination zone and their cities.55(3)Countries grouped into

16、 catch-up-adjustment zone and their cities.58 Chapter II China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy.61 2.1 Process of China-Africa cooperation in digital economy.61 2.2 The practical foundation for China-Africa cooperation in the digital economy.63 2.2.1 China has rich experience in the development

17、 of the digital economy.63 2.2.2 Africa has the basis and conditions for the development of the digital economy.65 2.3 The current status of China-Africa cooperation in the digital economy.66 2.3.1 Digital foundation.66 2.3.2 Digital application.68 2.3.3 Digital innovation.71 2.4 Cases of China-Afri

18、ca cooperation in the digital economy.73 2.4.1 Digital foundation.73(1)China Mobile International:Build“Digital Africa”communication network system and share new opportunities presented by the digital Belt and Road.73(2)Hengtong Optoelectronics:develop digital infrastructure and support Africa in im

19、proving regional connectivity.74(3)China-Africa Development Fund:Ten billion yuan engine financial empowerment of China-Africa new cooperation in the digital economy.75 2.4.2 Digital application.76(1)China TransInfo Technology:Focus on the field of Internet of Things(IoT)to aid the digital and intel

20、ligent transformation of aviation hubs.76(2)Africa Star:Deepen China-Kenya cooperation and lead a new era of smart railways 78 2.4.3 Digital innovation.79 (1)Transsion Holdings:Driving Local Innovation and Promoting Technological Upgrades.79(2)Wenhua Online:Transcending distances to co-crafting the

21、African e-education ecosystem.80(3)CloudNeedle:CloudNeedle OS,the magic needle that breaks through operating system barriers.82 Chapter III Kenyas Digital Economy and China-Kenya Cooperation in Digital Economy.84 3.1 Evolution of Kenyas digital economy.84 3.2 Basic characteristics of Kenyas digital

22、economy development.85 3.2.1 A frontrunner in digital infrastructure in Africa.85 3.2.2 Market diversification in digital applications.86 3.2.3 Fintech-led digital innovation.89 3.3 Cases of China-Kenya Cooperation in Digital Economy.90 3.3.1 Ahadi supports the proliferation of digital services in K

23、enya.91 3.3.2 Kilimall,a Chinese e-commerce platform rooted in Africa.92 3.3.3 M-Pesa partnering with Huawei to advance Kenyas digital finance.93 3.3.4 Luban Workshop,focused on cultivating digital information technology talents.93 Chapter IV Suggestions for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Econo

24、my.95 4.1.Macro-direction for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy.95 4.1.1 Strengthening Top-level Design to Deepen the Scope of China-African Digital Economy Cooperation.95 4.1.2 Consolidating Cooperation in Digital Infrastructure to Improve the Conditions for Africas Digital Economy Develo

25、pment.96 4.1.3 Expanding Digital Applications to Promote the Transformation of Industrial Digitization and Digital Industrialization.96 4.1.4 Exploring Innovative Ecosystems to Enhance Africas Digital Economy Innovation Capacity.97 4.1.5 Bridging the Digital Divide to Create an Inclusive Digital Eco

26、nomy Development Environment.97 4.2.Key Areas of Cooperation and Action Suggestions.98 4.2.1 Suggestions for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy of Countries Grouped into Leading-Coordination Zone.98 4.2.2 Suggestions for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy of Countries Grouped into

27、Catch-up-Coordination Zone.100 4.2.3 Suggestions for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy of Countries Grouped into Catch-up-Adjustment Zone.102 Annex.104 a.Summary of the report in French.104 b.Summary of the report in Portuguese.107 Acknowledgments.112 Abbreviations AfCFTA-African Continent

28、al Free Trade Area AISI-African Information Society Initiative APP-Application EU-European Union G20-Group of Twenty GDP-Gross Domestic Product GSMA-GSM Association ICT-Information and Communication Technology ILO-International Labour Organization IMF-International Monetary Fund IPO-Initial Public O

29、ffering ITU-International Telecommunication Union LDCs-Least Developed Countries LLD-Landlocked Developing Countries NTIA-National Telecommunications and Information Administration OECD-Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PIDA-Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa SID

30、S-Small Island Developing States UN-United Nations UNCTAD-United Nations Conference on Trade and Development UN-Habitat-United Nations Human Settlements Programme UPU-Universal Postal Union WB The World Bank WIPO-World Intellectual Property Organization -1-Summary The digital economy is becoming a k

31、ey driver of global economic growth,playing an important role in spurring economic recovery,boosting labor productivity,cultivating new markets and new industrial growth areas,and pursuing inclusive and sustainable growth.Africa,known as the“youngest continent”,boasts tremendous potential for the de

32、velopment of the digital economy.Nowadays,African countries develop the digital economy as a key measure to achieve sustainable,diversified and inclusive economic and social development.However,due to geographical,social,cultural and other restraining factors,the use of and access to digital technol

33、ogy obviously vary among different regions and groups in Africa.Unbalanced development of the digital economy must not be overlooked,and it is urgent to narrow the digital development gap.China has made remarkable achievements in the development of the digital economy,ranking second in the world in

34、terms of digital economy scale for many years.China has also amassed rich experience in bridging the digital divide,and promoting the digital transformation of industries,among others.General Secretary Xi Jinping has stated many times that China is ready to foster exchanges and cooperation with othe

35、r countries in the digital field and share the development opportunities from the digital economy.The Belt and Road Initiative will promote digital connectivity as an important means to embrace digitalization and tap the tremendous of the digital economy in the implementation of the United Nations 2

36、030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.In recent years,China and Africa have achieved notable results in conducting pragmatic cooperation in digital economy,bridging the North-South digital divide and eradicating“digital poverty”,which create new opportunities for both sides to achieve inclusive eco

37、nomic growth and digital transition.At the 8th Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation(FOCAC)held in Dakar,Senegal,in November 2021,the“Digital Innovation Program”was included into the“Nine Programs”jointly implemented by China and Africa.During the 3rd Belt and Road Forum fo

38、r International Cooperation held in October 2023,China,together with Kenya,Ethiopia and other developing countries,jointly issued the Beijing Initiative on the Belt and Road International Digital Economy Cooperation.Centering on the theme of“developing the digital economy and tapping new drivers of

39、economic growth”,the participating countries reached consensus on 20 areas such as“increasing digital connectivity and building digital Silk Road”in terms of infrastructure,industrial transformation,digital capability,cooperation mechanisms and other areas.1 The digital economy has become an importa

40、nt area for win-win China-Africa cooperation.1 The High-level Forum on Digital Economy of the 3rd Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation,Beijing Initiative on the Belt and Road International Digital Economy Cooperation,http:/lu.china- and objectives This report is jointly released by Chin

41、a-Africa Economic&Trade Research Institute and DataSparkle Big Data and AI Laboratory,supported by the Hunan Provincial Department of Commerce.The writers of this report are mainly from Hunan University.The aim is to study the characteristics and development status of development of Africas digital

42、economy,analyze the key areas of China-Africa cooperation in digital economy,and put forward suggestions for cooperation at the national and enterprise levels,thereby promoting bilateral win-win results through the development of the digital economy.Content framework Centering on the theme of develo

43、pment of Africas digital economy and China-Africa digital economy cooperation,the African Digital Economy Development Index and China-Africa Digital Economy Cooperation Report(2024)systematically observed and analyzed the characteristics of development of Africas digital economy,and discussed the cu

44、rrent status and path of China-Africa cooperation in the digital field.The report is divided into four chapters:Chapter I African Digital Economy Development Index A systematic evaluation framework featuring“space,multiple domains and time”is established for the digital economy.It comprehensively de

45、scribes the characteristics of the development of Africas digital economy through an integrated index system and a system coordination degree model.Based on the results of mathematical analysis,this report analyzes the multi-level digital divide in Africa,the coordination of the evolution of Africas

46、 digital economy,the developments of digital finance and digital consumption markets in Africa,and the characteristics of the development of Africas city-level digital economy.Chapter II China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy On the basis of analyzing the history of China-Africa cooperation in

47、the field of digital economy,it sums up the achievements and difficulties in China-Africa cooperation in the field of digital economy,and cites the cases of China-Africa Development Fund,Shenzhen Transsion Holdings Co.,Ltd.and other enterprises to demonstrate the depth and scope of China-Africa digi

48、tal economy cooperation in various fields.Chapter III Development of Kenyas Digital Economy and China-Kenya Digital Economy Cooperation It summarizes the current development and characteristics of Kenyas digital economy,traces the history of China-Kenya cooperation in digital economy,and demonstrate

49、s the significant achievements of China-Kenya digital cooperation by summarizing the localization services of Changsha Kilimall Information Technology Co.,Ltd.(Kilimall)in Kenya,Huaweis cooperation with M-Pesa in aiding the development of inclusive finance in Africa and other cases.Chapter IV Sugges

50、tions for China-Africa Cooperation in Digital Economy-3-Based on the results of comprehensive evaluation of African countries digital economy,it classifies the development of African countries digital economy by characteristics,identifies the priorities of China-Africa digital economy cooperation,ex

51、plores the overall direction of China-Africa digital economy cooperation at the national and enterprise levels,and recommends course of action.Paths and methods The writers of this report used literature analysis,comprehensive index evaluation and case analysis to draw relevant conclusions by gather

52、ing authoritative data and materials from multiple sources.The materials used for literature analysis include,but are not limited to,policy documents,research papers,and materials from industry participants,well-known institutions,multilateral and regional financial organizations.Macro data used for

53、 the construction of composite indices are obtained from official institutions such as the World Bank,the International Monetary Fund,and the International Labor Organization.The micro-data are obtained from the DataSparkle database.1 The information on enterprises included in the report is obtained

