世界银行-非洲的信息和通信技术采购（英）-2023

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GOVERNANCEANDTHEDIGITALECONOMYINAFRICA

TECHNICALBACKGROUNDPAPERSERIES

ICTProcurementinAfrica

GOVERNANCEANDTHEDIGITALECONOMYINAFRICA

TECHNICALBACKGROUNDPAPERSERIES

ICTProcurementinAfrica

HuntLaCascia,JustinValentine,TravisMells,VineetSurapaneni,KellyFlanagan,MariaDelfinaAlcaide,andMichaelKramer

Copyright©2022

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iii

Acknowledgments

ThisBackgroundNotewaspreparedundertheleadershipofJamesAnderson(LeadGovernanceSpecialist)andHuntLaCascia(SeniorProcurementSpecialist,GovernanceProcurement)withcontributionsfromJustinValentine(Valent–ProcurementConsultant),TravisMells(Valent–ProcurementConsultant),VineetSurapaneni(Valent–ProcurementConsultant),KellyFlanagan(Valent–ProcurementConsultant),MariaDelfinaAlcaide(GovernanceDataConsultant),andMichaelKramer(FraudandAnti-CorruptionConsultant).

ThereportbenefitedfromtheinputsofthefollowingWorldBankcolleagueswhokindlyagreedtoserveaspeerreviewers:KnutLeipold,KhalidBinAnjum,RajeshKumar,HibaTahboub,andCharlesPierreMarie

Hurpy.

TheBackgroundNotebenefitedimmenselyfromtheparticipation,assistance,andinsightsfromotherexperts.TheteamisespeciallygratefulforthesupportoftheGlobalGovernancePractice(GGP),andthepriorworkofgovernance,finance,andprocurementcolleaguesinboththeGGPandOperationsPolicyandCountryServices(OPCS).

WearegratefultoRichardCrabbeforeditorialservicesandMariaLopezforcoverdesign.

iv

Abbreviations

Abbreviation/Term

FullTerminology/Definition

ARPU

AverageRevenuePerUser

COTS

Commercial-off-the-Shelf

CPB

CentralPurchasingBody

CSR

CorporateSocialResponsibility

Disruptive

Technologies

Emergingtechnologiesthatresultinastepchangeinthecostoforaccesstoproductsorservicesorthatdramaticallychangehowpeoplegatherinformation,makeproducts,orinteract

eGP

ElectronicGovernmentProcurement

eProcurement

Electronicprocurement,referringtotheprocessofrequisitioning,ordering,andpurchasinggoodsandservicesonline

FCPA

ForeignCorruptPracticesAct

FCV

Fragility,Conflict,andViolence

Framework

Agreement

Acontractingmechanisminwhichlong-termcontractsprovidethetermsandconditionsunderwhichsmallerrepeatpurchasingorders(orcall-offorders)maybeissuedforadefinedperiodoftime

GDP

GrossDomesticProduct

GNI

GrossNationalIncome

GPPD

WorldBank'sGlobalPublicProcurementDatabase

ICT

InformationandCommunicationsTechnology

IDA

InternationalDevelopmentAssociation

IFMIS

IntegratedFinancialManagementInformationSystem

IIAG

IbrahimIndexofAfricanGovernance

IoT

InternetofThings

LCC

LifecycleCosting

MEAT

MostEconomicallyAdvantageousTender

P2P

Purchase-to-Pay

PII

PersonalIdentifiableInformation

PPP

Public-PrivatePartnership

SaaS

Software-as-a-Service

v

SBIR

SmallBusinessInnovationResearch:programsthatencouragesmallbusinessestoengageinfederalresearch/researchanddevelopmentwiththepotentialforcommercialization

SEC

UnitedStatesSecuritiesandExchangeCommission

SITA

StateInformationTechnologyAgency(SouthAfrica)

SLA

Service-LevelAgreement

TCO

TotalCostofOwnership:anestimateofthetotalcostsassociatedwithasolutionoverthewholeoftheoperationallife,includingfinaldisposal

