Development Economics

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Essays on Digital Technologies, Entrepreneurship, and Economic Outcomes in SubSaharan Africa
(Addis Ababa Universtiy, 2026-06-01) Kebede Bekele; Gebeyehu Manie
Over the past few decades, internet access and the adoption of 3G/4G wireless networks have expanded across Africa. This digital transformation brings both opportunities and challenges. In this study, we use panel data from two rounds of the World Bank Enterprise Survey conducted in Zambiabefore and after the COVID19 outbreak to examine the impact of digitalization on firm resilience in a developing country context. Our analysis employs entropy balancing anddifferenceindifferences models and remains robust across various estimation techniques. A key finding is that firms that had adopted digital technologies before the pandemic experienced less revenue loss than other firms. The average effects are large but vary significantly across industries. These findings underscore the potential of digital strategies in mitigating economic disruptions.