Mobile internet penetration is a key enabler of growth, powerful inclusive tool and an indicator of upward movement of people in the technology ladder. Laying of digital infrastructure, affordability; consumer readiness, content and value added services are the drivers of mobile internet penetration.
Admittedly, the African region is a laggard in this regard. As against the world average of 58.8% internet penetration, Africa’s penetration intensity is at 39.3 as of Q1 of 2020. Interestingly, the penetration is also skewed among countries. For instance, internet penetration in countries like Kenya (87.2%), Libya (74.2%), Seychelles (73%), Mauritius (67.4%) is more than the world average and is comparable to the rate of penetration in some of the most developed economies.
Countries like Chad (6.3%), South Sudan (6.3%), DRC (8. 3%), Eritrea (8.3%) Burundi (9.70%), etc are at the rock bottom of the pecking order, pulling the average down. The only silver lining is that even in these countries the rate of penetration is picking uostensibly due to low base for the time being. Within the region, the average rate of penetration of the internet in Northern Africa is higher than in sub-Saharan Africa, where the penetration is low at 24%.
Fault lines because of the low penetration are many. Low internet penetration drags universal education, healthcare, governance, flow of investments and safety and security. The good news is that all countries are now aware and appreciative of the internet driven technology and social growth. But the pertinent point is the hiatus between what they speak in public for and what they do in private.
There are many cases, when the authorities consciously block the internet on the plea that it would vitiate the law and order situation, although the real reasons, in most of the cases, lie elsewhere. Cost is another concern. Even in countries like Nigeria and South Africa, where the absolute number of mobile internet users are high (though rate of internet penetration may be low because of the larger number of population), internet charges, particularly for value added services are very high.
Private tech companies like Facebook are involved in building a subsea internet cable network.2Africa with a conglomerate of telecom partners including MTN, Orange and Vodafone are in progress. It can strengthen the digital backbone of the region. The network, when fully completed, will lay 37,000 kilometers of cable building a direct high-speed internet connection between 16 countries in Africa with Europe and the Middle East.
Also, Huawei, ZTE and China Telecom have all made in-roads into the region. Huawei is launching a 5G transport network with Rain in South Africa. Hopefully, these efforts may bring down the internet prices, expand the bandwidth and widen the usage to newer frontiers of e-education, e-health, e-governance, e-auction of agricultural goods etc There lies the scope of the internet as an enabler, catalyst and reformer. Will it happen now, when all 54 –countries in the region
reaffirmed their faith for free trade in the continent? Admittedly, high internet penetration is critically important for achieving that objective.
