HOW CAN GOVERNMENTS GROW THE DIGITAL ECONOMY ( IN AFRICA) ?
Government authorities have a key role to play in facilitating the emergence of a digital economy. Their mission does not only entail adopting and enforcing appropriate and effective regulations but also ensuring that existing infrastructure is leveraged for optimal utilization. The participants in this strategic workshop will work on ways to make governments and regulators true catalysts for digitalization, with the support of all sector players. This is the subject matter of a discussion to be held at the Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan next week. These are my initial thoughts. All comments welcome. In Africa we have seen the emergence of a mobile telephony market which went from zero to over a billion phones in just over two decades. The mobile industry requires tight regulation because of the use of a scarce resource – spectrum. The role of Government has thus, of necessity, been important in the growth of this industry. The recent fine i