Managing the risks of inconsistent internet connectivity to businesses across sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

ABSTRACT The global economy is becoming more congruent as technology advances at an exponential pace, and communities are taking on new digital dimensions wherever one looks. In sub-Saharan Africa specifically, there an opportunity for digitisation to create new, transformative tools that ultimately increase the competitiveness of Africa’s economies on a global scale. However, the public needs to trust that their access to the internet will not be disrupted, otherwise the increase in utilisation and development of the digital economy across the continent will continue to lag behind more developed economies. While risk management has always been a core requirement for organisations, leaders are increasingly aware of the need to manage new digital risks, for example, cyber security, driven by rapidly changing technology and continually advancing global internet connectivity. Faced with ever-changing and potentially catastrophic cyber threats, organisations must start treating digital risk management as a truly strategic concern, not confined to an isolated silo of risk analysts. The purpose of this research is to investigate whether the inherent risks of inconsistent internet connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa are adequately managed, and if not, how best to improve the current approach. The data collection procedure included conducting interviews across different communities within the sample population to include people who have a background in risk analysis, people who have experienced internet connectivity failures that impact their purchasing habits online and service providers who can measure internet outages. Based on the content of the interviews conducted by the author, the conclusion is that the risks of inconsistent internet connectivity across sub-Saharan Africa are not adequately managed. Current risk management frameworks are not holistic in their approach to risks, potentially impacting e-commerce and the digital economy.