(3 minutes read)
- Google will partner with Kenya’s telecoms giant Safaricom to launch affordable Android smartphones for first time users
- Google said it would invest US$1 billion in the next five years to fast track affordable internet access and support internet driven entrepreneurship in Africa
- Internet reliability is a problem in Africa where less than a third of the continent’s 1.3 billion people are connected to broadband.
Google said it would invest US$1 billion in the next five years to fast track affordable internet access and support internet driven entrepreneurship in Africa. Internet reliability is a problem in Africa where less than a third of the continent’s 1.3 billion people are connected to broadband.
Endowed with anyoung population, Africa is a potential market for digital companies, particularly Google. Google said it has been doing good work to expand its footprint in Africa. However, it feels that more work is needed to make the internet accessible, affordable and useful for every African.
Google will focus on infrastructure development including the Equiano subsea cable that will connect South Africa, Namibia, Nigeria and St Helena with Europe. Google will train around 10 million young Africans and small-scale businesses in digital skills. It will partner with Kenya’s telecoms giant Safaricom to launch affordable Android smartphones for first time users. The project will later be rolled out across the continent with other carriers such Airtel, MTN, Orange and Vodacom.
