Structural Constraints and Realized Digital Use in West Africa: Insights from Ziguinchor, Senegal

Digital inclusion is increasingly recognized as a key driver of socioeconomic opportunity in rapidly urbanizing African cities, yet empirical evidence on its structural determinants remains limited. This study advances the literature by developing a multidimensional, data-driven framework to assess digital inclusion in Ziguinchor, Senegal. Using a unique household survey, it integrates technological access, service quality, affordability, electricity reliability, mobility constraints, and social capital. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) is used to construct standardized domain indices and a composite Digital Inclusion Index, while regression models quantify the relative influence of each domain, accounting for gender and age differences. The findings provide new empirical evidence that digital inclusion is driven primarily by material and infrastructural conditions, particularly device access, proximity and mobility constraints, and electricity reliability. In contrast, affordability and service quality play smaller roles, challenging dominant policy narratives focused on data costs. The study also reveals persistent gender and generational inequalities in digital access and use. By quantifying the relative weight of multidimensional constraints and linking them to spatial and infrastructural conditions, the research offers a replicable and policy-relevant analytical framework for secondary cities. It demonstrates that digital inclusion is not solely a connectivity issue but a structurally embedded outcome, requiring integrated interventions across infrastructure, mobility, and social equity domains.