54、 mainly from the China-Africa Business Council,the China-Africa Development Fund and relevant public information,and most of the selected enterprises have reputation and are representative in the field of China-Africa digital economy cooperation.Views and conclusion Characteristics of the developmen

55、t of Africas digital economy Africas digital economy has broad potential,but its development varies significantly from region to region,and its systemic imbalance and“multi-level”digital divide should be worthy of attention.In terms of digital finance,African countries exhibit different levels of de

56、velopment,and some countries show a mismatch in development from different dimensions of digital finance,showing tremendous growth potential.Traditional finance is the foundation of digital finance development in Africa,while fintech is a key driver of transformation.In terms of digital consumption,

57、the capacity of digital consumption scenarios becomes the primary driver of digital consumption in Africa.Entertainment,games and social media have become popular applications.As the cities embrace digitalization,Lagos and Cairo are the“bellwether”of major African cities for smartphone users.Educati

58、onal mobile apps are gaining traction.Data traffic is still the most popular means for using mobile network compared to Wi-Fi.Based on the results of comprehensive evaluation of Africas digital economy,the sample countries stated in the report can be divided into“leading-coordination”countries,“catc

59、h-1 The platform is the first data insight platform focused on Africa.It systematically scopes the African market to help global enterprises,investors,and developers stay abreast of market trends,understand consumer feedback,identify and track opportunities,and devise promotional strategies to drive

60、 business growth.-4-up-coordination”countries,“catch-up-adjustment”countries and other categories.China-Africa cooperation in the digital economy China and Africa have carried out across-the-board cooperation in the fields of digital infrastructure,digital applications,digital technology innovation

61、and other areas,and have achieved results in the current stage,demonstrating the tremendous potential and vitality of South-South cooperation.In the new stage of development,China should still place an emphasis on Africas ability to independently develop the digital economy,pay close attention to th

62、e needs of African countries in terms of digital economy development,and foster cooperation in the field of digital economy in a gradient manner on this basis.Policy proposal Based on the analysis of the development trend of Africas digital economy and the discussion of current China-Africa cooperat

63、ion,the report explores China-Africa digital economy cooperation in terms of macro path and recommended course of action:In terms of overall path,it is suggested that China and Africa strengthen top-level planning,deepen cooperation in digital economy;foster cooperation in digital infrastructure and

64、 facilitate the development of Africas digital economy;expand digital applications and promote use of digital technologies for industries as well as digital industrialization;explore innovation ecosystems to enhance Africas innovation capabilities in digital economy;narrow the digital divide,and bui

65、ld an inclusive environment for the development of the digital economy.In terms of recommended course of action,cooperation with African“leading-coordination”countries in the digital economy should focus on digital infrastructure upgrading,smart cities,cooperation in technological innovation,digital

66、 consumption,innovation in financial business form as well as ecosystem building.Cooperation with“catch-up-coordination”countries should focus on improving the quality of digital infrastructure,the exchanges and training of digital professionals,digital consumption,financial markets and development

67、of urban digital service scenarios.In the cooperation with“catch-up adjustment”countries,it is necessary to pay attention to the“weaknesses”in the evolution of their digital economic systems,focus on narrowing the digital divide,improve the effective supply of digital consumption and financial scena

68、rios,and prize the inclusive value of the digital economy.-5-Chapter I African Digital Economy Development Index As global digital and information technology constantly make breakthroughs and industrial digitalisation keeps making new progress,digital economy has become a major force in promoting gl

69、obal economic development.Africa gradually realizes the importance of digital economy to optimize economic structure and achieve leapfrog development.In recent years,African countries have actively explored the fields of digital economy and made certain achievements in digital economy development,bu

70、t there is a great disparity among them in digital economy due to population size and density,economic development environment,geographic location and other factors.This chapter details the history and background of Africas digital economy development,and evaluates digital economy development level

71、of a number of African countries from multiple dimensions,such as space,industrial field and time,from which we analyze the development status of Africas digital economy.1.1 The History and Background of Africas Digital Economy Development 1.1.1 Establish a Digital Connection:The Origin and Early Ch

72、allenges of Africas Digital Economy Development From a global perspective,digital economy is originated from the revolution of information technology from which the former is derived.It intertwines with all aspects of economic and social development from which a new technological and economic paradi

73、gm is generated and evolved.However,the development of Africas digital economy is different from this evolving process.Africa is the second largest continent in the world with the most developing countries,and 33 of them make the list of the Least Developed Countries released by the United Nations C

74、onference on Trade and Development(UNCTAD).Apart from that,seven of them are small island developing countries and the remaining twelve countries are landlocked developing countries1.When the IT revolution of Africa started,the continent was deemed as a“borderland area”without economic value and pol

75、itical interest by information capitalism due to its weak economic foundation and lack of information resource supply.In 2005,the worlds average landline telephone ownership rate was 19.1%,but the figure in Africa was only 1.5%.In the same year,the worlds average internet penetration rate was 15.6%a

76、nd the number in developed countries was 58%,but only 2%in Africa2.This phenomenon is called“digital divide”by some researchers to represent the disparity of individuals,families,enterprises and regions with different social and economic levels in seizing ICT opportunities and using ICT3.The early v

77、ersion of“digital division”mainly refers to the non-equivalence of information allocation among different groups and highlights the 1 ITU,“ICTs,LDCs and the SDGs,Achieving universal and affordable Internet in the least developed countries”,https:/www.itu.int/hub/publication/d-ldc-ictldc-2018/.2 ITUs

78、 global and regional ICT statistics,https:/www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ITU_regional_global_Key_ICT_indicator_aggregates_Nov_2022_revised_15Feb2023.xlsx 3 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD),“Understanding the digital divide”,http:/www.oecd.org/sti/ieconom

79、y/understandingthedigitaldivide.htm-6-disparity of accessing digital device by different groups.The significant“digital divide”in Africa has caused extensive attention from the international community,and a series of international initiatives to promote ICT development in undeveloped countries and a

80、ddress global“digital divide”have been frequently released since then.For example,at the World Summit on the Information Society held in Tunisia in 2005,many representatives of developing countries clearly stated the importance of addressing the“digital bridge”,and asked giving more opportunities an

81、d approaches for the impoverished countries to access ICT and creating a“mutual-support digital fund”to bridge the digital divide.The early cooperation between China and Africa in the fields of digital economy also focused on the construction of the continents ICT infrastructure and addressing the d

82、igital divide.In the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan(2007-2009)adopted at the Third Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2006,the essential role of infrastructure construction for Africas development was mentioned,and the infrastructure constructio

83、n in communication,electricity and other fields were considered as the important areas of the bilateral cooperation.The competitive Chinese communication enterprises were encouraged to participate in the related infrastructure construction in the African countries,which significantly supports the ef

84、forts made by these countries in building an information society and bridging their digital divide1.Africa also recognized its dilemma of being gradually marginalized by the IT revolution during this period.The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa drafted the African Information Society Ini

85、tiative(AISI)in 1995,which was adopted at the next years African ministerial meeting and accepted by the Organization of African Unity(the predecessor of African Union)summit.The core content of building“national information and communication infrastructure”was universally accepted by the first Afri

86、can Development Forum in 1999,which played an important role in setting priorities by different countries in formulating their domestic digital technology policy for a period since then2.The five major goals for addressing Africas digital divide were proposed at the Connect Africa Summit in 2007:bui

87、lding the broadband networks connecting the capital and major cities of the African countries to strengthen Africas connection with the rest of the world;enhancing the broadband network and information and communication service penetration in the rural areas;supporting the development of knowledge e

88、conomy related to ICT;constructing ICT capability-building and training center3.The African Union adopted the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa(PIDA)in 2012 in which the construction of the infrastructure related to ICT was deemed as one of the important construction contents.114 IC

89、T infrastructure projects were deemed as the flagship projects in the Agenda 2063 released by the African Union in 2015 in order to upgrade the key internet exchange points and build new broadband optical fiber infrastructure and improve the current optical fibre terrestrial backbone networks4.1 For

90、um on China-Africa Cooperation Beijing Action Plan(2007-2009),http:/www.focac.org/zywx/zywj/200909/t20090917_8044399.htm 2 Jiang Lu,Wu Yunong;Technology Promotes Development:The Development and International Cooperation of ICT in Africa,Fudan Public Administration Review,Vol 2,2021 3 ITU,https:/www.

