DISA: Digital Inclusion in South Africa: From Digital Difficulties to Inclusive Digital Transition

Summary

South Africa (SA) is one of the largest and most sophisticated economies in Africa con-tributing 22% to the total GDP of sub-Saharan Africa in 2021 (Partridge, 2022). However, the country is typically characterised as a middle-income country with a dual economy. High levels of marginalisation entrenched in demographic characteristics such as race, gender and location have contributed to SA being ranked as the most unequal society in the world (World Bank, 2022). 
In the spirit of not leaving anyone behind the SA government underlines that by 2030 all citizens must have equal access to Internet and be able to reap the benefits of partici-pating in the digital society. However, despite advancements and national policies (e.g National Integrated ICT Policy 2016, National Digital and Future Skills Strategy 2020), there is still a lack of consistent and integrated focus on digital inclusion (DI). The ena-bling role of DI for delivery on all 16 SDG goals is under-emphasised. It is typically the marginalized groups, the primary targets of the SDGs, who likely face traditional socio-economic inequalities making it improbable that they will access, use and benefit from ICTs (Rothe et al., 2022). There is a need for policy coherence and strategic interven-tions.
Capitalising on a decade of partnership between UWC-VUB-UGent on DI and significant expertise on DI measurement, policy formulation and intervention design, the DISA-project focuses on the development and deployment of a DI assessment instrument for SA (DISA), accompanied by a strong stakeholder engagement strategy. Implementing the DISA-scale will raise awareness of and facilitate an informed and integrated DI per-spective on SA for policy makers and practitioners to (1) develop DI policies and sup-porting instruments, (2) guide institutions in their DI strategies, (3) inform the formal and informal education sector on courses and skills programmes, (4) assess impact of DI intervention, and (5) measure DI progress.

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