Effects of ICTs on the Terms of Trade of Sub-Saharan African Economies

Bridging the digital divide in health care

In this article, the concept of eBorder Management is developed from the need for change in customs administrations, especially insofar as that change relates to the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) to respond to the demands of increased volumes of international trade and the documents that support it. The automation of customs procedures has been a key component of customs reform and modernisation initiatives, and its importance to trade facilitation has been emphasised by the World Customs Organization (WCO), World Trade Organization (WTO), World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Core functionality of Customs ICT systems and the resultant benefits are identified, as is the significance of developing systems that can be integrated with those in the private sector and other government agencies. The development of eBorder Management at both national and international levels is only possible with uniform adoption or adaptation of policies and legal frameworks that will enable and recognise the interoperable use of the relevant system in both national and international respects.

How the advancement of information and communications technologies (ICT) and digitalization affect labor productivity is subject of an ongoing debate. While parts of the literature find the expected positive effects, other studies have found no effect, resulting in the so-called productiviy paradox. As most of the studies have focused on economically advanced economies such as OECD countries, evidence for less developed economies has been sparse. We use a digitalization composite index from a balanced panel of 40 Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies, using data from 2006 to 2021, to assess the effect of digitalization on aggregate labor productivity in SSA economies. We employ generalized least squares (GLS) and system generalized methods of moments (GMM) methods to capture the effects of digitalization on labor productivity levels in agriculture, manufacturing, and service sectors. Our results show a weak association between digitalization and overall labor productivity. However, when sectors are analyzed separately, digitalization has a positive effect on labor productivity in agriculture and manufacturing sectors, whereas we find evidence for the productivity paradox in the service sector, with even a negative effect of digitalization on labor productivity.

The non-traditional influences of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) are increasingly gaining attention in international business studies; however, the empirical evidence of these influences is still scant. Using human capital theory within the context of the national competitive framework, the study reported in this paper considers the progress towards achieving Quality education as a likely influence of FDI inflows in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The paper employs a panel data research design and conducts fixed effects estimations. The analysis categorizes FDI flows into global FDI, FDI from developed countries, and FDI from developing countries to SSA. Thus, the paper is centred around three research questions: (1) How does progress toward quality education influence global FDI inflows? (2) How does progress towards quality education influence FDI inflows from developed and (3) from developing countries? The analysis mainly utilizes a bespoke dataset from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and data from trustworthy databases such as UNCTADSTAT and the World Development Indicators (WDI). The results support the claim of the increasing importance of non-traditional influences of FDI flow. Quality Education significantly influenced FDI inflows from the globe and developing countries to SSA. This research provides further evidence that the national competitive framework can thoroughly explain the factors that have different significant powers in influencing FDI flows to SSA from developed and developing countries. The study is highly policy-relevant because it examines the effects of the degree of attainment of specific UN Sustainable Development Goals (quality education) on inward FDI performance. It, therefore, shows the benefits of SSA countries investing in the SDGs for the policy goal of attracting more considerable amounts of inward FDI.

In 1964, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) was established as a special organ of the UN General Assembly (General Assembly) to advocate a basic restructuring on behalf of the developing countries. Apart from being assigned new working fields, UNCTAD was as well considerably tightened up in its institutions. Now the UNCTAD Secretariat is intended mainly to fulfill the function of an opinion-leader, with primarily analytic research work along the lines of an tOECD of the Southt. The convening of the conference was, however, preceded by lengthy disputes: the industrialized countries were only willing to establish the conference as a subsidiary body to the ECOSOC (Principal Organs, Subsidiary Organs, Treaty Bodies). Finally, agreement on the foundation as a tspecial organt of the GA was reached with a compromise: the developing countries gave up their plan to establish an organization exclusively concerned with aspects of development. Keywords: ECOSOC; GA; UNCTAD