TVWS

TelevisionWhiteSpace

USD

UnitedStatesDollars

VfM

ValueforMoney

vi

TableofContents

1Introduction 1

2OverviewofICTCategories 2

3ICTInfrastructureinAfrica 6

3.1FiberOpticCableConnectivity 8

3.2FocusonUrbanVersusRuralPopulations 11

3.3ICTDeploymentinRuralAreas 13

3.4CaseStudy–MovementtotheCloud 14

4ImportanceofICTonGovernanceandPreventionofCorruption 15

5CorruptioninICTProcurement 18

6BestPracticesinICTProcurement 20

6.1GovTechProcurementFramework 20

6.2PrincipleofValueforMoney 22

6.3FrameworkAgreements 24

6.4TotalCostofOwnership 26

6.5ProcurementofDisruptiveTechnology 28

7ICTProcurementProgressAcrosstheAfricanContinent 31

8RecommendationsforImprovingtheProcurementofICT 33

9Bibliography 37

ANNEXI:GPPDKeyTermsandDefinitions 39

ANNEXII:AfricanCountrieswithProcurementLawClausesbyProcurementPracticeArea 41

ListofFigures

FigureI.DistributionofUnderseaCablesAroundAfrica

8

FigureII.DistributionofAfricanTerrestrialFiberCables(2021)

10

FigureIII.AfricanPopulationDensitywithFiberCableOverlay

11

FigureIV.IIAGIndicatorsfortheMeasurementofGovernancePerformance

15

FigureV.CorruptionVis-à-visGovernmentInvestmentinTechnologyinAfrica(2016-2017)

16

FigureVI.CorruptionVis-à-VisGovernmentInvestmentinTechnologyinAfrica(2018-2019)

17

FigureVII.GovTechProcurementFrameworkforICTProcurement

21

FigureVIII.FrameworkAgreementIllustration

24

FigureIX.FrameworkAgreementEfficiencyIllustration

25

FigureX.VisualRepresentationofDirectandIndirectCostsAssociatedwithICTEquipment

26

FigureXI.SixStageCompetitiveDialogueProcessforICTProcurement

30

ListofTables

TableI.DataCenterTierClassificationDefinitions

4

TableII.ICTCategories,Definitions,andSampleMarketParticipants

5

TableIII.GlobalConnectivityIndex2020CountryIndex–Africa

7

TableIV.AfricanFiberCableOwnershipandOnlineDates

9

TableV.FutureAfricanFiberCableOwnership,OnlineDates,andLocation

10

TableVI.Top10MostPopulousCountriesinAfricain2020and2050(Projected)

12

vii

TableVII.Top10MostPopulousCitiesinAfricain2010,2020,and2035(Projected)

12

TableVIII.PublicizedCasesofCorruptioninICTProcurement

19

TableIX.KeyElementsandCorrespondingQuestionsforVfMEvaluation

23

TableX.DescriptionofICTTCOCosts

26

TableXI.BestProcurementPracticeAreaDefinitionsfromtheWorldBankGPPD

31

TableXII.CountofAfricanCountriesintheGPPDwithProcurementPolicyandLaws

32

TableXIII.MarketResearchMethods

34

TableXIV.KeyMarketResearchComponents

35

TechnicalBackgroundPaper:ICTProcurementinAfrica

1

1Introduction

TheobjectiveofthisbackgroundpaperistoprovidethereaderwithanunderstandingofInformationandCommunicationsTechnology(ICT)procurementwithafocusonAfrica.TheintendedaudienceofthisbackgroundpaperincludescountryofficialsworkinginICTandprocurementinAfrica,includingministriesoffinance,regulatoryagencies,andothergovernmentbodies.Theintendedaudiencealsoincludesstaffofinternationalorganizations,non-governmentalorganizations,academics,andstudentswhoarefocusedonICTandprocurement,andprivatesectorparticipantswhoprovideICTproductsandservicesinAfrica.Thisbackgroundpaperaimsto:

•DefineICTcategories.

