Digital Transformation in Africa

Abstract

Democracy in many African countries faces serious challenges linked to weak leadership, poor governance, malfunctioning state institutions, and slow or stagnant development. For these countries, the challenges can be attributed to an exploitative system rooted in colonialism, neo-colonialism, imperialism, and apartheid. Digital transformation and the global rise of digital technologies have created new opportunities to meet the challenges of democracy concerning citizen engagement, broadening public debate, increasing transparency and accountability, and improving service delivery. This chapter critically examines whether using digital technologies in political settings strengthens or weakens democracy on the continent. It highlights three main scholarly debates about using digital tools to address the declining quality of democracy. Data from various secondary sources was used to address the problem. The author found that digitalisation undoubtedly exposes democracy to new threats, but its benefits far outweigh the concerns.