Gradiently Promoting Digital Economic Cooperation between China and Africa

Actively conducting international cooperation in the field of digital economy is not only an objective requirement for building a new pattern of institutional openness and promoting high-quality economic development in China, but also an important measure for China to build a global community of digital economy interests and benefit people of all countries. Especially in Africa, where there is a large youth population and efforts are being made to promote economic development, it is becoming a benchmark for China's cooperation in the field of digital economy. At the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Think Tank Seminar held during the Third China Africa Economic and Trade Expo, the "Africa Digital Economy Development Index and China Africa Digital Economy Cooperation Report (2023)" was released. This report evaluates the development of the digital economy in Africa and delves into the focus of digital cooperation between China and Africa. It also looks forward to the key areas and paths of cooperation in the digital economy between China and Africa.
Xiao Hao, Executive Secretary General of the China Africa Economic and Trade Cooperation Research Institute, introduced the report, stating that cooperation in the digital economy field meets the development needs of both China and Africa, injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of China Africa cooperation.
On the one hand, Africa has the foundation and conditions for the development of the digital economy. The global epidemic highlights the importance of developing the digital economy in Africa. African countries attach great importance to the development of the digital economy and have launched a series of support policies. Moreover, the acceleration of urbanization, population structure youthfulness, and regional integration in Africa has given Africa a broad market prospect for the digital economy.
On the other hand, China has accumulated a wealth of experience in the development of the digital economy. The development of various fields of China's digital economy has already taken a leading position globally, while also showing characteristics of institutional leadership, structural optimization, model upgrading, and technological innovation; More importantly, China's informatization also began on a weak social foundation, and the development path of China's digital economy can be used for reference by African countries.
Against this backdrop, a large number of enterprises and institutions are actively investing in the digital economy cooperation between China and Africa. For example, the China Africa Development Fund actively builds a platform for digital economic cooperation with Africa, and financial support is provided for digital economic cooperation between China and Africa; KILI builds an African digital economy ecosystem and creates a unified digital market in Africa; Transsion is based on local innovation and promotes technology upgrading
This report shows that overall, there is a "digital divide" in Africa, which manifests as a multi-level structure; There is a "barrel effect" in the development of digital economy in Africa, and the issue of systematic development imbalance should be given attention; The development momentum of Africa's digital infrastructure is insufficient, but the potential of the digital application market is enormous. From the perspective of digital finance, the development level of digital finance in Africa has a clear hierarchical characteristic, with South Africa and Kenya having absolute leading advantages; Some countries' financial development does not match the level of financial technology application, and their huge potential has not been unleashed; Africa's digital financial development and traditional Financial innovation are integrated and mutually reinforcing. From the perspective of digital consumption, the overall development level of consumption in Africa is relatively low, but the impact of household income on digital consumption is relatively small, and the digital consumption market has great potential; Mobile games, social media, and online sports have become popular applications for digital consumption in Africa.
The report analysis points out that the development of digital economy in African cities is showing the following trends: communication and social interaction have become the main digital living needs of African cities. Cairo has become a leader in smart phone users in key African cities. Data traffic