•DescribetheimportanceofICTprocurement,includingitsrelevancetoAfricaandeconomiesatthelocal,state,national,andgloballevels.

•DescribethecomponentsofICTandhowtechnologyimpactsprocurementandgovernance.

•DetailbestpracticesinICTprocurementandsetoutthedichotomybetweenprocurementoftraditionalanddisruptiveICTtechnologies.

•Discussinstancesofcorruption,bidrigging,collusion,andfraudintheprocurementofICTandbestpracticestoreducethevulnerabilityofITprocurementstocorruptpractices.

•SurveytheprogressofICTprocurementacrossAfricaandsuggestrecommendationsandresourcestoimproveICTprocurement.

TheICTindustryisavitalcomponentthatmakesasignificantcontributiontoavibrantandgrowingglobaleconomy.In2018,ICTexportsaccountedforapproximately10percentofglobalexports.

1

ICTisalsoanintegralcomponentofsustainabledevelopmentandplaysaroleinmakingprogresstowardeachoftheUnitedNation’ssustainabledevelopmentgoals.

2

Inparticular,ICTcanhelptobuildresilientinfrastructure,promoteinclusiveandsustainableindustrialization,fosterinnovation,andenablecountriestoparticipateintheglobaldigitaleconomy.

3

AWorldEconomicForumExecutiveOpinionSurveyindicatesthatgovernmentICTprocurementdecisionsthatfosterinnovationontheAfricancontinentarecomparabletotheaveragecountrythroughouttheworld(WorldEconomicForum).

4

TheaveragescoreforAfricais37onascalerangingfrom0to100.WhiletheaveragescoreforSub-SaharanAfrica(38)ishigherthanthatofNorthAfrica(31),thedifferenceissmall.WithinSub-SaharanAfrica,themiddlesubregionhasasignificantlylowerscore(29)thantheothersubregions.Rwandaisthecontinent’stopperformer,followedbyGuineaandKenya.ThebottomperformerisLibya,followedbyZimbabwe,TheDemocraticRepublicofCongo,andAngola.TheaveragescoresofAfricaandSub-SaharanAfricaareverysimilartotheaveragescoreofcountriesaroundtheworld(40).ThisindicatesthatthereisasignificantopportunityforthegovernmentsofAfricancountriestoimprovetheprocurementofICTandfosterinnovationacrossthecontinent.

1TheWorldBankOpenData./.

2See/en/mediacentre/backgrounders/Pages/icts-to-achieve-the-united-nations-sustainable-development-goals.aspx.

3Ibid.

4Responsetothesurveyquestion:"Inyourcountry,towhatextentdogovernmentpurchasingdecisionsfosterinnovation?”[0=notatall;100=toagreatextent].Source:WorldEconomicForum,ExecutiveOpinionSurvey.Dataisfrom2016-2017,exceptforthefollowingcountries,forwhichthelatestavailabledatahasbeenused:Angola(2013-2014),BurkinaFaso(2013-2014),Côted'Ivoire(2015-2016),Gabon(2015-2016)andLibya(2013-2014).Dataisavailablefor41Africancountries.

2

2OverviewofICTCategories

ICTisanexpansivetermandcontainsmanysubcategoriesandindustries.Atitscore,ICTcoversalltechnologies,physicalorvirtual,thatenablethetransmissionofdata.Initsmodernincarnation,ICTisinextricablylinkedtointernetaccessandthetechnologiesthatenablecommunicationovertheinternet.ICTrepresentsasingularopportunityforcountriestoaccelerateeconomicgrowthandconnectcitizenstoeachotherandgovernment.TraditionalICTcategoriesincludehardware,software,cloudservices,professionalservices,datacenters,andtelecommunicationssystems.

