This research examines how the Digital Silk Road benefits African economies and identifies the conditions that improve development outcomes from digital partnerships. Using panel data for 49 African countries from 2000 to 2024, the study applies a staggered Difference-in-Differences framework to compare DSR participants with non-participating countries before and after joining, while controlling for country and year fixed effects, population, mobile subscriptions, internet penetration, tariffs, Chinese FDI, and inflation. Event-study and placebo tests were also used to validate the results. The findings show that DSR participation increases GDP growth in Africa, with the strongest effects emerging several years later as digital infrastructure takes time to generate returns. Countries with stronger initial mobile connectivity benefit more, indicating that domestic absorptive capacity is essential for converting digital investment into growth. However, the relationship with GDP per capita is weaker, suggesting that higher national output does not immediately translate into individual income gains. The main channels of impact include expanded connectivity, higher productivity, and stronger market integration, while barriers such as low skills, weak regulation, and unequal access remain significant challenges. The study concludes that policies promoting digital education, effective infrastructure governance, and inclusive technology access are crucial for maximizing the developmental benefits of the Digital Silk Road in Africa.
Fresnel et al. (Thu,) studied this question.