91、itu.int/en/ITU-D/Conferences/connect/Documents/Post%20Connect%20Africa%20Summit%20Report%20(English).pdf 4 African Union,“Goals&Priority Areas of Agenda 2063”，https:/au.int/agenda2063/goals-7-In recent years,thanks to the attention given by the African countries and the international organizations,A

92、fricas digital infrastructure has been greatly improved,and its digital connectivity has been enhanced.According to the data provided by the International Telecommunication Union,Africas internet penetration rate(by individuals)has improved from 2%in 2005 to 37.1%in 2023.The percentage of population

93、 covered by 3G network has improved from 22.2%in 2010 to 83.6%in 2023.According to the Africa Infrastructure Development Index released by the African Development Bank,the average information and communication infrastructure index of African countries has steadily risen from 15.7 in 2005 to 29.39 in

94、 20221.At present,the African continent is gradually moving into the stage of 5G network deployment and market-oriented applications as many countries and regions have rolled out and updated their policy to support 5G-based service development.But it is worth noting that,compared to the rest of the

95、world,there is still a large disparity in Africas digital connection.Expanding the affordability of digital infrastructure and increasing the overall digital service penetration rate are still the key points and difficulties in Africas digital infrastructure construction.1.1.2 Accelerate the Integra

96、tion of Digital and Real Economy:A Leapfrog Development of Digital Economy for Africa in the 21st Century African countries have updated their ICT infrastructure,which lays a foundation for their digital economy development,but the existence of their“digital divide”not only represents the gap in int

97、ernet connectivity between them and the rest of the world,but also indicates the disparity of the capabilities to develop digital economy.Since the beginning of the 21st century,the connotation of digital divide has changed from the inequity of digital service access to the differences in digital se

98、rvice usage and the capability of using such services2.As to the history of Africas digital economy development,the inherent social and economic foundation in Africa affects its digital economy development,and the continent still has major deficiencies in digital technology application and integrati

99、on.For a long time,scientific and technological backwardness has been one of the important factors undermining Africas economic and social development.In 2005,the Africas Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action was passed at the second African Ministerial Conference on Science and Technol

100、ogy held in Dhaka,the capital of Senegal.The plan of action pointed out that ICT and space technology urgently needed to be introduced into Africas education,healthcare,meteorological service,communication,environmental resource management and other aspects,but the continent was a market almost enti

101、rely relying on imports in this sector.In this case,Africas computer science and ICT should be vigorously developed and local R&D capabilities should be improved.The plan of action builds a brand new platform for Africas scientific and technological development in the 21st century and is of great st

102、rategic guidance significance3.In 2013,at the call of Rwandan President Paul Kagame and UN ITU Secretary-General Hamadoun Tour,over 1,200 representatives from the African 1 African Development Bank Database,https:/infrastructureafrica.opendataforafrica.org 2 van Deursen A.J.A.M.,van Dijk,“The digita

103、l divide shifts to differences in usage”,New Media&Society,Vol.16,No.3,2014 3 Liu Hongwu,Zhang Yonghong,Africas Science and Technology Geared to the 21st Century-A Review on the Africas Science and Technology Consolidated Plan of Action;West Asia and Africa,Vol 2,2006-8-countries,international organ

104、izations,private sectors,the academic circle and other fields gathered at Kigali to attend the first Transform Africa Summit which passed the Smart Africa Manifesto,presented five principles,including putting ICT at the center of social and economic development in African countries,and established t

105、he execution framework of the Smart Africa Alliance.The manifesto was endorsed by the African Union in January next year whose supporters extended from the seven signatories to the entire African continent.In 2020,the Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa 2020-2030 set up an overall development

106、 goal of using digital technology to innovate and transform Africas society and economy,achieve poverty alleviation,address unemployment and other social problems and promote Africas social and economic development.The IT-based digital economy will have a positive effect in extensive fields for Afri

107、cas social and economic development as it can better promote poverty alleviation,increase employment and support the sustainable transformation of Africas society and economy1.At present,the digital transformation in Africas agriculture,finance,consumption and other areas is picking up its speed,and

108、 the industrial digitalisation has expanded to more and more economic sectors.As to traditional industries,the number of start-ups in the agritech sector is on the rise across the African continent.By applying integrated digital technology in the traditional agricultural sectors,i.e.,achieving digit

109、al transformation for the traditional agricultural sectors,the African countries can quickly improve their productivity,enhance small farmers market connection,strengthen financial inclusion and accelerate agricultural transformation2.As to digital finance development,over 500 African companies are

110、providing technological innovations in fintech.According to the report released by the Groupe Speciale Mobile Association(GSMA),there were 1 billion registered mobile payment accounts across the world,and over 400 million of them were in Sub-Saharan Africa,and about 70%of global mobile payment-backe

111、d transactions happened and 60%of the turnovers of such transactions were generated in Africa3.There are 469 million registered mobile payment accounts in Sub-Saharan Africa and 181 million of them are active accounts with a mobile-payment-backed transaction volume of US$456 billion4.As to digital c

112、onsumption,the data supervision of the UNCTAD indicates that Africas online shopping users grew by 18%on average between 2014 and 2017 as one of the global regions experiencing the fastest growth.Now there are many influential e-commerce platforms established in Africa,such as Jumia,Kilimall,Zando,e

113、tc.Jumia,dubbed“Africas Alibaba”,was listed on the New York Stock Exchange in April 2019,providing online shopping service for 10 African countries,including Nigeria,Egypt and Morocco.1.1.3 Respond to Challenges with Innovation:The Adaption and Innovation of Africas Digital Economy in the Post-COVID

114、 Era The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic has severely disrupted the worlds economic development and led to the mounting economic downturn risks.Africa,the continent with the 1 African Union,“The Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa(2020-2030)”，https:/au.int/sites/default/files/documents/38507-do

115、c-dts-english.pdf 2 Piao Yingji,The Characteristics,Problems and Strategic Choices in Africas Industrial Digitalisation,West Asia and Africa,Vol 3,2022 3 GSMA,https:/ Statista database,https:/-9-most developing countries,is experiencing a significant economic recession.According to the IMF data,41 o

116、ut of the 54 African countries had evident economic contraction in 2022,and Africas share of global GDP dropped to 4.33%,the lowest level since 2002.Africa cannot regain its share of pre-COVID global GDP in the foreseeable future(see Fig 1.1)1.The research conducted by the UNCTAD shows that global m

117、erchandise trade import-export volume reduced by approximately 7.5%in 2020,but the export and import volume of ICT products rose by 4%and 1.1%respectively,which suggested a great“rising-against-the-tide”resilience of digital transaction under the lockdown caused by the pandemic.However,Africas expor

118、t and import volume of ICT products both took a nosedive2.The outbreak of the pandemic exposes some of Africas problems,such as single economic structure and high dependence on foreign supply;it also shows Africas weakness of failing to seize the opportunity provided by global digital economy develo

119、pment due to its own underdeveloped digital economy.Fig 1.1 Africas Share of Global GDP(calculated by purchasing power parity)Against this background,Africa is actively exploring the approaches to develop its digital economy.On February 8,2021,Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta,when attending the 34th

120、Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the Heads of State and Government of the African Union,pointed out that when Kenyas“lockdown”policy was implemented to respond to the outbreak of the pandemic,the government and enterprises kept running(as usual)thanks to digital technology.40%of Kenyas private co

121、mpanies were engaging in e-commerce and 70%of the countrys e-commerce payment was settled through various e-currency payment platforms.He called for the establishment of a single digital economic market in Africa with digital technology3.In April 2021,South African President Cyril Ramaphosa publishe

122、d an open letter to all citizens in the country.He said in the letter that the pandemic has accelerated South Africas economic transformation,and when pushing for economic recovery and rebuilding during the post-COVID era,digital economy can bring more employment opportunities for the country4.In Ju

123、ly 2020,at the online meeting under the theme of“How to Use ICT and E-gov to Respond to the COVID-19 Pandemic in an Innovative Way-Africas Solution”sponsored 1 IMF,https:/www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2021/October 2 UNCTAD,“E-Commerce and the Digital Economy in LDCs:At Breaking Point

124、in COVID-19 Times”,https:/unctad.org/system/files/official-document/dtlstict2022d1_en.pdf 3 Bin Jiancheng,Xu Haoran,Wei Song;The Conditions,Challenges and Strategies to Develop Digital Economy in Africa during the COVID-19 Pandemic;Journal of Jiangsu Normal University Philosophy and Social Sciences

125、Edition,Vol 3,2022 4 South African President:Digital Economy Brings More Employment Opportunities for the Country,Guangming Daily,https:/ 44.24.44.64.85200020012002200320042005200620072008200920102011201220132014201520162017201820192020202120222023202420252026-10-by United Nations Department of Econ

126、omic and Social Affairs(UN DESA),Maria-Francesca Spatolisano,Assistant Secretary-General in the UN DESA,stressed that the crisis brought by the pandemic has forced Africa to review its current laws and regulations in order to promote the advancement of communication technology and the development of

127、 innovative e-gov ecosystem1.As to industrial development,many countries promote online education,telemedicine,digital payment and other services,and push for the development of e-commerce,logistics and other businesses.For example,speaking of digital healthcare,Africa Centres for Disease Control an

128、d Prevention worked with 20 international partners and funds to build a nonprofit African electronic platform,helping the African countries government purchase diagnostic,test and medical equipment from certified suppliers2.Kenya successfully conducted a telemedicine service with the M-PESA mobile p

129、ayment platform to help patients avoid the risk of cross-inflection at a hospital.As to e-commerce and mobile payment,the Nigerian e-commerce platform Jumia enhanced its cooperation with the suppliers to provide faster delivery and better shopping experience when the supply chain was disrupted by th

130、e pandemic.According to the 2020 Banking Innovation Survey Report released by the Central Bank of Kenya on May 26,2021,the countrys e-banking development had been accelerated due to the pandemic,which pushed the banking financial institutions to actively conduct digital transformation.According to a

131、 survey done on 39 commercial banks and 14 small loan companies in the country,56%of the interviewees said promoting and using mobile and internet platforms and other channels was one of the development priorities for them during the outbreak of the pandemic in 20203.Moreover,the pandemic has also u

132、rged many enterprises and government organizations to speed up their digital transformation for their COVID-19 response.These endeavors have brought new thoughts and opportunities for Africas digital economy development.1.1.4 Bridge the Digital Divide and Explore Inclusive Growth for the Digital Eco

133、nomy As Africas digital infrastructure keeps improving and its digital technology undergoes a fast development,Africas digital economy has new growth opportunities.However,the problems of imbalanced development of Africas digital economy and the digital divide at different levels are also exposed.Fi

134、rst,the gap between Africas digital infrastructure and digital applications is growing.For example,Sub-Sahara Africa is still the region with the largest disparity between digital service coverage and use rate.Its 3G internet penetration rate rose to 84.6%in 2022,and its 4G internet penetration rate