ViewingICTthroughapublicsectorlens,anadditionalICTcategorythatmustbeaccountedforisGovTech.Inageneralsense,ICTenablesthedeliveryofserviceswhileGovTechisdefinedastheuseofICTtosupportgovernmentoperations,servicedelivery,andtransparency,amechanismforwhole-of-governmentpublicsectormodernizationthatplacesthecitizenatthecenterofthereform(WorldBank2020d).Earlydigitizationprojectswereoftensector-specific,uncoordinatedeffortsthatledtoislandsofexcellenceinsomecasesandinefficienciesinothercases.GovTechenvisionsmoderne-governmentsfacilitatedbydigitalsolutionsthatsimplifyprocedures,aremoreaccessibletocitizens,andareaccompaniedbypoliciesthatpromotegreatertransparency.GovTechhelpsagovernmenttohaveadirectimpactontheeconomyandthewell-beingofitscitizens.GovTechdoesnotmeansimplyupgradingagingICTinfrastructure;itfundamentallyaltershowgovernmentprovidesservicestoitscitizensthroughtheuseofexistingandnewdisruptivetechnology.

DefinitionsandadditionaldetailsrelatedtoeachICTcategoryarediscussedbelow.

Hardware

HardwareisthephysicalcomponentofICTandincludes“complete”devices,suchaspersonalcomputingdevices(desktopandlaptopcomputers)andsmartphones,orcomponents,suchasswitches,routers,satelliteantennae,andotherdevicesthatneedtobecombinedwithothercomponentstoformacohesiveunitsuchasanetwork.Forexample,asinglerouterorswitchdoesnotconstituteafunctionalnetwork;anetworkrequiresmanydifferenttypesofhardware,including(ataminimum)routers,switches,andcabling.

Software

SoftwareisthevirtualcomponentofICTandincludeslocalandweb-basedapplicationsandSoftware-as-a-Solution(SaaS),whichistheprovisionofspecificsoftwaresolutionstoaclient,usuallyonasubscriptionmodel.Softwarerequireshardwareforoperation.Softwarecanbeboughtforuseongeneralizedhardware–forexample,datamanagementsoftwareforaWindowscomputer–ormayonlybeusefulorapplicableonspecifichardware,suchasupdatedfirmwareforindustrialcontrolsystems.

Softwarecanbeclassifiedasproprietyoropensource.Proprietarysoftware,alsoknownasclosedsource,non-free,orcommercialsoftware,canbebought,obtainedthroughasoftwarelicense,orleasedfromitspublisherordeveloper.Typically,thedeveloperofthesoftwareretainsintellectualpropertyrightsandmayimposerestrictionsonitsuseanddistribution.Itssourcecodeisusuallyhandledasatradesecretandcannotbemodifiedbyitsendusers.Restrictionsofusebyusersaretypicallylistedintheproduct'sterms-of-serviceagreementorend-userlicenseagreement.Opensourcesoftwareallowsincreasedflexibilityforusersasitisfreetouseandcanbestudied,modified,anddistributedbyusers.Changescan

3

bemadetothesourcecodeofopensourcesoftwarewhichallowsuserstoidentifyandfixsecurityvulnerabilitiesandotherbugsandintegratenewfeaturesintothecode.

5

SoftwareacquisitionapproachesincludeSaaS,commercial-off-the-shelf(COTS),andcustom-builtsolutions.IntheSaaSapproach,softwareisprovidedtotheuserasasharedservice.Theuserpaystotheuseofthesoftware,andtheproviderisresponsibleformanagingthesoftwarestack.Theuserhastheabilitytoconfigurethesoftwareaccordingtothesoftware’scapabilities.COTSsoftwareisbuiltandmaintainedbyathirdpartyvendorandtheuserpaysfororleasesthesoftware,whichgivestheusertherighttoinstallandoperatethesoftware.Inthisapproachtheuserisresponsibleforthemanagementandconfigurationofthesoftware.

