Senegal and Kenya are the African countries where the internet is having the biggest economic impact, according to a new report. Businesses that make use of internet are thriving in our modern and digital world. Nowadays, the Internet is so important for businesses; it allows for companies to collect customer data for better marketing, allows customers to find your company easily, and of course, it is great for communication, including through messages like email, ip phone systems, or other VoIP platforms like Skype.
The report, by the management consulting firm McKinsey, says in a ranking of the contribution which the internet makes to gross domestic product that in Senegal it is 3.3 percent of GDP.
Internationally, Senegal ranks just behind the United States, where internet activity makes up 3.8 percent of GDP, and ahead of France, where the figure is 3.1 percent. The world leader is Sweden, where it makes up 6.3 percent of GDP.
Among other African countries, the Internet’s contribution to the economy in Kenya comprises 2.9 percent of GDP, while in Morocco the figure is 2.3 percent, in Mozambique 1.6 percent and in South Africa 1.4 percent.
The report estimates that the Internet’s contribution to GDP – which it calls iGDP – totals U.S. $18 billion a year across Africa. At 1.1 percent of total GDP, this is low compared to the figure in other emerging economies, but the report says the potential for growth is huge.
Taking mobile phones as an example of what might be achieved, the report says revenue from this source is equivalent to 3.7 percent of Africa’s GDP – more than triple the level found in developed economies.
Read more at AllAfrica.com.
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