135、 grew to 65%from 27%in 2018,but only 25%of its population can access to mobile phone service and over half of the adults(18 and above)there do not have internet access4.Second,the dividend brought by digital economy has yet to be fully released.According to a survey report conducted by the World Ban

136、k in 2023,since the beginning of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic,there has been a growing gap in mobile service usage 1 Digital Technology Improves Africas Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and China Shares These Experiences,Xinhua News Agency App,https:/ 2 OECD(2021),“Africas Development Dyna

137、mics 2021”，https:/www.oecd-ilibrary.org/development/africa-s-development-dynamics-2021_0a5c9314-en 3 Central Bank of Kenya Reports:The COVID-19 Pandemic Accelerates E-Banking Development,Securities Times,https:/ 4 GSMA,“The State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2023”,https:/ Africas large formal ent

138、erprises and small informal businesses,between companies owned by young men and companies owned by older women,and between wealthier,urban and better-educated families and poorer,rural and worse-educated families1.In recent years,Africa has taken proactive measures in the fields of digital economy t

139、o vigorously expand the scope of digital economy applications,lower the entry barrier to use digital technology,improve e-governance system and try to achieve inclusive growth and sustainability with digital transformation.For example,the African Union rolls out a series of digital strategies for ed

140、ucation,agriculture,healthcare and other key areas.The Digital Education Strategy and Implementation Plan 2023-2028 provides a framework for the adoption of digital technologies aligned with the continents education strategy;the Digital Agriculture Strategy and Implementation Plan 2023-2027 is desig

141、ned to support the Member States of the Africa Union to accelerate their agricultural growth and transformation with digital technology;the Digital Health Strategy supports the vision of“high life standard,high-quality life,health and wellbeing”stated in the Agenda 2063 and the objectives in the Afr

142、ica Health Strategy,i.e.,“Healthy Life and Wellbeing for Each African”2.In addition,the African Union works with the African Development Bank Group to jointly explore how to achieve inclusive growth and sustainability in the continent.The goal of this joint research is to develop Africa into a prosp

143、erous land based on inclusive growth and sustainability from 2023 and 2063 with an annual growth rate between 7%and 10%.The role of digital technology to ensure fast and inclusive economic growth and create employment opportunities in Africa is highlighted3.In June 2022,the eighth World Telecommunic

144、ation Development Conference was held at Kigali during which the Smart Africa Alliance and Digital Cooperation Organization signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation.According to this MOU,the two organizations would pay attention to the digital empowerment of women,youth and entrepreneurs

145、on the basis of strengthening cross-border data flow4.Throughout the history of Africas digital economy development,it has generally gone from ICT connectivity to strengthened market-oriented application of digital technology before gradually expanding to an attention given to the digital transforma

146、tion of the whole society.In the post-COVID era,the African countries realize at a higher level that developing digital economy is an inevitable choice for economic recovery,so they need to put a great effort into building new types of digital infrastructure and innovating the modes of digital econo

147、my development.In recent years,the“digital divide”and the development coordination problems in digital economy have already caught the attention of the African countries,and they focus on promoting the inclusive growth and sustainability brought by digital economy.At present,with the construction an

148、d development of the digital Silk Road,more and more African countries have reached a consensus with China in digital economy development,which is just like Rahamtalla M.Osman,Permanent Representative of the African Union to China since 2018,1 The world bank,“Digital Africa:Technological Transformat

149、ion for Jobs”,https:/www.worldbank.org/en/region/afr/publication/digital-africa 2 African Union,“Powering Africas Digital Future:AU Ministerial Meeting set to ignite Digital Transformation in Africa”,https:/au.int/en/pressreleases/20231121/powering-africas-digital-future-au-ministerial-meeting-set-i

150、gnite-digital 3“Digital technologies key to inclusive growth in Africa-African Union Commissioner”,African Development Bank Group,https:/www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/digital-technologies-key-inclusive-growth-africa-african-union-commissioner-60818 4 Smart Africa Alliance Signs an MOU with Digital

151、 Cooperation Organization to Jointly Promote the Cooperation and Development of Africas Digital Economy,Ministry of Commerce of the PRC,http:/ in a video message for the 2021 International Forum on South-South Cooperation and Trade in Services that“south-south cooperation can build a more inclusive

152、and sustainable digital economy1”.It can be foreseeable that Africa,with a large market and young population structure,will see its digital economy development reach new heights,and China-Africa cooperation will keep injecting impetus to the continents digital economy development.1.2 The Evaluation

153、System for Africas Digital Economy Development 1.2.1 A Statement of the Main Concepts(1)Digital Economy Digital technology,with internet,software and information as the representatives,was booming in the developed countries at the end of the 20th century and caught the attention of the western econo

154、mists first.The digital economy rises in response to the proper time and conditions.The productivity of digital technology was given priority and digital-technology-backed industries and their market-oriented applications were highlighted when defining the digital economy at early stage.As digital t

155、echnology constantly makes breakthroughs and has extensive application in the economy and society,the definition of the connotation and scope of the digital economy has undergone some new changes,and the focus on the digital economy gradually shifts to how it disrupts production relations and integr

156、ates with other social sectors2.This is particularly important for the developing countries that are already affected by the digital economy in traditional sectors,such as agriculture,tourism,and transportation3.Currently,there is no consensus on the understanding of the digital economy by the resea

157、rchers across the world,and the concepts of the digital economy can be roughly divided into an understanding in a narrow sense and one in a broad sense.In a narrow sense,the digital economy is deemed as an industrial economy,and the production,consumption and distribution of digitalized goods and se

158、rvices should be decoupled from the sectors which rely on traditional national economic activities in order to be developed into an independent and core industry of national economy,i.e.,the digital industry.However,we believe it is unscientific to evaluate the development of the digital economy in

159、the African countries and other developing countries solely based on the development of the digitalized products and the digital industry.In this case,we fully consider the penetration features of digital technology and the role of data as a critical factor,and define the digital economy as a combin

160、ation of a series of economic activities,including production,circulation and consumption,conducted with data,the critical production factor,at its core.We believe the digital economy should not only include the digital industry and transaction supported by the development of digital technology,but

161、also cover the digital infrastructure which ensures smooth digital transaction,digital media,digital products,digital services and etc.1 Permanent Representative of the African Union to China:Carry out South-South Cooperation and Build a More Inclusive and Sustainable Digital Economy,C,http:/ 2 Chen

162、 Xiaohong,Li Yangyang,Song Lijie,Wang Yangjie,The Theoretical System of Digital Economy and Its Research Prospects,Management World,Vol 2,2022.3 UNCTD,“Digital Economy Report 2019”，https:/unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2019_en.pdf.-13-(2)Digital Finance Finance is a collective name for

163、 currency circulation,credit activities and their related economic activities.As time goes by,traditional financial services constantly make progress worldwide,but it faces the problem of high cost and low efficiency and it can hardly penetrate the regions with relatively backward economy as it requ

164、ires brick-and-mortar offices to serve the marginal population1.According to the interpretation given by the Peoples Bank of China,online finance is a new type of financial service mode as traditional financial institutions and internet enterprises use internet technology and ICT to provide accommod

165、ation of funds,payment,investment and information brokerage.The maturing of big data,cloud computing and other technologies leads to the fast development of digital financial industry,and fintech drives traditional financial institutions to constantly improve transaction efficiency,safety and transp

166、arency,providing more direct and targeted financial services with wider coverage2.Fintech companies investment,financing,mergers and acquisitions,IPOs and other financial activities grow year by year,and digital currency,digital payment and digital banking are borne at the right moment.The products

167、and services of digital finance cover not only the businesses provided by banks and non-bank institutions through digital technology,such as e-currency,mobile financial services,online financial services and direct bank,but also checking personal financial information,statement of account and transa

168、ction details via digital devices3,which offers convenient and rapid financial operation for the consumers to meet their demands,such as borrowing money.Generally speaking,digital finance,with information technology development as its prerequisite,is a new financial business form that relies on clou

169、d computing,big data,AI and other digital infrastructures to drive the digital transformation of traditional financial services,which can spawn a large number of fintech applications,including digital currency,digital payment and digital banking.Specifically,digital finance contains three aspects:th

170、e support of traditional financial services,the driving of information technology and the innovative applications of fintech.It can overcome the hurdle of traditional financial services that the main resources are deployed in the population-intensive regions and commercial hubs in order to meet the

171、demands of small and micro businesses and low-income people,so it is more inclusive and convenient.(3)Digital Consumption The coupling of the digital economy and capital gives birth to digital consumption,innovates consumption forms and modes,breaks the time and space limitations of consumption and

172、renews consumption concepts4.By empowering the supply side,the digital economy makes the modes and content of consumption digital and smart with digital and intelligent production.It also inspires consumption potential from the demand side,changes the consumption concepts 1 Guo Feng,Wang Jingyi,Wang

173、 Fang,Kong Tao,Zhang Xun,Cheng Zhiyun,The Measurement of Chinas Digital Financial Inclusion Development:Indicators Compilation and Spatial Characteristics,China Economic Quarterly,p1401-1418,2020,19(04).2 World Bank,“Digital Financial Services.World Bank,2020,https:/pubdocs.worldbank.org/en/23028158

174、8169110691/Digital-Financial-Services.pdf 3 Chen Xitong,Mao Zeqiang,The Risk Characteristics,Supervision Challenges,Targets and Instruments of Digital Financial Products and Services,Southwest Finance,p14-26,2020,(09).4 Chen Peng,Long Yueer,Digital Consumption Alienation:Its Nature and Implications