Both the Doha Development Round of trade talks, and recent rulings at the WTO, have placed the EU under increasing pressure to agree to more far-reaching proposals for reform of the European Union's Common Agricultural Policy. The purpose of this paper is to examine to what extent Sub-Saharan African (SSA) economies could gain or lose from EU trade reform, whether undertaken in a unilateral or multilateral context. EU trade reform impacts on SSA countries are also set in the context of potential gains that they may obtain from trade reform by other geographic regions including the SSA countries themselves. The primary economic argument for trade reform is that free trade can be a source of important efficiency gains if a country liberalises its own trade. Free trade is a means for a country to go beyond the constraints of its autarkic production possibilities. However, most SSA economies are classified as Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and it is not likely that they will be obliged to reduce their agricultural trade barriers in the Doha trade round. The principal likely sources of welfare changes from the Doha trade round as it impacts on agricultural trade, for SSA countries, are greater access to rich country markets and the resulting rise in world food prices. Net food exporters will benefit from positive terms of trade effects. However, some SSA exporters will face preference erosion if EU agricultural trade liberalisation causes the EU internal market price to fall and thus reduces the value of their preferential access to the EU market. Also, many SSA economies are net food importers and will face terms of trade losses if world prices rise. Non-LDC developing SSA countries will be obliged to cut their own agricultural tariffs if such cuts for developing countries are part of a Doha round agreement. These factors point to the need for a careful country by country analysis of impacts of trade reform that moves beyond the analysis of relatively heterogeneous large groups such as all LDCs or all SSA countries. This paper aims to determine the sign and strength of the effects of agricultural trade liberalisation on welfare, production and trade of Sub-Saharan African countries. In addition, it poses some more speculative questions about the potential effects on poverty of different trade liberalisation scenarios. The paper has a particular focus on Tanzania and Uganda because of their status as priority countries for Ireland's development assistance programme. Included are a series of partial equilibrium simulations using the UNCTAD Agricultural Trade Policy Simulation Model (ATPSM). These focus on the producer, consumer, and total welfare effects from trade liberalisation. A number of scenarios are developed. These include benchmark scenarios reflecting the potential impacts on SSA countries of unilateral agricultural trade liberalisation by the EU, by the SSA countries themselves, and by other major country groupings. In addition, results are presented of some simulated policy scenarios based on negotiating positions put forward in the Doha round negotiations to date. The recurring pattern in these simulations is that the significant benefits for SSA producers from the higher world prices of agricultural commodities are offset, and typically more than offset, by the losses to consumers, so that total welfare changes are very small or negative. Not all countries follow this pattern however; some experience significant changes in total welfare and these 'exceptions' drive the aggregate total welfare results for the SSA region as a whole.

The Information Economy Report 2009: Trends and Outlook in Turbulent Times (IER 2009) is the fourth in a series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). The report is one of the few publications to monitor global trends in information and communication technologies (ICTs) as they affect developing countries. It serves as a valuable reference for policymakers in those nations. It gives special attention to the impact of the global financial crisis on ICTs. The report offers a fresh assessment of the diffusion of key ICT applications between 2003 and 2008. It includes chapters on the use of ICTs in the business sector and on the impact of the financial crisis on ICT trade.

Manufacturing industries have played a significant role in boosting economic wellbeing in the world through accelerating and maintaining greater productivity growth, boosting employment options for semi-skilled workers, and increasing country competitiveness through exports. Kenya, like many other developing nations, is working to build a strong manufacturing industry. Agriculture and services have been the primary drivers of growth in the country. Historically, the manufacturing sector's contribution to Kenya's economy has remained constant at 10% of GDP, and in 2021 it was around 8.4 percent. As a result, the country has seen an early deindustrialization, as evidenced by the manufacturing sector's contribution to GDP, which was just 8.4% in 2021 and 9.2% in 2016. Boosting manufacturing sector results remains a key priority for Kenya, as evidenced by the slew of planned interventions for the industry that have been created over the years. The government has established Vision 2030, the Kenya Industrial Transformation Programme (KITP), and, most recently, the Big 4 Agenda to modernize the industrial sector. The major goal of this research was to see how infrastructure development (ID) affected Kenya's manufactured exports to the East African Community (EAC). The specific goals were to determine the impact of infrastructure development on Kenya's manufacturing exports to the EAC region. Gravity model was used as the theoretical framework for the study, which is based on the theory of international trade and employs a correlation research design that is ideal for dynamic panel data models. Each country's data for the study variables was obtained from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Kenya Nation Bureau of Statistics, World Bank development and African Development Bank for six EAC members for the period 2007–2021. Unit root test, Im-Pesaran and Shin, Levin-Li-Chu tests were used in the study. The Im-Pesaran unit root test results at Levels indicated that all the variables except inflation had unit root at levels as indicated by the p-values>0.05, except inflation which had a p-value of 0.0006

