Developing an Interactive Digital Economy Index for Africa

Welcome to your course on Developing an Interactive Digital Economy Index!

This course is designed for government officials and digital economy policymakers who want to measure their country's digital progress with evidence rather than impressions. Most national digital strategies stall not because the ambition is wrong, but because progress is never measured consistently, so investment is steered by a single headline figure or a borrowed global ranking rather than context-specific data. This course flips that around: it teaches you to build, govern, and own an interactive Digital Economy Index (DEI) that turns scattered national data into a living planning tool.

The curriculum introduces the Digital Economy Index and its six sub-indices, the Power BI dashboards used to analyse DEI data across countries and years, the data stewardship governance structure that keeps the index reliable, the quality requirements for nationally supplied datasets, and the six dimensions of long-term government ownership. It is built on context-specific African data developed by the Smart Africa Alliance with support from GIZ, not on global comparative indices.

By mastering these concepts, you will be equipped to interpret the DEI, govern its data responsibly, hold national datasets to a clear quality standard, and take financial, institutional, and technical ownership of the index so it lasts beyond any single project.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, you will be able to:

• Explain the rationale for a Digital Economy Index and distinguish it from global comparative indices.
• Identify the six sub-indices of the DEI and interpret DEI data using Power BI dashboards.
• Design a data stewardship governance structure for managing national DEI data.
• Evaluate the quality requirements that nationally supplied datasets must meet.
• Recommend how governments can take financial, institutional, and technical ownership of the DEI.

Who is this course for?

This course is designed for government officials and digital economy policymakers across Africa. It is highly beneficial for individuals who are:

• Responsible for digital economy policy, planning, or national statistics.
• Involved in collecting, governing, or quality-assuring national data submissions.
• Seeking to make digital economy measurement a durable, nationally owned tool.