Empowering Women in the Digital Economy: A Quest for Meaningful Connectivity and Access in Developing Countries

This book presents multidisciplinary perspectives on opportunities and best practices necessary for empowering women in the digital economy in developing countries. The book explores the components of connectivity that matter most to women. It also helps decision-makers and policymakers to adopt the policies needed to empower women in using digital platforms and developing (and taking up) careers in the digital economy in developing economies.

In response, we gathered eight contributions (or chapters) on new directions, strategies, and barriers to women’s empowerment through digital technologies. The contributions span thematic areas such as female digital entrepreneurship, social media, and agricultural value chains, women in the gig economy, the digital divide, gender disparities in cryptocurrencies, and digital access in agriculture.

In précis, the contributions argue that, first, appropriate legislation matters, but it is not enough - there is a need to alter social and cultural attitudes and raise awareness. Second, there is a need to address affordability. Government and development agencies may begin by offering free or discounted smart devices to rural women and appropriate digital skills training relevant to their economic activities. Third, there is a need for urgent attention by government labor agencies in developing countries to enforce decent working conditions and protection for female gig workers while maximizing opportunities being offered through these platforms. Don’t just leave women to use digital platforms and services; support them with sound policies and programs for responsible and sustainable use.

In effect, this book offers clarity on new strategies, case studies/examples, and lessons in addressing or circumventing institutional challenges to women’s empowerment through digital technologies.

Richard Boateng is a Professor in Information Systems at the University of Ghana Business School. He is a technology researcher who focuses on developing, communicating, protecting, promoting ideas and concepts into sustainable projects of commercial value and development impact.

Up until 31 July 2020, he served as the Head of the Department of Operations and Management Information Systems at the Business School of the University of Ghana. He is also the associate editor of the Information Technologies & International Development Journal and serve on the editorial board of the Information Development Journal. His research experience covers the digital economy, cloud computing, e-learning, information and communication technologies (ICT) for development, electronic governance, social media, electronic business, gender and technology, mobile commerce, and mobile health at the national, industrial, organisational and community levels.

He has a doctorate in Development Informatics and a master’s degree in Management and Information Systems from the University of Manchester, UK. He also has a bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology. He is a British Chevening Award Scholar and a Dorothy Hodgkin Postgraduate Award Scholar. After his PhD, he undertook a post-doctoral program at the International Centre for IT and Development, Southern University and A&M College, USA under the sponsorship of the National Science Foundation, USA. In May 2010, he received a Best Paper Award for a lead-authored paper published in the Journal of African Business ＂E-Commerce in the Least Developing Countries: Summary Evidence and Implications.＂ On 26th March 2011, he received the Southern University (USA) Research Leadership Award, for his contribution to ICT Research in Africa, awarded at the 4th International Conference on ICT for Africa, held at Covenant University, Ota, Nigeria.
He has co-edited a Taylor and Francis/Routledge Book on Delivering Distinctive Value in Emerging Economies - Efficient and Sustainably Responsible Perspectives from Management Researchers and Practitioners. He has also co-edited a Springer Book on Digital Innovations, Business and Society in Africa - New Frontiers and a Shared Strategic Vision. On two occasions, Prof. Boateng has been invited to contribute to global reports on information systems access and usage. First, by the Renowned Economist, Diane Coyle for the Vodafone Global PLC.’s Socio-economic Impact of Mobiles (SIM) Report; and second, by the World Wide Web Foundation for the 2019 Women’s Rights Online Survey. Richard has been listed among the Top twenty Highly cited Scholars in University of Ghana by Google Scholar: https: //tinyurl.com/y89o59se

Dr. Sheena Lovia Boateng is a lecturer at the Department of Marketing and Entrepreneurship at the University of Ghana Business School. She holds Doctoral and Undergraduate degrees in Marketing from the University of Ghana. She is the first female to complete a PhD in Marketing from the University of Ghana and is also the founder of the Women in Tertiary Education (WITE) Network, which seeks to provide support for women pursuing tertiary education in their academic research, family life and career balance. She is a fellow of the Academy of Marketing Science. She also served as a member of the Editorial Advisory Board for the Emerald Emerging Markets Case Study Journal, Emerald Publishing Limited, UK, from 2018 to 2020.

Her research has been published in the International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management, International Journal of Bank Marketing, Journal of Financial Services Marketing, Smart Learning Environments, and the Journal of Educational Technology Systems. Dr. Sheena’s paper on signalling theory published in the International Journal of Bank Marketing (2019) was listed among the most popular papers in the journal for the first quarter of 2019. She has also published a practical workbook on Structural Equation Modelling using AMOS and SPSS. She has published seven journal publications, five books, six book chapters, four published conference papers, and one industry report.

She has co-edited a Taylor and Francis/Routledge Book on Delivering Distinctive Value in Emerging Economies - Efficient and Sustainably Responsible Perspectives from Management Researchers and Practitioners. She has also co-edited a Springer Book on Digital Innovations, Business and Society in Africa - New Frontiers and a Shared Strategic Vision. She is a Guest Co-Editor for a Special Issue on Digital Innovations and End-User Entrepreneurship for the International Journal of E-Entrepreneurship and Innovation (IJEEI) published by IGI Global (2021). In March 2021, she was appointed as a doctoral external examiner, Wits School of Business and Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.

Thomas Anning-Dorson is an Associate Professor of Marketing at Wits Business School, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and a Research Associate at the School of Consumer Intelligence and Information Systems, University of Johannesburg. Thomas is a Research Fellow at McGill University, Montreal, Canada through the Queen Elizabeth Scholars Program. Thomas is a member of the American Marketing Association, fellow at the Academy of Marketing Science and Academy of International Business. He serves as the Track Chair - (International Business Theory) for the Academy of International Business - Sub-Saharan Africa Chapter (AIB Africa).

Thomas is an enthusiastic scholar and management consultant with a keen interest in the issues of Innovation, Strategy, Digitalization, Enterprise Growth, and Marketing in Emerging Markets.

Dr. Thomas’ current research focuses on Competitive Strategy, Brands, Innovation, Services Management, Emerging Markets, Customer Experience Management, 4IR and Enterprise Development. His research has been published in top tier international journals including Journal of Business Research, International Marketing Review, Computer in Human Behavior, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Cross-Cultural and Strategic Management, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, European Journal of Innovation Management, and International Journal of Bank Marketing.