Small-scale food producers can benefit significantly from the adoption and effective utilization of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs). For example, ICTs can help improve food production and access to markets, which is particularly valuable in many Sub-Saharan African countries that both urbanize rapidly but whose food systems still rely significantly on small-scale food producers. This study examines the adoption patterns and desirable characteristics of ICTs, as well as the factors influencing them, among small-scale food producers engaged in urban agriculture in South Africa. We administered 85 in-person surveys through referrals from local producers’ network in disadvantaged areas of Cape Town (n = 21; Gugulethu, Philippi, Khayelitsha) and Johannesburg (n = 64; Central Business District, Soweto, Orange Farm). A substantial proportion of the respondents articulated the need for food-related mobile applications with functions that facilitate price comparisons, and the sharing of best practices and health advice. User-friendliness, low internet data use, and affordability were perceived as the most important characteristics for such food-related mobile applications. Redundancy analysis (RDA) reveals that the socioeconomic and demographic characteristics of respondents significantly influence the desired functionalities of food apps and their preferred activities among the respondents. Producers that are married and have more children, have higher income and education, and own larger land holdings, show very distinct patterns in terms of desirable functions and uses for food apps. Our research underscores the need for comprehensive approaches to the development and promotion of food-related ICTs when targeting small-scale food producers. The barriers and needs identified here can help ICT developers, development agencies and policy-makers design fit-for-purpose interventions and policies to facilitate ICT adoption among urban small-scale food producers in rapidly urbanizing areas.

Bibliography

The Information Economy Report 2010: ICT, Enterprises and Poverty Alleviation is the fifth in the flagship series published by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). As one of few annual reports that monitor global trends related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) from a development perspective, the Report is a valuable reference source for policymakers in developing countries. In the 2010 edition, special attention is given to the potential impact of ICTs in enterprises for reducing poverty and improving livelihoods. The evidence presented in this Report suggests that more attention should be given by policymakers and other stakeholders to opportunities in this area.

This paper examines empirically the links between adoption of information and communications technology (ICT), defined as usage by firms, innovation, and productivity using firm-level data for a sample of six Sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Although adoption of information and communications technology in these countries is still lagging behind OECD countries, there is significant heterogeneity on adoption rates across the countries. Kenya has the largest adoption rate of computer, software, and Internet usage. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania experience lower adoption rates. The degree of internationalization of the firm, use of technology, and extent of competition are important factors explaining firm-level use of ICT. The results of the estimates suggest that ICT use is an important and robust enabler of product, process, and organization innovation across all six countries. However, the final impact on productivity depends on the degree of novelty of the innovation introduced by the firm.