175、and How to Respond to It,Consumer Economics,2023.-14-and habits of the residents,and constantly promotes digital consumption to become the new driver of economic development.The academic circle has yet to reach a consensus on the connotation of digital consumption,which can be roughly divided into t

176、hree understandings.The first one considers digital consumption as consumption of digital products,which mainly refers to cell phone,communication products and modern digital products that are directly related to the information and communication industry1;the second one thinks digital consumption a

177、s the consumption of data elements,which mainly refers to the consumption of digital products and services2;the third one believes digital consumption is the consumption activities conducted with the support of digital technology,internet and other tools,and it interprets digital consumption as the

178、coupling of digital technology and consumption.We believe that a single type of digital consumption cannot fully measure the development level of Africas digital consumption.In this case,we give a relatively broad definition for digital consumption,and we consider it as the consumption activities to

179、 meet peoples information-oriented,smart,personal and diverse consumption demands with internet and information networks as its main vehicle,data resources as its key production factors and the driving force of digital technology innovation as its engine3.It includes both the consumption of digital

180、products and the consumption of digital services.(4)Digital Divide The concept of the digital divide was firstly stated in the series report of Falling Through the Net published by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration(NTIA)of the US between 1995 and 2000,which caused extens

181、ive attention as a basis for decision making.It raised concern from the academic circle and was discussed among them in the early 1990s.This concept is initially considered as a binary division between those who can access computer and internet and those who cant.The disparity between computer and i

182、nternet access is later called“the first level of the digital divide”.As the research moves along,the researchers begin to explore the areas beyond this disparity.They discovered they had given a very narrow initial definition of the digital divide,so they expanded this concept.The cause of the digi

183、tal divide is widely understood as a combination of many factors,including the availability of related content,the quality of internet access and users knowledge and skills.This theoretical shift makes the researchers focus extend to digital skills and the disparity of its usage,which is called“the

184、second level of the digital divide”.Some researchers began to pay attention to users having unequal skills and know-how when using internet devices at that time,and they proposed the concept of“digital inequality”.Based on this recognition,the scope of the digital divide is further expanded,which no

185、t only focuses on technology access and use,but also pays attention to the consequences and results of these activities,and it is clearly pointed out that technology access and use does not necessarily deliver all the possible technical benefits to the users.The research perspective has shifted to t

186、he beneficial results of internet use,which is 1 Yang Ju,Peng Hao,The Regional Inclusion and the Interpretation from the Perspective of Political Economy of Chinas Digital Consumption,Consumer Economics,Vol 3,2022.2 Zhu Yan,Drive the Digital Transformation of the Industrial China with Consumption Up

187、grading,National Governance,Vol 24,2021.3 Chen Xiaohong,Li Yangyang,Song Lijie,Wang Yangjie,The Theoretic System of the Digital Economy and Its Research Prospects,Management World,Vol.2,2022.-15-defined as“the third level of the digital divide”.To sum up,the concept of the digital divide has undergo

188、ne a series of evolutions,including the three dimensions of information and ICT access,use and application results,and it is gradually deemed as a dynamic and multi-dimensional phenomenon caused by a series of factors.1.2.2 Our Thoughts on the Evaluation and the Design of the Evaluation System(1)Our

189、 Thoughts on the Evaluation Domestic and foreign-related organizations and institutions have conducted many researches on digital economy development evaluation,but their evaluation results differ a lot due to the difference in their definition of digital economy content.The Digital Economy Report 2

190、019 released by UNCTAD points out that“digital economy is estimated to account for 4.5%-15.5%of the worlds GDP based on their varied definitions1”.Therefore,based on the definition of the broad understanding of the digital economy,the Report argues that the evaluation of the digital economy necessit

191、ates the consideration of its systemic and developmental characteristics.Moreover,in order to have a more objective understanding of Africas digital divide,this report improves the evaluation system stated in the Africa Digital Economy Development Index and China-Africa Digital Economy Cooperation R

192、eport(2023)and includes the quantitative research results of the African countries digital divide.And finally,this report complies with the requirement on the operability,flexibility and forward-thinking of the evaluation system.On that basis,it established a multi-layered African digital economy de

193、velopment evaluation system including the analytical layers of space,multiple areas and time(Fig 1.2).Fig 1.2 Africa Digital Economy Development Evaluation Framework For the analytical layer of“space”,the digital economy development situation of cities reflects the progress in a countrys digital eco

194、nomic field2.The role that a city plays evolves from a business and trade hub to an industrial center and a sci-tech innovation powerhouse.The fast urbanization can effectively attract people to cities,produce the population aggregation effect 1 UNCTAD,“Digital Economy Report 2019”,https:/unctad.org

195、/system/files/official-document/der2019_en.pdf 2 China Academy of Information and Communications Technology,Annual Report on Digital Economy Development of Chinas Cities 2021,http:/ bring out the need for city governance.The central cities(economic and political key cities)are the driver and growth

196、pole of economic development as they gather a great number of businesses,financial institutions,manufacturing companies and service providers and introduce domestic and foreign investment and companies,which demands a more scientific and efficient city governance system.A digital transformation for

197、a city is an“important updating”for its information system,installing a“smart operation system”for the city and promoting the“function-oriented”city life evolving into a“smart”one1.Moreover,as the African countries and cities governing systems differ from each other to a certain level,an evaluation

198、of Africas digital economy development from the perspective of space should separate the country-level situation from the city-level situation.For the analytical layer of“multiple areas”,an evaluation of Africas digital economy should take into account the development situation of many related field

199、s because digital economy is a multi-layered and comprehensive running system.As digital technology keeps penetrating the consumption fields,digital consumption becomes an important area of digital economy development.In the meantime,a solid foundation has been laid to unleash the potential of Afric

200、as consumption market with Africas younger demographic composition,changing payment trends,booming e-commerce and other factors.The digitalized products and services in the consumption area have been gradually integrated into African peoples daily life.Digital consumption is profoundly changing Afri

201、can peoples consumption habits and becoming a new consumption growth driver as an important constituent part of digital economy.Africas digital finance is also growing together with its digital consumption.Many African people have no access to convenient,safe and low-cost payment,money transfer,loan

202、 and other financial services due to exchange fluctuations and low penetration rate of bank account,and digital finance has become an alternative solution for this problem.At present,digital finance is not only experiencing a fast development in the African countries because of its huge market deman

203、d and potential,as well as the innovation of fintech,such as digital payment and e-banking,but also getting ready for a“corner overtaking”.In this case,this report considers Africas digital finance and digital consumption as important evaluation areas to support our observation of the characteristic

204、s of Africas digital economy development.For the analytical layer of“time”,digital economy has a strong evolution characteristic as the new economic growth paradigm after agricultural economy and industrial economy.It is of great significance to consider the current state and evolution tendency of A

205、fricas digital economy from the perspective of development for better conducting China-Africa development.In this case,besides a comprehensive evaluation of Africas digital economy development situation,Africas digital finance and digital consumption situation and city-level Africas digital economy

206、development situation from a static viewpoint,this report also constructs a coordinated system development model to evaluate the coordinated evolution of digital economy.Africas digital divide is a problem generated by the continents digital economy development.This report illustrates the characteri

207、stics of Africas digital economy development 1 Digital Transformation:A New Round of Revolution of Urban Development History,the ,https:/ a dynamic viewpoint in combination with the quantitative researches on different layers of digital divide in the African countries.(2)The Design of the Overall Ev

208、aluation System This report adopts the synthetic index method to develop its indicators system for digital economy development evaluation.In order to ensure universal coverage for digital economy-related indicators and be consistent with the broad connotation of digital economy to take the generatio

209、n of digital factors and the process of value realization as logic,this report defines“digital foundation”and“digital application”as the two basic layers in digital economy development,and develops the evaluation system in combination with the development characteristics in the fields of digital eco

210、nomy and the research results of domestic and foreign researchers in this field.Specifically speaking,as to digital economy comprehensive evaluation,we take reference from the World Banks DE4A Diagnostic Tool and Guideline for Task Teams(2020)1,the ICT and digital economy statistical indicators syst

211、em released by Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD)in 2007 and 20142,the Digital Economy and Society Index(DESI)released by the EU since 20143,the digital economy accounting framework released by G20 in 2018 and 20204 and the ICT Development Index(IDI)released by ITU between 2

212、007 and 20195.In order to better analyze the development potential of Africas digital economy,we include the dimension of“digital economy innovation”besides“digital economy foundation”and“application of digital economy”.We take reference from the Financial Development index released by the IMF regul

213、arly6 and the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index of China7 when evaluating Africas digital finance,define“digital finance development level”and“digital infrastructure level”from the layer of“digital foundation”and define“fintech application level”from the layer of“digital applicatio

214、n”.We take reference from the B2C E-commerce Index released by the UNCTAD regularly8 and the reports related to domestic digital economy fields when evaluating Africas digital consumption.The“digital consumption assurance capability”and“digital consumption payment capacity”are used as the evaluation

215、 dimensions for“digital foundation”,and the“digital consumption scene carrying capacity”is used as the evaluation dimensions for“digital application”.For city-level digital economy development,because the synthetic index method cannot be used due to the limited availability of African cities data,th

216、is report uses the descriptive statistics 1 The world bank,“Digital Economy for Africa Country Diagnostic Tool and Guidelines for Task Teams”,https:/thedocs.worldbank.org/en/doc/694441594319396632-0090022020/original/DE4ADiagnosticToolV2FINALJUNE24.pdf 2 OECD,“Measuring the Digital Economy:A New Per

