The relationship between modern Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and development in Africa

This study explores the link between the consumption of Information and Communications Technologies (ICTs) and development in Africa. It operationalizes development in terms of the human development index (HDI) and includes as utility services, the mobile phone, fixed phone, broadband internet and wireless internet. The data on utility services came from the online database of the International Telecommunication Union; while those on the HDI originated in the UN Development Programme. The results from logarithmically transformed bivariate (r2 between 0.50 and 0.60) and multiple regression analyses (R2 = 0.72) confirmed the hypothesized positive link between ICT and development.