Africa has made rapid progress in infrastructure construction such as roads, ports, airports, power stations, telecommunications, housing, and industrial production. African countries have engaged in extensive cooperation with China in a wide range of fields, which include not only infrastructure, but also information technology.

With the momentum of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) in recent years, African countries have been empowered to bridge the digital divide through joint construction and operation of IT projects with China. Based on an open, transparent and inclusive cooperation policy, both sides are encouraged to release relevant and publicly available government data, thus promoting the development of new technologies, products and services, and improving the economic well-being of all countries.

The establishment of a multi-level exchange mechanism has further promoted the communication between governments, enterprises, scientific research institutions and industry, which could also be seen in the field of digital economy.

At the same time, the BRI has enabled China and Africa's digital economies to achieve inclusive development. Through policy support, enterprises are encouraged to provide information and communication products and services for the public sector and participate in online public bidding and procurement. This will not only enable high-tech enterprises with a competitive edge to explore new marketing channels, but also help countries to strengthen communication in digital cooperation and integrate into global value chains.

The information technologies have emerged as new production factors that could reshape future market and productivity. In the future, the new generation of IT has the potential to break through the limits of capital and labor. For example, in terms of logistics automation, an unmanned warehouse doesn’t require any human participation in the links from goods warehousing, storage to picking, packaging, sorting and loading. Against this backdrop, the gap between digital and non-digital countries will become increasingly difficult to narrow.

The gap, rapidly taking shape, is irreversible. Though AI and robotic technologies could be seen in increasing scenarios in many developed countries, the influence of new technologies on African people is relatively less visible.

However, Africa should not be ignored and will not be absent in this scientific and technological revolution. The application of IT and other emerging technologies will provide an opportunity to solve some of the most protracted problems in society, such as medical treatment and education.

Regarding the development stage, Africa has a lot of room for development. For years, Africa has been trying to catch up with the latest IT development but couldn't realize it due to lack of internet transmission facilities and inadequate telecommunication and software management tools, which will be impeding the further development in the digital technology era.

Active participation in the BRI will be conducive for Africa to embrace the digital era. On the one hand, the cost of telecommunication construction is expected to drop as technology upgrading is speeding up, and barrier between different sectors are disappearing that is conducive to technological and data integration.

On the other hand, China-Africa friendly relations, especially the close cooperation within the BRI, provide a basis for mutual trust and collaboration. In particular, China's experience is undoubtedly more applicable to Africa in improving its people's livelihood and economies.

After 40 years of reform and opening-up, China has explored a path suitable for its own national conditions and achieved long-term development. As China is the largest developing country, its national conditions are comparatively similar to those of Africa and its experience is well-suited to Africa. If China’s experience can be combined with Africa's reality, it will help African people find a development path of their own and have a win-win situation.

China-Africa digital cooperation within the BRI framework has yielded fruitful results. China has helped African countries set up national IT infrastructure for public management and services, such as setting up an integrated information management system and the one-stop administrative service centers.

Some African countries show a strong demand for new technology in recent years. But for Chinese digital companies that enter in African market, more efforts should be made in the following aspects.

First is to fully understand demand and culture of the host countries and respect it. In serving African customers, Chinese businesses must respect local conditions such as conducting in-depth research, sorting out demands, and passing know-how to local engineers. They should bear in mind that complementary advantages and mutual benefit are the cornerstones of the cooperation.

Second, be a responsible partner. New technology can be served in a wide range of social sectors, but it is by no means an overnight venture. The “top-level design plus technology plus experts” model not only makes it possible for new technology to be applied in cooperation projects, but also empowers and trains local technicians to maintain business operations.

Third, it’s necessary to establish research centers in Africa, as weak research strength has been a key factor restricting Africa's technology development. Innovative technologies have become increasingly important for agriculture, a pillar industry in Africa, and improving the livelihoods of major agricultural communities. Used together with new technology, satellites and drones, infrared images can map areas and affected plants. By systematically map-analyzing and processing, problematic crop areas can be detected for early prediction and prevention to optimize production.

As the tide of a new generation of IT is coming, the application of mobile internet, social networks, cloud computing and big data will be prevailing. It will trigger transformative economic growth, demand more IT infrastructure and provide convenience for employment, education, medical treatment, tourism, taxation and social security. A closer cooperation between China and Africa within the BRI framework will definitely usher in a new era of information, data and intelligence.

Max Su is CEO/chairman of Percent, and distinguished visiting professor at the National Development Research Institute, Peking University.

The author contributed this article to China Watch exclusively. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of China Watch.

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