COVID-19 and Internet Accessibility in the MENA Region: Maximizing digital skills and connectivity for economic recovery

Alexander Farley and Manuel Langendorf assess the readiness of countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region to shift employment and education online, both in terms of Internet availability and digital literacy among the populace. They argue that increasing internet accessibility and improving digital skills development can build on the steps that various governments have taken during the pandemic to mitigate economic impacts to form a digitally-enabled recovery strategy. However, policy planning and implementation needs to focus more on making the digital transformation in region inclusive and to bridge digital divides, which are becoming the new face of inequality around the world.