This paper examines empirically the links between adoption of information and communications technology (ICT), defined as usage by firms, innovation, and productivity using firm-level data for a sample of six Sub-Saharan African countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia. Although adoption of information and communications technology in these countries is still lagging behind OECD countries, there is significant heterogeneity on adoption rates across the countries. Kenya has the largest adoption rate of computer, software, and Internet usage. The Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania experience lower adoption rates. The degree of internationalization of the firm, use of technology, and extent of competition are important factors explaining firm-level use of ICT. The results of the estimates suggest that ICT use is an important and robust enabler of product, process, and organization innovation across all six countries. However, the final impact on productivity depends on the degree of novelty of the innovation introduced by the firm.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the adoption of information and communication technology (ICT) in teaching and learning in secondary schools in Nairobi County, Kenya. Specifically, the study aimed to evaluate the ICT adoption level, examine the teachers' training in the use of ICT, determine the ICT infrastructural capacity, and find out the teachers' perception of adopting ICT in public secondary schools in Nairobi County.
 Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive survey design. The target population comprised 475 teachers and 19 principals in secondary schools in Kasarani and Westland's sub-counties, which were randomly sampled. The sample comprised 164 teachers and 19 principals from 19 secondary schools drawn from the chosen sub-counties. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS version 25.0) was used to analyze quantitative data. Qualitative data were grouped into themes and analyzed thematically.
 Findings: The study found that secondary schools needed to be aware of the advantages of ICT tools to boost learning. Regarding ICT infrastructure, most schools examined had very few computers, which exacerbates the problem considering that most schools in these two sub-counties were county schools. According to the findings, most teachers and students needed easy access to computers for teaching and learning. Furthermore, the study revealed that most secondary school teachers had a positive attitude toward using ICT in teaching and learning. The study found that teachers supported the need for students to use ICT as a tool for practice and learning.
 Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: The research indicated that appropriate administrative practices by school heads, teacher attitude, and the degree of teachers' ICT knowledge and abilities all significantly impacted the use of ICT in teaching and learning. The study recommends that secondary schools engage in technology education and training, and that the government and other education stakeholders support regular teacher ICT training to modify their view of using ICT tools in secondary school for teaching and learning. This study may be helpful for both the county and national governments in supporting secondary schools in terms of ICT.

Purpose This study seeks to improve the understanding of the motivation driving the entrepreneurs of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to integrate ICTs and why this process is easier for some. The unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) is a suitable framework for this analysis. Our research aims to establish an explanatory typology based on the optimization of individual perceptions of entrepreneurs and usage intentions which enables identification of those groups that possess a greater intention to use ICTs in their businesses. This sheds light on how these factors influence their information and communication technology (ICT) adoption intentions within their businesses. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts an alternative approach and methodology to contribute new insights into academic discourse regarding the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT). Building upon the theoretical foundation of the UTAUT, the present study pioneers the application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to a dataset encompassing 436 Spanish entrepreneurs. The objective is to examine the combination of diverse UTAUT perceptions that optimise the intention to implement ICTs in their companies while minimising anxiety associated with the adoption of new technologies (the outputs). Based on the results obtained, an explanatory typology is established that combines perceptions and usage intentions. Findings When applied to our group of entrepreneurs, DEA reveals that certain individuals can optimise their intentions with their current perception levels. This discovery has enabled us to create an explanatory typology through an examination of the efficiency of various perception-intention and/or anxiety combinations. Our proposed typology aims to shed light on the debate as to why not all perceptions translate into intentions and why certain entrepreneurs have a greater intention to use ICTs. An investigation of these efficient entrepreneurs reveals a wide range of combinations, which encompasses both those in harmony with effective usage behaviour and those deviating from such behaviour. Research limitations/implications DEA provides a snapshot of efficiency at a specific point in time and does not account for dynamic changes or adjustments over time, and DEA efficiency scores are relative measures that depend on the efficiency of other decision-making units in the dataset. The identification of appropriate benchmark units for comparison can be challenging, especially in heterogeneous datasets and cross-cultural analysis. In this respect, the UTAUT literature is lacking in cross-technology and cross-cultural comparisons. Practical implications Our methodology and results have implications for business management, business accelerators and economic policy. A detailed study of these clusters could reveal potential barriers and obstacles hindering the effective implementation of ICTs in MSMEs, thereby enabling researchers to focus on individuals who do not align with the model. Entrepreneurs classified in the most unfavourable typologies can take steps to enhance their perceptions, while administration and business accelerators can focus their efforts on these entrepreneurs. Originality/value The application of the UTAUT model on individual entrepreneurs receives limited coverage in the existing literature. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study to utilise a DEA methodology within the framework of the UTAUT model (in contrast to the prevalent use of structural equation modelling in previous studies related to UTAUT). This analysis contributes fresh empirical evidence to the academic discourse on technology adoption models among individual entrepreneurs. Our methodology is a tool that reveals potential barriers and obstacles in individual perceptions that hinder the effective implementation of ICT in certain types of entrepreneurs.