ICT Adoption, Human Development, and Productivity Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Random Forest and DEA-Malmquist Analysis
Abstract
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly recognized as important enablers of human development through improved access to education, healthcare, and information. This study examined the association between ICT adoption, life expectancy, and literacy rates in 49 Sub-Saharan African countries. The study used panel data from 49 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2010 to 2022. Random Forest analysis was used to identify patterns and determine the ICT indicators most strongly associated with human development outcomes, while an online survey provided additional insights into ICT adoption. DEA-Malmquist analysis was applied to evaluate productivity growth and technological change over time. The results indicate that ICT adoption is positively associated with life expectancy and literacy rates. Internet penetration emerged as the most influential predictor in both models, accounting for approximately 89% of total feature importance. The DEA-Malmquist analysis revealed average productivity growth of 17.2%, driven mainly by technological change. These findings suggest that expanding access to digital technologies can support improvements in education and health outcomes. The study contributes to ICT4D research by combining Random Forest and DEA-Malmquist methods and provides evidence to inform digital inclusion policies that promote human development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
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BibTeX
@article{maidi2026adoption,
title = {{ICT Adoption, Human Development, and Productivity Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Random Forest and DEA-Malmquist Analysis}},
author = {Refilwe Maidi and Ernest Mnkandla},
journal = {Journal of Information Systems and Informatics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.63158/journalisi.v8i5.1866},
url = {https://doi.org/10.63158/journalisi.v8i5.1866},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - ICT Adoption, Human Development, and Productivity Change in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Random Forest and DEA-Malmquist Analysis
AU - Refilwe Maidi
AU - Ernest Mnkandla
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/24
JO - Journal of Information Systems and Informatics
DO - 10.63158/journalisi.v8i5.1866
UR - https://doi.org/10.63158/journalisi.v8i5.1866
AB - Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly recognized as important enablers of human development through improved access to education, healthcare, and information. This study examined the association between ICT adoption, life expectancy, and literacy rates in 49 Sub-Saharan African countries. The study used panel data from 49 Sub-Saharan African countries for the period 2010 to 2022. Random Forest analysis was used to identify patterns and determine the ICT indicators most strongly associated with human development outcomes, while an online survey provided additional insights into ICT adoption. DEA-Malmquist analysis was applied to evaluate productivity growth and technological change over time. The results indicate that ICT adoption is positively associated with life expectancy and literacy rates. Internet penetration emerged as the most influential predictor in both models, accounting for approximately 89% of total feature importance. The DEA-Malmquist analysis revealed average productivity growth of 17.2%, driven mainly by technological change. These findings suggest that expanding access to digital technologies can support improvements in education and health outcomes. The study contributes to ICT4D research by combining Random Forest and DEA-Malmquist methods and provides evidence to inform digital inclusion policies that promote human development in Sub-Saharan Africa.
SN - 2656-5935
SN - 2656-4882
ER -