Digital Economy as a Driver of Sustainable and Inclusive Growth in Africa—Case Study

Abstract

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) can play a critical role in improving health care for individuals and communities. By providing new and more efficient ways of accessing, communicating, and storing information, ICTs can help bridge the information divide that has emerged in the health sector in developing countries—between health professionals and the communities they serve and between the researchers in the health sector and the practitioners who need the research finding (Digital Transformation in Healthcare in 2020: 7 Key Trend. Retrieved from https://www.digitalauthority.me/resources/state-of-digital-transformation-healthcare/). Through the development of databases and other applications, ICTs provide the capacity to improve health system efficiencies and prevent medical errors (Digital economy report 2019, value creation and capture: implications for developing countries, https://www.unctad/der/2019). The aim of this paper is to justify/examine how and what could be done in a sustainable and inclusive manner through the use of innovation to achieve the sustainable development goals through ICTs. This paper examines, the enormous potential for leveraging the digital economy as a driver of sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa. The authors of this paper conclude that further research on the digital economy and increased awareness of e-health coupled with pilot activities would help in better implementing SDG#3 and other related SDGs to enhance the impact of innovation in health on sustainable development and growth. Methodology: This paper relied heavily on secondary data from other previously conducted research on digital economy. By the time this paper was written, COVID-19 was already taking toll. Archival study proved suitable since it offered a great opportunity to review numerous researches (State Georgia, University. “GSU Library Research Guides: *Archival Research: Why Archival Research?” Why Archival Research?—*Archival Research—GSU Library Research Guides at Georgia State University, 2016, research.library.gsu.edu/archivalresearch) done on digital economy and make a case on its application as a driver for sustainable and inclusive growth in Africa.