Knowledge Economy and ICT: An ASIA-AFRICA Comparison

As a result of the rapid development and expansion of ICT around the world, the knowledge economy has become dominant and a source of growth. ICT has revolutionized the way people think by accelerating the collection, processing and transmission of data. The objective of this paper is to identify the impact of information and communication technologies, particularly through the tool represented by the Internet, and to see what commonalities and differences exist between Asia and Africa and what lessons the latter can draw from the Asian experience. Asian countries have developed the knowledge economy through increased public spending on research and education and improved access to ICTs, areas in which there are important divergences with Africa.