This edited volume, the third in a three-volume set, discusses implications of The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in Africa. By rebuilding natural ecosystems, linking billions to digital networks, and better managing assets, the world may be able to undo the damage done by the industrial revolutions. There are, however, significant concerns that institutions will not be able to adapt, that governments will not adopt and regulate new technologies to reap their benefits, that power shifts will result in serious new security threats, that inequality will increase, and that societies will break apart. Written by an international panel of experts, analyzes the potential of smart technology across sectors and industries in Africa to bring about long-term, sustainable growth.  

This book investigates how smart technologies can play a crucial role in the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Focusing on FinTech as well as artificial intelligence, the author demonstrates how one of the most effective strategies for accelerating progress toward global development goals is to make use of emerging technologies to broaden and deepen the scope of action. The first part of the book offers a historical perspective on sustainable development, financial technology and the emergence of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, while the second part looks in-depth at new technologies that can contribute to the realization of the SDGs. The power of AI to reduce poverty and increase food security, the implications of digital innovations for education, the impact of AI on clean transport, the role of FinTech in mitigating climate change, and ways in which AI can aid financial inclusion are all discussed.

The book Post-Independence Development in Africa: Decolonisation and Transformation Prospects revisits the development debates and development realities in Africa. This is achieved by offering theoretical comments about post-independence development in Africa and by providing historical details pertaining to the development approaches adopted in Africa immediately after independence in the 1960s and mid-70s. Sitting at the intersection of two sets of scholarly literature, namely; literature on development and literature on development discourses and practices in Africa, the book comprises a mixture of detailed sector-specific accounts of the status of development on the continent. The chapters in the book also contribute to clarifying how the two strands of literature intersect using several case studies across Africa.

The second in a three-volume series, this edited volume discusses post-independence economic inclusion in selected African countries. While human development indices rise and poverty rates fall across the African continent, facilitated by recent technological and innovation development which reaches previously inaccessible regions, indicators continue to lag in several crucial areas. Economic and social inclusion, therefore, remains at the forefront of development discussions across the continent. Using a variety of case studies underpinned by multidisciplinary research approaches, the chapters in this book explore a wide range of economic and financial inclusion issues from all aspects; from benefits and challenges to the steps that need to be taken to improve the level of economic inclusion on the continent. Governments, development agencies, non-governmental organizations with a bias toward development, students, and university lecturers will all find this book interesting.

The growth of digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence (AI) has the potential to increase global wealth and tackle some of the world's most serious problems, including economic marginalization. In contrast, these innovations may contribute to widening economic gaps and potentially threaten the stability of democratic governments. Changes in economic growth and distribution are occurring in both developed and developing countries due to the impact that new technologies are having on businesses and the workplace. This book provides answers to the question of whether the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, such as Artificial Intelligence, will lead to greater economic uncertainty, environmental collapse, and social unrest or whether they will help achieve shared prosperity and sustainable development, and successively the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The book focuses on Human-centered Artificial Intelligence (AI) and the responsible deployment of diverse technologies for achieving sustainable development. It examines why the human-centred approach is so crucial to long-term success. It underlines the definition of human-centred AI and its importance in creating sustainability and resilience. It starts with a comprehensive history of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, details how to produce artificial intelligence that is centred on humans in order to accomplish sustainable development in the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, and then goes on to discuss the need for proper management and governance of emerging technologies. The book ends by presenting a framework that will assist stakeholders in employing AI in a human-centred manner to achieve the sustainable development goals set for 2030. The book will appeal to scholars, academics and researchers interested in information linked to the SDGs, AI and industry 4.0.

This book is unique in that it challenges scholarly views on financial inclusion and poverty reduction while also relating financial inclusion and poverty reduction to the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The book deviates from the usual method of analyzing financial inclusion, which relies on bank accounts or microcredit as success criteria, and instead discusses how the Fourth Industrial Revolution is facilitating digital financial inclusion. With a five-fold goal, this book investigates both past and present readings and understandings of poverty and financial inclusion. To begin, it provides a thorough introduction to the Fourth Industrial Revolution and financial inclusion in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Second, the book dives quite extensively into the theories of financial inclusion in the context of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. Third, the book reconstructs the theory of financial inclusion, moving from traditional to digital financial inclusion, highlighting the role of digital financial inclusion in the transition from an informal financial money market to a formal financial system. The fourth goal is to evaluate the tools and effects of digital financial inclusion on poverty. Finally, it provides case studies of digital financial inclusion and the future of digital financial inclusion in emerging and developing countries. This book will be of interest to academics, students and practitioners in a range of disciplines, including finance, development economics, and consumer economics.