<p>Steve wrote content for TechLit in 2021.</p>

Content Writer

<p>According to&nbsp;<a href="https://unctad.org/news/role-digitalization-decade-action-africa" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">UNCTAD research</a>, there is an urgent need to speed up the growth of the digital economy in Africa at governmental, corporate, and individual levels.</p><p>Currently, few governments invest in digital infrastructure, services, entrepreneurship, and skills. Businesses that adopt digitalization are viewed as the exception rather than the norm. Many citizens lack digital skills and could soon be locked out of global digital opportunities.</p><p>Read on to find the steps you can take to play a role in the digital economy in Africa.</p><h2>The Digital Economy Explained</h2><p>The digital economy is also referred to as the new economy, web economy, or internet economy. It is a collection of activities that use digitized information as the primary factor of production.</p><p>Digitized information is text, sound, or pictures converted into a form that a computer can understand. Converting information into a computer-readable form is called digitization, and Digitization leads to digitalization.</p><p>Digitalization is using digital technologies to restructure business models and create jobs. The digital economy works by joining professional interactions with economic activities and commercial transactions.</p><p>Understanding how the digital economy works enables you to analyze its impact then take suitable action.</p><h2>Advantages and Disadvantages of The Digital Economy</h2><p>You should actively participate in the digital economy to fully enjoy its advantages and understand its disadvantages.</p><h3>Advantages</h3><p>The advantages of the digital economy can be divided into&nbsp;<a href="https://voxeu.org/content/seizing-benefits-digital-economy-development" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">first-order and second-order benefits</a>. First-order benefits of digital economies are immediately visible to individuals, firms, and governments upon adopting digitalization. The most notable first-order benefits of gig economies are:</p><ul><li>Eases decision-making: Digitalization makes it easy to gather and analyze data. For example, having a real-time, centralized database in a corporation’s department enables marketers to track consumer behaviors and modify marketing techniques to adjust to changing consumer needs.</li><li>Saves time: Digitalization saves you an enormous amount of time you would spend manually handling production. Machines are faster in handling repetitive, boring, and tedious tasks. For example, instead of frequently correcting human errors, automating an assembly process speeds up production.</li><li>Lowers barriers to entry: You can quickly start and maintain a business online compared to traditional markets that demand intensive capital to achieve the same results. An online business does not incur high retail space costs, and it lets you deliver only what your clients order. You must not carry stock varieties to the market and return the unsold goods to the store regularly. That enables you to serve a broader market than in an offline business setting that suits a small geographical location.</li><li>Fights poverty: Poverty is a problem for Africa’s growing economies. Digitization is a tool to fight poverty because a person working remotely can earn more money than working a similar job locally. Also, more jobs are available online than available at any one location, especially in developing countries.</li><li>Enables remote working: Employees and businesses can save time and chop off extra costs associated with daily commutes to the workplace. Employees become more productive when they must not travel a long distance to work, and they avoid traffic, reduce fares, or the tiresomeness of long trekking distances. Businesses in the digital economy can access a greater talent pool by sourcing employees in various parts of the world.</li></ul><p>The second-order benefits of digital economies are more long-term, affecting the development, management, and distribution of digital products.</p><h3>Disadvantages</h3><p>The digital economy can be disadvantageous to established and growing economies. For example, it:</p><ul><li>Benefits some countries more than others: Countries with many developers, managers, and distributors of digital products enjoy more second-order benefits of digitalization. The economies become more productive and competitive. For instance, they experience steady GDP growth and create more jobs than digital product consumers.</li><li>Reduces marginal benefit: Firms have difficulty controlling marginal benefit because consumer satisfaction falls as consumption rises. That happens because more businesses can enter and exit a market in a digital economy.</li><li>Increases digital war: As more economies become digital, most will want to dominate production and not consumption. The firms may use manipulative competition to prevent startups from thriving.</li><li>Increases cybercrime: Cybercrime and cyberwarfare increase as more transactions occur online. Cyberwarfare is a deliberate attack on an organization's information system.</li></ul><p>The message is to adopt and adapt. But is there proof that Africa enjoys or can enjoy both first-order and second-order benefits by adapting to the pace of technological growth? Find out below.