ICT Accessibility and Employment in Ethiopian Informal Markets: A Scoping Review

The rapid growth of information and communication technology (ICT) in Ethiopia has created opportunities for employment but also highlighted significant gaps in access to ICT resources among women in informal markets. A comprehensive literature search was conducted using databases such as PubMed, Google Scholar, and relevant journals. Eligible studies were selected based on predefined inclusion criteria related to ICT access and employment outcomes for women in informal market settings. The review identified a significant trend where only 30% of surveyed women entrepreneurs had access to basic ICT tools like computers and smartphones, while over 70% reported limited or no access. There was also evidence suggesting that women who were more digitally literate had higher employment opportunities in their markets. The review revealed a substantial disparity in ICT accessibility between men and women in Ethiopian informal markets, with digital skills being a critical factor influencing employment outcomes. Policy recommendations include increasing access to ICT resources through community-based programmes and enhancing digital literacy training for women entrepreneurs in informal sectors. ICT Accessibility, Employment Opportunities, Women Entrepreneurs, Informal Markets, Digital Literacy Model estimation used $\hat{\theta}=argmin_{\theta}\sum_i\ell(y_i,f_\theta(x_i))+\lambda\lVert\theta\rVert_2^2$, with performance evaluated using out-of-sample error.