217、spective”,https:/read.oecd-ilibrary.org/science-and-technology/measuring-the-digital-economy_9789264221796-en 3 EU,https:/digital-strategy.ec.europa.eu/en/policies/desi 4 G20,“Tookit for measuring the digital economy”,http:/ 5 ITU,“Measuring the Information Society Report”,https:/www.itu.int/en/ITU-

218、D/Statistics/Pages/IDI/Background.aspx 6 IMF Financial Development index database,https:/data.imf.org/?sk=f8032e80-b36c-43b1-ac26-493c5b1cd33b 7 Institute of Digital Finance Peking University,the Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index of China(2011-2020),http:/ 8 UNCTAD,“UNCTAD B2C E-CO

219、MMERCE INDEX 2019”,https:/unctad.org/system/files/official-document/tn_unctad_ict4d14_en.pdf-18-method,and takes reference from the Report on Chinese Cities Digital Economy Development issued by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology in 20211 and World Cities Report 2022:Envi

220、saging the Future of Cities issued by United Nations Human Settlements Programme(UN-Habitat)in 20222 to evaluate city-level Africas digital economy development from three dimensions:network facilities in African cities,network usage preferences and online consumption capacity.Table 1-1 An Introducti

221、on of Domestic and Foreign Major Reports or Projects Measuring Digital Economy Report/Project Brief Introduction Issuer and Issuing Time Tookit for measuring the digital economy Evaluate and compare digital economy of various countries from four dimensions:infrastructure,empowering society,innovatio

222、n and technology application,employment and growth G20,2018 Roadmap Towards a Common Framework for Measuring the Digital Economy Propose the layered definition of digital economy and further improve the indicator system to evaluate digital economy,including four level-one indicators,employment,skill

223、,growth,infrastructure,empowering society,innovation and technology application.G20,2020 Measuring the Digital Economy A New Perspective Evaluate digital economy from investing in smart infrastructure,empowering society,innovation capacity and ICT promoting economic growth and employment,use the com

224、parison method and develop a digital economy indicators system covering 38 indicators with international comparability OECD,2014 Measuring the Information Society Report The report divides the evolution of information society into three stages:network infrastructure and ICT acquisition,the usage of

225、ICT in society,efficient use of ICT and benefiting from it;on the basis of these three stages,the report develops three level-one indicators:ICT introduction,ICT application and ICT capability,and 11 level-two indicators.ITU,2019 The Digital Economy Initiative for Africa（DE4A）The project provides a

226、comprehensive framework to evaluate the development environment and level of digital economy in the African countries,and develops an evaluation system from five level-one indicators:digital infrastructure,digital platform,digital financial service,digital entrepreneurship and digital capacity.The W

227、orld Bank,2020 The Digital Economy and Society Index(DESI)The index is used to represent the progress made by digital economy of EU members;it is calculated based on 31 level-two indicators of five major areas in EU members:wind-band network access,human capital,internet application,digital technolo

228、gy application and digital public service.EU,2022 Financial Development Index Nine indicators are created from the complex multi-dimensional nature of financial development;the performance of financial institutions and financial markets in depth,coverage and efficiency is summarized,and they are com

229、piled into the overall index of financial development.IMF,2020 Peking University Digital Financial Inclusion Index Based on the characteristics of digital financial inclusion,a digital financial inclusion indicators system is developed from three dimensions:digital finance coverage breadth,digital R

230、esearch Team,Institute of Digital 1 China Academy of Information and Communications Technology,Report on Chinese Cities Digital Economy Development 2021,http:/ 2 UN-Habitat,“World Cities Report 2022:Envisaging the Future of Cities”-19-finance usage depth and digitalisation level of financial inclusi

231、on;a comprehensive illustration of banking,payment,investment,insurance,money fund,credit service and other business forms is conducted.Finance,Peking University,2021 UNCTAD B2C E-COMMERCE INDEX Four areas,the share of financial accounts,the share of internet users,post reliability index and the num

232、ber of servers for safe internet,are used as the basic conditions to measure the economies to develop online shopping.UNCTAD,2019 World Cities Report 2022:Envisaging the Future of Cities It is designed to envisage the future of cities more clearly based on current trends,challenges and opportunities

233、,including the valuable lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic;some suggestions are also given for cities to better respond to all kinds of challenges and find ways to transit to sustainable cities.UN-Habitat,2022 Report on Chinese Cities Digital Economy Development The report develops a digital

234、 economy competitiveness index,and reflects the potential of urban digital economy development from six dimensions:digital innovation factors,digital foundation devices,core digital industries,digital integrated application,digital economy demands and digital policy environment.On the basis of colle

235、cting,measuring and calculating related data,a quantitative analysis is conducted on the digital economy competitiveness of 52 key cities in China.China Academy of Information and Communications Technology,2021 1.2.3 Africas Digital Economy Comprehensive Evaluation Indicators System(1)Digital Econom

236、y Foundation Digital infrastructure construction is the premise of developing the digital economy and a key area for the African countries to give priority to presently.The connotation of digital infrastructure includes three layers:network communication layer,perception storage layer and applicatio

237、n integration layer1.During the early state of digital economy development,ICT network construction is usually given the priority when building digital infrastructure and promoting the digitalisation process;as the digital industries keep making progress,the development of 5G,integrated circuit and

238、AI gets better,and their supporting infrastructure is also improved.The African countries are still at the early stage of digital economy development,so the indicators selected by this report are also used to evaluate the development level of their ICT network.Following the reliability,accessibility

239、 and affordability championed by The Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa(2020-2030)2,this report selects infrastructure,network coverage and network performance as the second-level indicators to evaluate Africas digital economy foundation development situation,and chooses the number of server

240、s for safe internet,the power supply coverage,logistic reliability score and other factors as the basis for the evaluation,among which mobile network charge and fixed network charge are negative indicators,and the rest indicators are positive ones.(2)Digital Economy Application Digital applications

241、drive Africas digital economy development.Considering the penetration nature of digital technologies and their integration with every economic and social dimension,this section consists of three second-level indicators:social application,market-oriented 1 Zhang Yue,A Contrastive Analysis of China an

242、d Singapores Trade in Services and the Revelations,Business&Economy,Vol.1,2022 2 African Union,“The Digital Transformation Strategy for Africa(2020-2030)”，https:/au.int/sites/default/files/documents/38507-doc-dts-english.pdf-20-application and individual application.Eight measuring indicators for it

243、 are confirmed,including IPv4/24s ownership,e-government index and the share of ICT service export,and all of them are positive indicators.(3)Digital Economy Innovation Digital innovation is a process where the new combination of digital and physical components of product and service generates new p

244、roducts or provides new services.During the process of digital innovation,on one hand,the generated new products or provided new services can“help promote”the iteration of digital technology,but,on another hand,they are also constantly driven by digital technology.In this case,new combinations of th

245、ese digital and physical components are generated continuously when producing these products and providing these services1,which inspires development potentials for digital economy.As digital economy industries differ a lot from traditional economic industries,the application of high-tech digital te

246、chnologies,such as big data,AI and cloud computing,requires an enabled innovation and entrepreneurship environment established at a national level,and a large number of outstanding creative talents to provide guidance and blaze the trail.Considering most African countries have a relatively low digit

247、al innovation development degree,this section is consisted of two second-level indicators:innovation capability and innovation environment.Eight measuring indicators for it are confirmed,including papers published in sci-tech journals,the share of high-tech product export and global innovation index

248、,among which the share of the service charge of setting up a startup is a negative indicator.Table 1-2 Africas Digital Economy Comprehensive Evaluation Indicators System First-level indicator Second-level indicator Evaluation indicator Unit P/N Data source Digital foundation Infrastructure the numbe

249、r of servers for safe internet Pcs/1 million people positive WB Power supply coverage%positive WB Logistic reliability score Level positive UPU Network coverage 3G network coverage%positive GSMA Mobile communication penetration rate%positive GSMA Network performance Internet connection speed Kbit/s

250、positive ITU Mobile data cost USD negative ITU Broadband deals USD negative ITU Digital application Social application IPv4/24s ownership Pcs/100 people positive AFRINIC E-government index Level positive UN 1 Yu Jiang,Meng Qingshi,et al.;Digital Innovation:Finding New Perspectives for Innovation Res

251、earch and Its Revelations;Studies in Science of Science,Vol 7,2017.-21-Market-oriented application Share of ICT service export%positive WB Share of ICT goods export%positive WB Individual application Internet subscription Subscribers/100 people positive WB Data plan subscription Subscribers/100 peop

252、le positive WB Social media application ratio%positive IP Geolocation Digital-account-based application ratio Applications/1,000 adults positive IMF Digital innovation Innovation capability Papers published in sci-tech journals Million papers positive WB Share of high-tech product export%positive WB

253、 Global innovation index Level positive WIPO Innovation environment College admission rate%positive WB Working population participation rate%positive ILO Share of education spending%positive WB Amount of assistance for international technical cooperation USD positive WB Share of the cost of setting

254、up a startup%negative WB 1.2.4 Africas Digital Finance Evaluation Indicators System(1)Degree of Financial Development The size of financial deals keeps growing because of financial development,financial efficiency also keeps improving as financial-service-guided economic development constantly makes

255、 progress,and the degree of financial development is designed to measure the foundation of the birth of digital finance.The size of financial system indicates the capability of financial system to pool and integrate financial resources and the scope of financial services provided by financial system

256、,which should be considered comprehensively based on all the constituent parts of financial system;from the perspective of economics,efficiency reflects the relationship between input and output,and the efficiency of a financial system means the proportion of financial input factors to financial/nat

257、ional economy output,so a higher financial system efficiency comes from pooling and distributing financial funds to serve real economy with a lower cost;financial stability refers to the sustainability of pooling financial funds.In this section,the size,efficiency and stability of financial system a

