Africa’s New Digital Connectivity and Economic Change

Abstract The rapid adoption and diffusion of digital technologies on the continent in the last decade has led many governments and observers to talk about Africa’s ‘Fourth Industrial Revolution’. The underlying assertion here is that digital technologies will help African economies move away from the primary sector towards tertiary economic activities, and therefore put them on track for economic development. However, there are genuine concerns about the extent to which digital technologies will alter the existing modes and structures of production that currently benefit the African continent. This chapter argues that Africa continues to be locked into a value-extractive position in the global economy. Digital production, predominantly characterized by low value-added economic activities that do not necessarily translate into socio-economic improvements for the African working classes, represents a new arena for these dynamics to play out.