</p><h2>Successful Digital Economies in Africa</h2><p>A few African countries have experienced massive economic growth after investing in telecommunications, digital trade, and fintech services. The top six are Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa. For example,</p><ul><li>Nigeria accounts for 23% of Africa's internet users and has more than 90 tech hubs. According to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/09/why-ict-will-remain-nigerias-top-gdp-earner/#:~:text=ICT%20sector%20contributes%2017.83%25%20to,Information%2C%20Communication%20and%20Technology%20sector." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NBSs' September 2021 findings</a>, Nigeria’s tech sector contributes to over 17.83% of its GDP.</li><li>Egypt's IT sector grows faster than the country's GDP growth rate. Its strategic location makes it a key transit hub for submarine cables.</li><li>The digital economy in Kenya has improved through money transfer and telecommunications.</li><li>Ethiopia, like Kenya, is keen on&nbsp;<a href="https://cepheuscapital.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Ethiopias-Digital-Economy.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">perfecting digital payments</a>&nbsp;and attracting giant East African mobile payment firms like Mpesa.</li><li>Rwanda has&nbsp;<a href="https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/der2021_en.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">improved its e-commerce</a>&nbsp;by providing affordable internet to its citizens.</li><li>South Africa has&nbsp;<a href="https://allafrica.com/stories/202106180850.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">data and cloud policies</a>&nbsp;to enable social and economic development by creating a digitally empowered economy.</li></ul><p>Despite the impact of the digital economy on Africa's top IT adopters, unemployment is still high due to a lack of digital skills.</p><p>For example, growing Nigeria's tech market was only able to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cgdev.org/blog/nigerias-tech-sector-could-benefit-more-managed-migration" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">employ 1% of its population in 2017</a>. In Kenya, internet connectivity and tech training are&nbsp;<a href="https://www.worldbank.org/en/country/kenya/publication/kenya-economic-update-accelerating-kenyas-digital-economy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">concentrated in major urban centers</a>&nbsp;like Nairobi, leaving many citizens in rural areas unexposed to digital jobs.</p><p>Many economies in Africa should benchmark tricks Nigeria, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, and South Africa use in fueling digitalization. There is a need to restructure national internet coverage and reform education systems to accommodate digital skills. Here are more measures to boost digital economies in Africa.</p><h2>You Can Participate in The Growth of Africa’s Digital Economy</h2><p>The four primary ways to participate in the growth of the digital economy are applying suitable training, formulating regulatory policies, increasing internet connectivity, and optimizing public-private cooperation.</p><ul><li>Applying suitable training: Introducing&nbsp;<a href="https://techlitafrica.org/stories/2021-10-28-the-secret-of-self-efficacy-in-education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">self-efficacy in education</a>&nbsp;is one of the quickest ways to boost digital economies in Africa.</li><li>Formulating regulatory policies: It is crucial to implement policies that shield digital nomads from cybersecurity, protect data and intellectual property.</li><li>Increasing internet connectivity: Apart from major cities, the internet should be accessible to drive the economy, even in rural areas.</li><li>Optimizing public-private cooperation: Public and private corporations should&nbsp;<a href="https://news.microsoft.com/en-xm/2020/09/22/public-private-partnerships-hold-the-key-to-future-development/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">create a robust digital economy</a>&nbsp;by making digital services closer to African communities.</li></ul><p>Participating in digitalization at an individual, corporate, or national level will spur innovation, create jobs, boost economic growth, and improve sustainable internet connectivity.</p><h2>TechLit Africa’s Role in The Growth of Africa’s Digital Economy</h2><p>TechLit Africa brings digital resources closer to African communities. We collect used from various organizations and redistribute them to African schools.</p><p>We teach computer classes in rural African schools, applying&nbsp;<a href="https://www.techsmith.com/edu-k12-peer-to-peer.html#:~:text=Peer%2Dto%2DPeer-,Learning,a%20collaborative%2C%20reciprocal%20learning%20environment." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">interactive teaching models</a>&nbsp;while ensuring all learners access digital resources.</p><p>Through monetary and computer donations, we have changed the lives of 4,000 kids in rural Kenya.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pmca.ie/practice-areas/economic-strategy/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">The digital economy strategy</a>&nbsp;enables us to multiply its outreach ten times annually.</p><h2>Conclusion</h2><p>We must invest in Africa’s digital economy now. Although there are advantages and disadvantages to digitalization, growing the digital workforce in Africa will lift millions of families out of poverty. Now is the best time to&nbsp;<a href="https://techlitafrica.org/donate" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">get involved</a>.</p>