6

Acustom-builtsolutioninvolvesanentityworkingwithinternaldevelopersorathirdpartytoeitherdevelopsoftwarefromscratchordevelopandcustomizeanexistingopensourcesolution.Procuringentitiesshouldconsiderthecostsandbenefitsofeachacquisitionapproachbeforedecidingwhichapproachesbestmeetstheirneeds.

CloudServices

Cloudservicesfacilitatethedeliveryofcomputingservices,suchasremotestorage,applicationhosting,collaborationservices,anddatabaseprocessing,overtheinternet.Cloudservicescandeliverthesesolutionsondemand.Cloudsystemsenableorganizationstoaccessfilesandapplicationsandcommunicatewithotherusersonthesamesystem.Aprivatecloudisoneinwhichallhardwareandsoftwareisusedandmanagedbyasingleorganization.Privatecloudscanbedevelopedinternallyorbeprocuredfromamanagedserviceprovider.Costofmaintenancecanbehighinthecaseofaninternallydevelopedprivatecloud,especiallyastheorganizationwillneedtomaintainastaffofITprofessionalstomanagethesystem.Inthecaseofamanagedprivatecloud,theorganizationwillnotsharehardwarewithotherorganizations,andthemanagedserviceproviderwillhandlesecurity,updatesandupgrades,andmaintenance.Apotentialdownsidetoamanagedprivatecloudisthecostofmovingtoanothermanagedproviderorinternalprivatecloud,asthetransitionprocesscanbecostly,technicallychallenging,andcanresultinthelossofdata.Intermsofthesoftwareoverlayontopofaprivatecloud,anorganizationcanchoosetobuilditsownprivatecloudsoftware,utilizethatofamanagedserviceprovider,oroutsourcethecreationofcustomproprietarycloudmanagementsoftware.

Apubliccloudisoneinwhichhardwareisshared,suchasthoseofferedbyAmazonAWS,MicrosoftAzure,andGoogleCloud.Publiccloudsolutionsutilizeadistributedinfrastructurewherecomputing,storage,andnetworkingaredeployedseparatelyandremotely.Thismodularapproachoffersagreatdealofflexibilitytoanorganizationaslargeorganizationscanworkwithpubliccloudproviderstopreciselytailortheircloudtotheirparticulardemands.

Therecanalsobeahybridcloud,whichmixesbothprivateandpubliccloudservices.Publiccloudprovidersprovidelow-costinfrastructure,whiletheprivatecloudisusedtosecureanorganization’smostsensitivedata.Ifanorganizationhasparticularsecuritydemands,suchashandlingcustomers’personalidentifiableinformation(PII),thatinformationislikelybeststoredonaprivatecloud.Insomescenarios,anorganizationwillbelegallyboundtomanagesuchdatainternallyasopposedtoutilizingapubliccloudandpotentiallyexposingthatdatatoleakorexposure.

5See/13724327/what-is-proprietary-software-x-advantages-it-has-over-open-source-software.

6See/management/2020/10/an-cloud-architects-perspective-on-cots-vs-saas.html.

4

Anotheralternativeismulticloudarchitecture,whereanorganizationcombinesservicesfrommorethanonecloudproviderorvendor.Doingsoincreasesredundancyandimprovesdatacontinuitywhilemitigatingtheriskofdowntimeandserviceoutages.

ProfessionalServices

ProfessionalservicesgenerallyconsistofcomputerprogrammingandconsultingservicesthatareenabledbyICT.Thepackagecanincludeapplicationdevelopment,processconsulting,managedservicessuchasremotenetworkmanagement,andfintechsolutionssuchasmobilebanking.ProfessionalservicesareanimportantcomponentinthegrowthoftheICTsector—individualscanutilizeaccesstohardware,software,andtelecommunicationssystemstoinnovateandestablishprofessionalservices.