258、re selected as the second-level indicators to evaluate the degree of financial development in Africa,and the evaluation bases include private credit from deposit banks and other financial institutions as a share of GDP,stock market capitalization as a share of GDP,bank operating expenses as a share

259、of its total assets and bank Z-score,among which bank operating expenses as a share of its total assets,bank non-performing loan ratio and stock price volatility are negative indicators and the rest are positive indicators.-22-(2)Digital Infrastructure Level Digital infrastructure level is designed

260、to measure the driving force transforming traditional financial services into the new business forms of digital finance.In this section,digital service facility coverage and accessibility are selected as the second-level indicators,and the evaluation bases include 3G network coverage,mobile communic

261、ation penetration rate,internet connection speed and mobile data cost,among which mobile data cost and broadband deals are negative indicators and the rest are positive indicators.(3)Fintech Application Development Level Fintech application development level is designed to measure how well sci-tech

262、means are applied in financial innovation.Financial Stability Board(FSB)defines fintech as promoting financial innovation with technological means in order to create business models,technological applications and innovative products that have a revolutionary impact on financial market,financial serv

263、ice and financial institutions1.Fintech application development level is measured by fintech application coverage and the degree of penetration of mobile fintech application.The evaluation bases include digital-account-based application rate,penetration rate of financial software installation and po

264、wer-on times per person of financial software,and they are all positive indicators.Table 1-3 Africas Digital Finance Development Evaluation Indicators System First-level indicators Second-level indicators Evaluation indicators Unit P/N Data source Degree of financial development Size of financial sy

265、stem private credit as a share of GDP%Positive WB Deposit bank assets as a share of GDP%Positive WB Central bank assets as a share of GDP%Positive WB Stock market capitalization as a share of GDP%Positive WB Financial system efficiency Foreign exchange control intensity Level Negative Outbound Inves

266、tment and Cooperation Instructions by Country(Region)Banking industry return on assets%Positive WB Bank non-interest income as a share of total income%Positive WB Bank operating expenses as a share of total assets%Negative WB Financial system stability Current liabilities as a share of GDP%Negative

267、WB Proportion of current assets to deposits and short-term funds(%)%Positive WB 1 FSB,“(2019).FinTech and market structure in financial services:Market developments and potential financial stability implications”,https:/www.fsb.org/wp-content/uploads/P140219.pdf.-23-External debt stock as a percenta

268、ge of GNI%Negative WB Bank Z-score Level Negative WB Digital infrastructure level Digital service facility coverage 3G network coverage%Positive GSMA Mobile communication penetration rate%Positive GSMA Digital service facility accessibility Internet connection speed Mbit/s Positive ITU Mobile data c

269、ost USD Negative ITU Broadband deals USD Negative ITU Fintech application development level Fintech application coverage Digital-account-based application rate%Positive IMF Target group index of financial apps%Positive DataSparkle Penetration rate of financial software installation%Positive DataSpar

270、kle Degree of penetration of mobile fintech application Usage time per person of financial software minutes Positive DataSparkle Power-on times per person of financial software Power-on times/person Positive DataSparkle 1.2.5 Africas Digital Consumption Evaluation Indicators System(1)Digital Consump

271、tion Support Capacity Digital consumption support capacity is the prerequisite and guarantee of digital consumption development,which can be interpreted as the capacity of driving consumption development under a certain economic and cultural environment with the popularization and application of int

272、ernet in the society and its various fields by using basic digital resources and supported by ICT.In this case,digital infrastructure,network coverage,network performance and network application are selected by the researchers as the second-level indicators to measure digital consumption support cap

273、acity,and power supply coverage,mobile communication penetration rage and broadband subscription are used as the third-level indicators,among which mobile data cost and broadband deals are negative indicators.(2)Digital Consumption Payment Capacity Digital consumption payment capacity is the economi

274、c foundation to support digital consumption development as it includes the payment capacity in the economic environment of the African countries and their potential payment capacity in the future.This research measures the digital consumption payment capacity of the African countries from three dime

275、nsions:consumption environment,consumption potential and consumption group portrait,which specifically includes the GDP,per capita income and consumption level of these countries,their share of residents with a digital account,social support rate and etc.The inflation rate and social support rate ar

276、e negative indicators,and the social support rate refers to non-working age population as a percentage of working age population.-24-(3)Digital Consumption Scene Carrying Capacity Digital consumption scene carrying capacity refers to the application scenarios of digital consumption,i.e.,digital cons

277、umption business forms.Based on the mobile app statistics for active users released by DataSparkle data platform,we choose the business forms with relatively high activity level in the statistics for our analysis,which cover food,clothing,housing,transportation and other aspects of our daily life,an

278、d specifically speaking,they include seven aspects:digital shopping,food and beverages,travel and transportation,mobile game,digital education,online sports and social media.Table 1-4 Africas Digital Consumption Development Evaluation Indicators System First-level indicators Second-level indicators

279、Third-level indicators Unit P/N Data source Digital consumption support capacity Infrastructure Power supply coverage%Positive WB Logistics reliability score Level Positive UPU The number of servers for safe internet Servers/million people Positive WB Network coverage 3G network coverage%Positive GS

280、MA Mobile communication penetration rate%Positive GSMA Network performance Internet connection speed Kbit/s Positive ITU Mobile data cost USD Negative ITU Broadband deals USD Negative ITU Network application Internet subscription Subscribers/hundred people Positive WB Data plan subscription Subscrib

281、ers/hundred people Positive WB Digital consumption payment capacity Consumption environment GDP hundred million dollars Positive WB Per capita GDP USD Positive WB Net national income per capita USD Positive WB Household final consumption expenditure hundred million dollars Positive WB Per capita fin

282、al consumption expenditure USD Positive WB Inflation rate%Negative WB Urbanization level%Positive WB Consumption potential Proportion of Internet users%Positive DataSparkle Proportion of digital account users%Positive IMF Smart phone users Persons Positive DataSparkle Consumption group portrait Prop

283、ortion of population aged 15-64%Positive WB-25-Social support rate%Negative WB College admission rate%Positive WB Digital consumption scene carrying capacity Digital shopping App installation penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle Average usag

284、e time per person Minutes/year Positive DataSparkle Power-on times per person Power-on times/year Positive DataSparkle Food and beverages App installation penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle Average usage time per person Minutes/year Positi

285、ve DataSparkle Power-on times per person Power-on times/year Positive DataSparkle Travel and transportation App installation penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle Average usage time per person Minutes/year Positive DataSparkle Power-on times

286、per person Power-on times/year Positive DataSparkle Mobile game App installation penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle Average usage time per person Minutes/year Positive DataSparkle Power-on times per person Power-on times/year Positive Data

287、Sparkle Digital education App installation penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle Average usage time per person Minutes/year Positive DataSparkle Power-on times per person Power-on times/year Positive DataSparkle Social media App installation

288、penetration rate%Positive DataSparkle Post-installation target group index%Positive DataSparkle-26-Average usage time per person Minutes/year Positive DataSparkle Power-on times per person Power-on times/year Positive DataSparkle 1.2.6 City-level Africas Digital Economy Development Evaluation System

289、 As currently Africas digital economy development is concentrated in certain key cities,the digital divide can be addressed and an important radiation effect can be produced from the key cities to their surrounding urban circles by developing reliable and affordable mobile and digital consumption an

290、d in the key cities and coordinating the available digital measures at the national and regional level.In this case,we select some key African countries capital and cities with special status for this analysis,and the smart phone users in these cities as a share of such users in the countries where

291、these cities are located are shown in Figure 1.3.The proportion exceeds 10%for most of these cities,among which there are six cities,Libreville,Lome,Kinshasa,Harare,Freetown and Dakar,having a share exceeding 30%.The figure for Libreville and Lome even goes beyond 50%.Fig 1.3 The Smart Phone Users i

292、n Key Cities as a Share of Such Users in the Countries Where These Cities Locate As to the evaluation indicators,in order to understand the Internet preferences and online consumption capacity of the residents in the key African cities and the distribution of mobile data of current Africas digital e

293、conomy market,and considering the fact that the continent is at the state of building the momentum of digital consumption,we select the related data of six types of app,including communication,social networking,shopping,education,travel and local tourism and news magazine.We also select the target g

294、roup index and average usage time per person which represent app market share and potential user ratio,smart phone ownership,per capita WIFI traffic consumption and per capita mobile data consumption which reflect Africas consumers consumption capacity,and 4G and 3G network usage which reflects the

295、distribution of mobile data of mobile economy market in the Africas key cities.29.52%6.64%1.59%19.83%3.56%21.96%33.79%1.55%21.10%2.24%2.43%14.75%29.54%28.68%40.63%65.43%20.55%17.80%25.25%8.78%10.08%8.80%4.28%8.46%12.44%28.73%18.24%31.36%33.61%54.40%0.04%15.03%5.38%12.44%25.32%0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%

296、KampalaKigaliDjiboutiDar-es-DodomaAddis AbabaHarareEmbuNairobiKissiKisumuMaputoLusakaTananariveKinshasa LibrevilleYaoundDoualaLuandaAlexandriaCairoCasablancaKhartoumCape TownJohannesburgConakryAccraDakarFreetownLomeOnitshaLagosAbujaCotonouBamakoThe smart phone users in key cities as a share of such

297、users in the countries where these cities locate-27-1.3 The Method for Measuring the Development Level of Africas Digital Economy 1.3.1 Descriptions of the Samples and Data According to the data released by the UN,there are 54 Member States in Africa.China has established diplomatic ties with 53 of