Digital Economy | Advantages and Disadvantages | Successful Adoption in Africa | Growing Africa's Digital Economy

<p>There is an urgent need to speed up growth of the digital economy in Africa&nbsp;at governmental, corporate, and individual levels.&nbsp;A few African countries have experienced massive economic growth after&nbsp;investing in telecommunications, digital trade, and fintech services.&nbsp;Participating in digitalization at an individual, corporate, or national&nbsp;level will spur innovation, create jobs, boost economic growth, and improve&nbsp;sustainable internet connectivity.</p>

Why You Should Play a Role in Africa’s Digital Economy

<p>Self-efficacy means believing in your ability to succeed in any situation. In a learning environment, self-efficacy shapes how teachers and learners set objectives and go about achieving them.</p><p><a href="https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/africa-needs-digital-skills-across-the-economy-not-just-tech-sector/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A study</a>&nbsp;by the International Finance Corporation on Africa’s development in Kenya, Rwanda, Nigeria, Mozambique, and Cote d’Ivoire showed an urgent need to reduce the digital skills gap by updating current learning systems that lack self-efficacy. For example, 57 million jobs in the five countries will need digital skills by 2030.</p><p>The ultimate path to enjoying the benefits of self-efficacy in education is incorporating it into learning programs, as explained below.</p><h2>How to Measure Self-Efficacy in a Learning Environment</h2><p>To determine the self-efficacy level, you should examine how the learner reacts to challenging tasks. The learners can be grouped into weak or strong self-efficacy levels, as follows.</p><p>Students with a weak sense of self-efficacy avoid challenging tasks.&nbsp;<a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081281.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">A study on first-year students</a>&nbsp;at Bahçeşehir University on the students’ opinion about intelligence showed that students with low self-efficacy believed that intelligence is inborn and cannot be changed.</p><p>For example, such students are likely to dodge challenging topics in Mathematics. Mostly, the learners get comfortable with poor performance and quickly lose confidence in their capabilities.</p><p>On the other hand, learners with high self-efficacy love tackling challenges. Apart from excelling academically, such learners can analyze and control their reactions to new challenges at the community level.</p><p>Students with a strong sense of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/issues/self-actualization#:~:text=Self%2Dactualization%20is%20the%20final,Abraham%20Maslow's%20hierarchy%20of%20needs.&amp;text=The%20term%20is%20also%20used,a%20realistic%20and%20positive%20way." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">self-actualization</a>&nbsp;build a solid understanding of interest and commitment to their activities. They perceive challenges as tasks to be mastered.</p><p>The learners with high self-efficacy strive to find better ways of solving problems or mastering problem-occurrence patterns to address new challenges promptly. Better yet, such students can quickly recover from failures.</p><p>Understanding your students’ self-efficacy level will enable you to choose and implement the most appropriate source of self-efficacy for them.</p><h2>Sources of Self-Efficacy in Education</h2><p>There are four primary sources of self-efficacy, according to Albert Bandura, the founder of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.apa.org/pi/aids/resources/education/self-efficacy" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">self-efficacy theory</a>. These are previous accomplishments, derived experience, Verbal persuasion, and emotional state.</p><ol><li>_Previous accomplishments_ speed up a learner’s mastery expectations, while continued failure decreases a student’s self-efficacy.</li><li>_Derived experience_ Students who witness other students accomplish target results by adhering to a process are likely to gain self-efficacy.</li><li>_Verbal persuasion_ Through encouragement to adopt an idea, the learner can build self-efficacy. For example, as&nbsp;<a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Piaget’s schematic theory</a>&nbsp;confirms, many students show a rise in their self-efficacy if they are exposed to suggestion-led coaching and evaluative feedback.</li><li>_Emotional/Psychological state_ Negative emotional states such as anxiety can suppress a student’s judgment of the weight of the problem at hand.</li></ol><p>You can apply the most appropriate method to boost learners’ self-efficacy after identifying sources of self-efficacy, as explained above.