Active work must be done to ensure that those without digital access are not left behind
This article is part of the series Colaba Edit 2021.
Internationally, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has varied depending on the measures undertaken, the number of infected, government subsidies supporting businesses, access to online education, and media coverage. It is certain that the negative impact of COVID-19 reached every corner of the world. Indeed, even the richest societies were heavily struck by supply chain disruptions and sudden ceasure of socio-political life that eventually transformed even the way elections are conducted, allowing wider participation of distance voters. The pandemic meant immediate transformation of nearly every aspect of social life and the effectiveness of this transformation was largely dependent on already existing features and characteristics: Digital infrastructure, quality of healthcare systems, and the responsiveness of policymakers.
In the developed countries, private companies, institutions, and governments overcame a wide range of difficulties thanks to shifting daily operations from offline to online. The rapid digital transformation speeded up the introduction of cyber solutions to an unprecedented level. A survey conducted by McKinsey & Company highlighted that the responses to COVID-19 have accelerated the adoption of digital technologies by several years
The rapid digital transformation speeded up the introduction of cyber solutions to an unprecedented level.
On the other hand, countries in the Global South haven’t been as successfully overcoming the effects of the pandemic in the online mode due to the lack of basic digital infrastructure, access to energy, and the overall lack of proper conditions for doing business and strong political institutions that would navigate the digital change effectively. As UNCTAD emphasises, these countries and societies also haven’t capitalised on pandemic-induced e-commerce opportunities due to persistent barriers.
The Global South largely lags behind in the digital transformation and it seems that the gap between the richer and poorer countries will be widening in the upcoming years. As developing innovative tech solutions requires a set of pre-conditions, including well-maintained infrastructure and skill-environment, jumping in for the less developed societies might be a huge challenge. The upcoming metaverse will support the developed and emerging markets, increasingly contributing to the maintenance of diverse worlds with unprecedented levels of inequality in access not only to food, water and resources, but also the ability to acquire highly valued digital skills.
The first world
The world undergoes digital transformation creating a wide range of new employment opportunities for the skilled workforce and provides cutting edge business optimisation. New technological positions and new software solutions add value to the developed economies. Companies offering digital services sell their products across the globe, i.e., American Microsoft operates in over 190 countries across the globe, whereas the Chinese Huawei is available in around 170. Big global tech players use the automatisation trend to strengthen their global position, but they basically can flourish only if digital infrastructure is already provided, partially leaving behind the poor regions of the world.
The other worlds
The Digital Economy for Africa Initiative program, which is coordinated within the World Bank, emphasised that in Africa only 22 percent of the population reported having access to the internet in 2017. The UNDP informs that 40 percent of the world’s population is not online, which is directly impacting education, work, and public services in these countries, as they are increasingly reliant on digital access. In the global debates on digital transformation and its prospects, the social inequality challenges are often left behind. The fact that 40 percent of the world’s population is offline creates a huge challenge for international organisations. It means that this 40 percent cannot develop digital competencies. The digital exclusion becomes a threat and will contribute to the widening of the inequality gap.
Due to the rising importance of digital transformation, access to the internet—especially 5G network—is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of sustainable and equal development.
The countries and regions providing adequate new technological opportunities and business architecture already, prior to COVID-19, are the winners. Due to the rising importance of digital transformation, access to the internet—especially 5G network—is increasingly becoming a cornerstone of sustainable and equal development. The problem of lacking infrastructure is not only touching the Global South, but also the less developed regions of the world’s superpowers, such as the United State.
A Brookings Institute report, “Bridging the global digital divide: A platform to advance digital development in low- and middle-income countries”, notes that even the US faces challenges with securing access to the Internet across the whole country. In 2020, Joe Biden, then presidential candidate, emphasised that his future administration will help to develop a secure, private-sector-led 5G network. The program was to include rural and low-income communities in the US. As we see, even the world’s biggest superpower struggles with inequal access to the digital world and its consequences for the affected population.
The digital transformation cannot be conducted successfully without young talents, and the digital skill gap is widening quickly. Providing 5G infrastructure, hardware and the devices is just the top of the iceberg. Access to the young talents within the process of digital transformation has already been a challenge in the West, and it is undoubtedly a barrier for the world population. In 2019, the European Commission believed there could be as many as 756,000 unfilled jobs in the European ICT sector by 2020.
Living conditions below the poverty line, lack of decent access to food and water, as well as disruption of political lives due to ongoing military conflicts, result in lack of educational prospects. The young generations in the Global South fell behind the technological revolution. The report from the Brookings Institute highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for widening the digital divide, as those with computer skills and internet access are able to continue learning and working and those without fall behind. A Digital Economy for Africa Initiative report concludes that “to become tomorrow’s innovators, entrepreneurs and leaders, Africa’s youth need to be empowered with the digital skills and access to technology and markets that are essential to thrive in an increasingly digitised global economy.”
The report from the Brookings Institute highlights that the COVID-19 pandemic is responsible for widening the digital divide, as those with computer skills and internet access are able to continue learning and working and those without fall behind.
If the governments in the developing economies invest strategically in developing digital infrastructure, access to 5G, courses and entrepreneurship programs, the new post COVID-19 epoch could potentially lead to better job opportunities. As working environments moves online, the talent from the Global South could jump into lucrative job positions in other countries. Digital-transborder jobs could be an engine of growth and at the same time countermeasure the talent exodus. As a matter of fact, IT professionals could stay in their respective countries and contribute to local societies creating new workplaces, as well as creating demand for better quality products profiting local manufacturers. Pursuing a global professional career will not mean moving to London, New York City or Singapore. These jobs could easily be done from Africa or South America provided that adequate digital infrastructure is already in operation.
Firstly, we need a new discussion on the digital exclusion and ways to connect these populations to the existing infrastructure. This cannot be done without wider conflict resolution activities, building sustainability and resilience among local societies and providing access to education, including development of mathematical skills and English language proficiency. Secondly, we need digital infrastructure and a sustainable approach to energy that would benefit local communities. Although many Global South countries are exporters of energy and fossil fuels, they don't provide local populations with these benefits. For example, Nigeria is one of the leading exporters of natural resources in Africa, but still the policymakers are not providing the northern part of the country with adequate energy levels and digital infrastructure. As the Association for Progressive Communication informs, less than 50 percnt of the Nigerian population is connected or can access the internet. Thirdly, we need greater participation of global big tech companies in educating for digital skills. These companies will benefit from such programs in the future, as they can potentially provide a larger number of professionals with much-needed digital skills.
The views expressed above belong to the author(s). ORF research and analyses now available on Telegram! Click here to access our curated content — blogs, longforms and interviews.
Patrycja Pendrakowska is President of the Board at Boym Institute Warsaw.
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