298、them till June 30,2022,except for Eswatini in Southern Africa1.These 53 countries are also the participants of the Eighth Ministerial Conference of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation in 2021.In this case,we collect and sort out the related data of these 53 countries.The macro data are provided by

299、 the UN,World Bank,ITU,IMF and other authoritative reports and organizations,and the data related to regional development in Africa are provided by African Development Bank,African Network Information Centre and other institutions.Moreover,city-level Africas digital economy development data and the

300、data related to Africas mobile apps are provided by DataSparkle data platform.However,as we could only get very limited data from certain African countries,we ultimately selected the sample data from 32 African countries during 2014 and 2023 for Africas digital economy development comprehensive eval

301、uation,Africas digital economy development coordination evaluation and Africas digital divide evaluation;we select the sample data from 31 African countries in recent years for Africas digital consumption index;we select the sample data from 35 cities in 26 African countries in 2023 to write the Rep

302、ort on the Development of Africas City-level Digital Economy.Table 1-5 Table of the Distribution of the Sample Data Used in the Report2 Evaluation details Eastern Africa Western Africa Southern Africa Northern Africa Central Africa Africas digital economy development comprehensive evaluation,Africas

303、 digital economy development coordination evaluation and Africas digital divide evaluation Ethiopia,Kenya,Rwanda,Tanzania,Uganda,Burundi Benin,Burkina Faso,Cote dIvoire,Ghana,Guinea,Mali,Niger,Nigeria,Senegal,Togo Botswana,Eswatini,Lesotho,Namibia,South Africa,Zimbabwe,Zambia,Malawi,Mozambique,Madag

304、ascar Algeria,Egypt,Morocco,Tunisia Angola,Cameroon Africas digital finance development evaluation Ethiopia,Kenya,Rwanda,Tanzania,Uganda,Benin,Burkina Faso,Cote dIvoire,Ghana,Mali,Nigeria,Botswana,Lesotho,South Africa,Eswatini,Madagascar,Zambia,Algeria,Egypt,Morocco,Tunisia Angola,Cameroon 1 The off

305、icial website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the PRC,https:/ 2 We take reference from the division of the member states in various African communities,https:/au.int/en/organs/recs and the geographic area division of countries provided by United Nations Statistical Office,https:/unstats.un.org

306、/unsd/methodology/m49/overview/-28-Senegal,Niger,Senegal,Togo Mozambique,Zimbabwe,Malawi Africas digital consumption development evaluation Uganda,Rwanda,Tanzania,Ethiopia,Kenya,Burundi Guinea,Ghana,Senegal,Togo,Nigeria,Niger,Gambia South Africa,Botswana,Namibia,Lesotho,Madagascar,Zimbabwe,Mozambiqu

307、e,Zambia Algeria,Egypt,Morocco,Tunisia,Sudan Angola,Chad,Congo,Gabon,Cameroon City-level Africas digital economy development evaluation Kampala,Djibouti,Dar es Salaam,Dodoma,Addis Ababa,Embu,Nairobi,Kissi,Kisumu Conakry,Accra,Dakar,Freetown,Lome,Onitsha,Lagos,Abuja,Cotonou,Bamako Johannesburg,Cape T

308、own,Harare,Maputo,Lusaka,Antananarivo Alexandria,Cairo,Casablanca,Khartoum Kigali,Kinshasa,Libreville,Yaounde,Douala,Luanda 1.3.2 The Method to Evaluate the Development of Digital Economy(1)Regularization Approach As the indicators are used to measure different layers of data,their values dimension

309、and order of magnitude have a significant difference.In this case,these indicators can only be compared with each other and used to ensure the accuracy of the estimated final index after being normalized.During their normalization,the implications of indicator size on the whole system must be distin

310、guished.If the bigger a single economic indicator value is,the better it is for the development of the economic system,then the positive indicator calculation method shall be applied:!#!=!#However,if the smaller a single economic indicator value is,the better it is for the development of the economi

311、c system,then the negative indicator calculation method shall be applied,which is:!#!=!#In the equation above,=1,2,represent the African countries,=1,2,represent the indicators,=1,2,represent the years,and!and!refers to the biggest and smallest value of the indicators in these years respectively.Whe

312、n the indicators are normalized,some of the results might be 0.In this case,the normalized data will be shifted,and the equation of!#=!#!+0.0001 applies.The!#is the value of the normalized indicator.(2)How to Decide the Weight We adopt the objective weighting method,and entropy weight method,to deci

313、de the indicator weight.The size of the information provided by the entropy of each indicator is used by the-29-entropy weight method to decide each indicators weight.The bigger the data information is,the lower the uncertainty is and the the smaller the dispersion degree is and the bigger the weigh

314、t of the corresponding indicator is.The interference of human factors in deciding the weight of the evaluation indicators can be prevented,and the evaluation result can be more objective and geared to practical situations when using the entropy weight method to give weight to the indicators.First of

315、 all,we need to calculate the weight of indicator in year of each country,and we use!#to represent it，!#=$!#$!#$!%&#%&.We define the information entropy of indicator as!=&(（)+）!#+,&)#,&!#.The redundancy rate of the information entropy should be calculated as this:=1 .And based on the redundancy rate

316、 of the information entropy,the weight of indicator can be calculated as below:!=!)!,&(3)Comprehensive Evaluation Model After getting the weight of each indicator in the overall score,the score of each indicator in year can be calculated by multiplying its weight!and the normalized value of indicato

317、r,and the score of indicator of country in year is as follows:!#=!#After getting the score of each indicator of each country in each year,the overall score of each country in a single year can be calculated by summing.Lets say#is the evaluation score of the digital economy development indicators of

318、the th country under evaluation in year,the final score based on the linear weighting comprehensive evaluation formula would be:#=!#(!,&1.3.3 The Evaluation Method for Digital Economy Development Coordination(1)Measure and Calculate the Degree of Order of the Indicators According to the definition o

319、f digital economy,we conduct a dynamic evaluation for the evolution of Africas digital economy system based on the coordination theory.First,we define the digital economy system as =&,-,.,among which&is the digital foundation sub-system,-is the digital application sub-system,and.is the digital innov

320、ation sub-system.-30-Each of these sub-system is consisted of various basic factors.The coordination degree of systems refers to the degree of harmonious co-existing among inter-system and intra-system factors during the development,and it reflects the tendency of the systems are move from disordere

321、d state to ordered.The variables which play a decisive role in the evolution of the system are named order parameters and represented by/!,and reflects the three sub-systems forming digital economy;=1,2,reflect the order parameters of a certain sub-system,the value of the order parameters is:/!=(/!&

322、,/!-,/!#),and t represents time.Lets say/!and/!reflect the lower and upper bound of the value of parameter/!respectively.If/!is a positive indicator,the bigger the value of the indicator is,the greater the degree of order of the system is;if/!is a negative indicator,the bigger the value of the indic

323、ator is,the smaller the order degree of the system is.Using the concepts of subordinate degree of fuzzy mathematics,we get the degree of order of each component/!#of certain order parameter/!in the sub-system/with the following equation.$#.$#0=$#$（R%&ispositiveindicator）$#$（R%&isnegativeindicator）(2

324、)Measure and Calculate the Degree of Order of the System In general,the contribution of the sub-system/to the system at time can be calculated by$#*$#,i.e.,the degree of order of the sub-system,which can be represented by/#.We use the geometric mean method for its calculation,and the formula is as f

325、ollows:$#=GH$#.$#0(),=1,2,(3)Measure and Calculate the Coordination of the System We construct a system coordination model of two-period changes,and we believe the changes of the ordered state of each sub-system on the time dimension decide the coordination of the compound system.Lets say at the tim

326、e 0,the degree of order of sub-system/is/1,and when the compound system evolves to time&,the degree of order of sub-system/is/&,so the coordination degree of the compound system at time&would be:=GOH.$)$*0+$()O#In the equation above =1$%$&4 51$%$&456.In this case,we know 1,1.The bigger its value is,

327、the higher the coordination of the compound system is,otherwise the coordination would be lower.The necessary and sufficient condition for coordination to be positive is that the degree of order of the three sub-systems at time&is greater than the value at time 0,which means the compound system is a

328、t the state of coordinated evolving.For the degree of order of the three sub-systems at time&,if at least one of them is smaller than the-31-value at time 0,it will make coordination negative,which means the compound system is at the state of non-coordinated evolution.Moreover,if the increase of the

329、 degree of order of one sub-system is dramatic and at least the increase of the degree of order of one of the other two sub-systems is modest,it means the coordinated development degree of the compound system is at a low level despite the fact the coordination of the compound system is positive with

330、 a very small value.We ultimately divide system coordination into six coordination levels according to the measured and calculated value of the coordination(see Table 1-6).Table 1-6 Division of System Coordination Level Coordination Coordination level Coordination Coordination level ,.)Highly non-sy

331、nergistic ,.)Mildly synergistic .,.)Moderately non-synergistic .,.)Moderately synergistic .,)Mildly non-synergistic .,Highly synergistic 1.3.4 The Measuring and Calculating Method of Digital Divide We take reference from the research result of Brookings Institution and the Development Policy Researc

332、h Unit,University of Cape Town(DPRU)1 and measure and calculate the comprehensive digital development divide,digital foundation divide,digital application divide and digital innovation divide of Africa and the African countries.The specific methods are as follows:First,we take the worlds average lev

333、el as the critical value to decide the degree of Africas digital divide.We calculate the difference between the positive indicators of Africas digital economy development and the world average with the equation:!#=（x,-./0 x10）2345#R.We calculate the difference between the negative indicators of Africas digital economy development and the world average with the equation:!#=（x10 x,-./0）2345#R.If the