DataCenters

Datacenterscanbeconsideredasubsetofhardware,inthattheycomprisenetworkinghardwaresuchasrouters,switches,andservers.DatacentersareconsideredamaincategoryofICTbecauseoftheimportantrolethattheyplayinICTadoptionandexpansion.IntheearlystagesofICTadoption,acountrywilloftenrelyonremotedatacentersthatcanbethousandsofmilesaway.AslocalizeddemandforICTservicesgrows,ICTsupplierswillseektoconstructdatacentersin-countrytomeetthatdemand.DatacentersarealsoanimportantcomponentofICTandnetworksecurityandintegrity,sinceGovTechapplicationsusuallyrequirelocaldatacenterstostoresensitiveinformationsuchasPII.Datacentersenablegovernmentstomorecloselymanagesecurityrisks.

Datacenterscanalsobealocalizeddriverofgrowth.Theirrequirementsareinternationallyunderstoodandaccepted,andanenterprisinglocalbusinesscanacquire(import)thenecessaryequipmentandconstructlocaldatacenterssolongasdemandexists.Datacentertiersspecifypowerandcoolingrequirementsandprovidetheexpecteduptimeor,alternatively,themaximumamountoftimethetiereddatacenterisexpectedtobedownornonfunctioning.TableIbelowprovidesadditionalinformationondatacentertiers.

7

Datacentercomplexity,redundancy,anduptimeincreasesfromonetiertothenext,resultinginincreasedmaintenanceandoperatingcostsacrosstiers.AsanICTindustrymatures,itwilldemandhighertierdatacenterstoensurecontinuityofserviceprovisionandminimizedowntime.

TableI.DataCenterTierClassificationDefinitions

Tier

Power/Cooling/Redundancy

Uptime(AnnualDowntime)

1

Singlepower/coolingpath,fewredundantcomponents

99.671%(28.8hours)

2

Singlepower/coolingpath,someredundantcomponents

99.741%(22hours)

3

Multiplepower/coolingpaths,redundancythatenablesupdateswithoutgoingoffline

99.982%(1.6hours)

4

Virtuallyfaulttolerant,redundancyforeverycomponent

99.995%(26.3minutes)

TelecommunicationsSystems

Atelecommunicationssystemisacombinationofnetworkcomponentssuchastransmitters,receivers,andotherdevicesthatsendmessagestooneanother.Telecommunicationssystemsaremadeupofhardware,software,datacenters,andaresupportedbyprofessionalservicesforoperationsandmaintenance.

7See/tiers;/us/en/what-is/data-center-tiers.html.

5

GovTech

Intermsofprocurablegoodsandservices,GovTechencompassessoftwarethatisusedinthepublicsector.Thissoftwareisusuallydesignedtomanagecomplexinformationsystemsandsynthesizingdatastreamsformoreefficientcollectionandanalysis.GovTechsoftware,however,isnotjustaboutdataintakeandmanagement.Asmoregovernmentservicesaremanagedandprovidedonline,GovTechalsoincludesonlineplatformsandportalsdesignedtofacilitategovernment-citizensinteraction.ThistypeofGovTechcanincludeonlineportalsforservicessuchaslicensingorpermitting.

TableIIbelowprovidesasummaryofICTcategoryexamplesandasampleofmarketparticipantsineachcategory.

TableII.ICTCategories,Definitions,andSampleMarketParticipants

ICTCategory

Examples

SampleMarketParticipants

Hardware

Personalcomputingdevices,networkingcomponents.

HPEnterprise,Huawei,Samsung.

Software

Applicationsandproductivitysuites,network/processmanagement.

Microsoft,Google.

CloudServices

Managedremotestorage/backup,webhosting.

Microsoft,Amazon,Google.

ProfessionalServices

Processconsulting,customermanagementsolutions,applicationdevelopment.

IBM,HPEnterprise,Microsoft,Salesforce,SAP.

DataCenters

Remotedatacenters,datacenter

management.

IBM,Fujitsu,Wipro.

Telecommunications

Systems

Fiberopticcabling,wirelessantennae.

Qualcomm,Huawei,ZTE,Ericsson,CISCO,NokiaNetworks,Samsung.

