Digital globalization and access to education in Sub-saharan Africa

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between digital globalization and educational access in Africa. It uses publicly available secondary data from the World Development Indicators (WDI) ICT database and UNESCO education statistics. While digital transformation is widely promoted as a catalyst for inclusive human capital development, cross-country heterogeneity in Africa raises questions about whether digital expansion uniformly enhances educational access. Employing panel quantile regression for a balanced panel of African countries over the period 2005–2023, the paper investigates how ICT penetration, trade openness, and digital infrastructure affect educational participation across different points of the distribution of access indicators. The findings indicate that digital globalization exerts heterogeneous effects: countries at lower quantiles of educational access benefit more strongly from increases in internet penetration and mobile connectivity, whereas upper-quantile countries exhibit diminishing marginal returns. Institutional quality and governance metrics serve to moderate these observed relationships. The findings contribute to the existing body of research concerning the digital divide, globalization, and educational inequality, specifically by illustrating that digital transformation mitigates disparities, particularly in contexts where fundamental access limitations persist. Consequently, the policy implications emphasize the need for infrastructure expansion, regulatory adjustments, and targeted digital inclusion initiatives, all of which should be congruent with the African Union Digital Education Strategy.

Keywords: {'name': 'Digital globalization'}, {'name': 'ICT diffusion'}, {'name': 'Educational access'}, {'name': 'Africa'}, {'name': 'Panel quantile regression'}, {'name': 'Digital divide'}

Authors & affiliations

Suares C. O. Noutchie
North-West University

Mbroh Nana Adjoah
North-West University

Emile Franc Doungmo Goufo
University of South Africa

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