The Relationships between Economic, Cultural Factors, and the Network Readiness of African Nations: a Ten-country Data Analysis

This paper examines the relationships between cultural and economic factors, on the one hand, and the network readiness of African countries, on the other. For illustration purposes, data from ten (10) countries on the continent was used for analysis. The data came from reputable secondary sources, including the World Bank. A conceptual framework was developed, and relevant hypotheses tested. Correlation analysis and a series of multiple regressions were used to analyze the data. The results showed that the dimensions of culture related to individualism and masculinity and national economic wealth were positively related to network readiness. Further, the study’s results indicated that economic wealth of a nation was a better predictor of its ability to participate in and benefit from information and communication technologies (ICT) use for socio-economic development than cultural values and orientations. The study’s implication for policy making and research are discussed.