ISO standards as signals of innovation and upgrading in African value chains: Evidence from digital trace data

This article examines whether international standards function as signals of innovation related upgrading dynamics in African value chains. Using a review and analysis of digital trace data from the Google Ads Keyword Planner the study analyzes search volumes for six ISO standards ISO 9001 ISO 14001 ISO 31000 ISO 26000 ISO 45001 and ISO 13485 across five African and five European countries over the period September 2021 to August 2025 applying linear trend models. Results support the hypothesis that African countries Nigeria Egypt and South Africa exhibit stronger growth in ISO related search interest than European counterparts where trends are largely stable or show isolated increases. These patterns suggest that in Africa ISO standards are increasingly associated with reputational signalling institutional learning and an upgrading orientation within global value chains rather than functioning solely as compliance mechanisms. From a policy perspective the findings highlight the importance of strengthening quality infrastructures supporting small and medium sized enterprises and advancing regional harmonization initiatives including the African Continental Free Trade Area. The study contributes to the literature by showing how digital trace data capture institutional awareness of international standards and provide a comparative perspective on their differentiated signalling role across regions empirically explicitly.