China to assist in narrowing global digital divide

By Philipa Jaja
Recent developments in the global economy have widened Zimbabwe’s scope in terms of opportunities offered by embracing digital technologies as key enablers of sustainable growth and national expansion.
Globalization and rapid technological innovation, Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) have grown in importance to transform traditional brick-and-motor economic activities (production, distribution, trade, and so on), products, and services into digital form.
ICTs are increasingly becoming integrated into the day to day activities of businesses and lives of households and individuals worldwide.
This makes them a critical component in Zimbabwe’s achievement of sustainable growth which is also a prerequisite for the nation to participate in the information and knowledge society.
This has steered Zimbabwe on a realisation path of digital economy’s usefulness as evidenced by the adoption of development strategies such as the Medium Term Plan (MTP) of 2011-2015 which acknowledged that ICTs will play a major role in the attainment of the projected average annual growth rates of 7 percent over the next 4 years and propelling Zimbabwe into a knowledge society.
Efforts towards this achieving this realisation has resulted in the government initiating national e-government, e-education and e-commerce, whilst donor agencies have made digital technologies a mainstream item in their programmes.
However Zimbabwe grapples with a subdued ICT sector performance evident in the low production and exportation of ICT related products together with an underdeveloped broadband infrastructure.
China’s major success in the field and a commitment premised on a Global Development Initiative (GDI) principle of inclusiveness and innovation to help developing countries grasp the opportunities brought by technological advancement is an entry point for Zimbabwe to identify and modify missing gaps.
China can help narrow the digital divide between advanced economies like itself, and Zimbabwe.
Lessons and benefits from China
In September 2021, China proposed the GDI.
A crucial proposal of eight core concepts and eight priority areas of cooperation, it earmarked digital economy as one of the key areas so as to bridge the digital divide putting developing countries at risk of being left out.
And China has been at the forefront of capacitating developing countries with digital literacy which in all aspects is the social foundation of the digital economy through building platforms for social exchange such as the Global Digital Economy Conference held in July 2022.
Rightly so, when the country itself is proof that digital economy has immense benefits.
For example, in 2021, the digital economy reached US$7.1 trillion (RMB 47.94 trillion), ranking second after the United States, according to a white paper issued by the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT).
Statistics also show that the digital economy’s share in the national GDP, measured by the combined value of technology products and integrated digital inputs, reached 39.8 percent in 2021, up from 20.9 percent in 2012.

But it is China’s approach as regards digital economy that is also responsible.
For scholars note that China has made the digital economy a critical part of its national development strategy.
The 14th Five-Year Plan on Digital Economy Development (the “14th FYP”) provides a detailed roadmap and incentives to shore up the sector.
Zimbabwe has made inroads to do this as noted by the medium term plan mentioned above.
However an action plan has to be pursued and cooperation with China espoused by the GDI initiative is the way to go.
The country has been actively sharing its digital knowledge by offering technology, equipment, and services to less developed countries.
Chinese companies have participated in a number of submarine cable projects connecting Africa and Eurasia.
In total, more than 200,000 km of optical fiber has been laid, giving broadband internet access to 6 million households in Africa, according to official data.
More than half of Africa’s wireless sites and high-speed mobile broadband networks were built by Chinese companies.
The Digital Border Information Connectivity Project, one of the first-batch projects in the GDI project pool, has effectively lowered the barriers of entry into global markets for enterprises, especially for small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
The China-Mongolia border highway port supervision reform project and China-South Africa functional customs supervision cooperation project are well underway.
Another low hanging fruit is China’s advancement of big data application to provide science-based decision-making support for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.
China has launched the world’s first scientific satellite dedicated to the 2030 Agenda, and advanced the Sustainable Development Satellite Constellation Plan with other parties.
The result, is the sharing of more than 90,000 images and data with the rest of the world which is critical in empowering local governments and stakeholders with information.
For example it could lead to relief policies and post disaster reconstruction should a climate catastrophe such cyclone Idai hit Zimbabwe again.
Conclusion
Many opportunities exist to use digital economy in accruing benefits for the country’s economy.
Potential industries for local companies include areas such as industrial digital transformation, services, solutions for sustainable development, consumer products, and more
Doors are open for foreign investors in the research and exploration of new technologies.
Zimbabwe’s fast rising domestic market buoyed by technology’s indispensability makes it easier.
Nowadays, almost every aspect of people’s lives is inseparable from digital technology, including education, health, information services, entertainment, finance, and e-commerce.
Other areas of investment range from software development, information technology support management, and the maintenance of modern high-end equipment.