GovTech

Electronicvotingmachines,smartcitytechnologies(lighting,surveillance,trafficmanagement),informationsystemsmanagementandassociatecloudstorage.

Microsoft,Amazon,Google.

6

3ICTInfrastructureinAfrica

AfricalagsbehindtherestoftheworldwithlessthanonepercentofSub-SaharanAfrica’sgoodsexportsconstitutingICTgoodsandlessthanfivepercentoftheregion’sservicesexportsconstitutingICTservices.

8

TheGlobalConnectivityIndex2020CountryRankings

9

assesshoweconomiesuseICTtoaccelerateeconomicrecoveryandidentifywhatotherstepstheycantaketoacceleraterecovery.Theindexsplitscountriesintothreecategoriesasshownbelow.

i.Frontrunnersaremature,developedeconomiesthatfocusonenhancinguserexperiencesandhaveshiftedtheirprioritiestoinvestinginareassuchas5G,bigdata,artificialintelligence,andInternetofThings(IoT)todevelopsmarterandmoreinnovativeeconomies.

ii.AdoptersexperiencethelargestGrossDomesticProduct(GDP)growthfrominvestmentinICTinfrastructureastheyarefocusedonincreasingdemandforhigh-speedconnectivitytocloudtofacilitateindustrydigitizationandeconomicgrowth.

iii.StartersareintheearlystageofICTinfrastructurebuild-outandarefocusedonexpandingconnectivitycoveragetoprovidemoreaccesstothedigitaleconomy.

NoAfricancountriesarecategorizedasafrontrunner;SouthAfricaistheonlyonecategorizedasanadopter.TenAfricancountries–Morocco,Algeria,Kenya,Botswana,Ghana,Namibia,Nigeria,Uganda,Tanzania,andEthiopia–arecategorizedasstarterswhiletheremainingcountrieswerenotcategorized.TheGlobalConnectivityIndexfollowsthedigitaldevelopmentof79countriesacrosstheworld,somanycountriesarenotincluded;assuchtherearemanycountriesinAfricathathavenotbeencategorized.ItshouldbenotedthatwhileadopterssuchasSouthAfricaarefocusedonincreasingdemandforhigh-speedconnectivity,thevastmajorityoftheAfricancontinentisprimarilyfocusedonexpandinginternet

access.

TableIIIbelowshowshowAfricancountriesareclassifiedaccordingtotheGlobalConnectivityIndex2020CountryRankings.ItshouldbenotedthatAfricancountriesoverlapsignificantlywiththeWorldBank’sInternationalDevelopmentAssociation(IDA)categorization.IDAcountriesareconsideredamongtheworld’spoorestcountriesandarelentmoneyonconcessionaltermswithverylowornointerest.

10

IDAcountriesareindicatedinthetablebelowwithanasterisk(*).

11

AnumberofAfricancountriesarealsoexperiencingfragility,conflict,andviolence(FCV)conditions.TheWorldBankapproachescountriesexperiencingFCVconditionswithadaptedapproaches,policies,andinstruments.

12

FCVcountriesarenotedwithanothermark(“†”).

13

BuildingoutICTcapabilitieswithinacountryhasnumerousbenefits,includingincreasedproductivityandinnovation.WhileICTcanhelpcountriesskiptraditionalstagesofdevelopment,itisnotablethathalfoftheworldpopulationattheendof2019didnothaveInternetaccess.

14

Ofthe25leastconnectedcountriesintheworld,21areinAfrica,

15

yetAfricahasseenastoundingprogressinICTadoptionand

8TheWorldBankOpenData.

9See/minisite/gci/assets/files/gci_2020_whitepaper_en.pdf?v=20201217v2.

10See/about/what-is-ida.

11See/about/borrowing-countries.

12See/en/topic/fragilityconflictviolence/brief/harmonized-list-of-fragile-situations.

13See/en/888211594267968803/FCSL