</p><h2>Simple Ways to Improve Self-Efficacy in Students</h2><p>Learning institutions can increase the self-efficacy of their students by observing these simple practices.</p><ul><li>The classroom should free students to ask questions and give suggestions.</li><li>The teacher should avoid teaching practices that ignore a student’s input.</li><li>It would help to avoid practices that compare students’ performance against each other. Although this can boost the self-efficacy of top performers, it lowers the self-esteem of many students.</li><li>The teacher should give moderately tricky tasks, frequent and focused feedback.</li><li>Encourage the learners to keep trying and make personal choices when handling a problem.</li><li>Apart from accurate attributions, the teachers should encourage a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.betterup.com/blog/peer-learning#:~:text=Peer%20to%20peer%20learning%20is,level%20engaging%20in%20collaborative%20education.&amp;text=While%20it's%20usually%20associated%20with,is%20constantly%20developing%20their%20skills." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">peer-to-peer learning model</a>.</li></ul><p>Combining self-efficacy and self-regulated learning is the best route to create a strong batch of learners to handle the quickly changing challenges of the digital era.</p><p>For example, addressing the skills gap in Africa demands extensive analysis and deployment of the available technology.</p><p>Self-regulated learning is crucial. It entails learning methods like self-monitoring, self-instruction, goal-setting, and self-reinforcement that are scalable to a broad array of challenges facing modern societies.</p><p>Learning institutions play an enormous role in boosting the self-efficacy of their students. It would help if they applied the above methods to create interactive learning platforms that are key to propelling and harvesting the fruits of self-efficacy in education.</p><h3>How TechLit Africa Incorporates Self-Efficacy in Education</h3><p><a href="https://techlitafrica.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">TechLit Africa</a>&nbsp;is an example of a learning environment that understands the role of efficacy and implements it in education.</p><p>The organization teaches kids touch-typing, research skills, app building, and pair programming through self-efficacy and self-regulated learning. The learners get a chance to learn from peers and explore personal interests.</p><h2>Key Takeaway</h2><p>Now that you have learned the relevance of self-efficacy in education, you can apply them in classrooms. Alternatively, you can&nbsp;<a href="https://techlitafrica.org/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">contribute through a non-profit organization</a>.</p><h3>References</h3><ul><li><a href="https://web.stanford.edu/~kcarmel/CC_BehavChange_Course/readings/Bandura_Selfefficacy_1994.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Defining Self-Eficacy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.iedunote.com/self-efficacy-theory" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Four Sources of Self-Efficacy</a></li><li><a href="https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1081281.pdf" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Self-Efficacy and Academic Achievement (A Study)</a></li><li><a href="https://serc.carleton.edu/NAGTWorkshops/affective/efficacy.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Teaching Self-Efficacy</a></li><li><a href="https://www.simplypsychology.org/piaget.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Piaget's Self-Efficacy Theory</a></li><li><a href="https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-schema-2795873" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Schemas in Psychology</a></li></ul><p><br></p>

Measuring Self-Efficacy | Sources of Self-Efficacy | West Africa & East Africa: Digital Skills for Work | Improving Self-Efficacy Through Education

<p>Self-efficacy means believing in your ability to succeed in any situation.&nbsp;In a learning environment, self-efficacy shapes how teachers and learners set objectives and go about achieving them.</p>

The Secret of Self-Efficacy in Education

Steve Alila

<p>Tyler Cinnamon is a American programmer and entrepreneur. He started TechLit Africa with Nelly Cheboi in 2018 to disrupt poverty with used IT devices.</p>

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Meet Steve Alila | Content Writer TechLit Africa

Steve Alila
Content Writer

Recent Posts from Steve Alila

Why You Should Play a Role in Africa’s Digital Economy

The Secret of Self-Efficacy in Education

Steve Alila Content Writer

Recent Posts from Steve Alila

Why You Should Play a Role in Africa’s Digital Economy

The Secret of Self-Efficacy in Education

Steve Alila
Content Writer