Highlight 52/2022 – African countries need advancement in digital technology and Internet connectivity
Buba Gedo Boke, 16 December 2022
The 17th Internet Governance Conference was been held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA). The theme of the conference was » Resilient Internet for a Shared Sustainable and Common Future ». The conference focused on connecting developing countries’ rural people who are not connected to the Internet, protecting human rights, promoting new technologies such as artificial intelligence, and avoiding the fragmentation of the Internet.
The UN General Assembly Resolutions (74/138) (5 Dec 2019 on Information and communications technologies (ICTs) for sustainable development mentions that without ICTs accessibility development, the agenda 2030 goals will not be accomplished. It is hard for people in developing countries to live without Internet connectivity, but that is the reality for half the world’s population. Africa has the lowest number of Internet connections and only 22 percent of the continent has access to the Internet. Although increased Internet access and related infrastructure could have a profound impact across the continent, Africa remains far behind much of the rest of the world in terms of a fiber network and broadband connectivity, spectrum, and data center processing capabilities. Yet digital infrastructure is growing at a rapid rate in sub-Saharan Africa, spurred by strong investment incentives.
The potential for Internet-transforming opportunities in Africa is vast, but it will depend critically on ensuring that digital access is affordable and widespread. This, in turn, will require significant capital from equity investors and financiers. The African Union, with support from the World Bank Group, has set the goal of connecting every individual, business, and government on the continent by 2030.
Although 70% of the African population has access to mobile internet, less than 25%, use the service due to data cost, land lack of digital literacy, and skills. However, the 21st century is being fought in cyberspace and the creators and spreaders of disinformation online require tools in cyberspace to address this phenomenon. African countries are to bring about equitable and sustainable digital access, particularly the North and East African countries are committed to developing Internet access for their people. The Africa Cyber threat Assessment Report reveals that among 40 top internet-ranking African countries, a 10% increase in Cyber Security leads up to a 5.4% increase in GDP. The African continent should enhance internet use, reduce the gender gap in access to the internet, and empower women’s advancement in using mobile internet access, especially in rural areas. In the continent, device and data affordability as well as increasing digital literacy are some of the areas that should improve. More must be done to ensure that the Internet empowers all women, as well as secure and affordable. Ensuring access to the Internet will help build a better future for current and future generations. People living in developing countries should enjoy access to the Internet with sufficient data, a good and secure connection, with an appropriate device. It is also evident that there is a need for local people to have unrestricted access to Internet networks and services relevant to their needs and realities. Policies focused on enabling such access need to be anchored into local contexts tailored to respond to real needs. Accelerating infrastructure rollout is, therefore, urgent and must be encouraged by governments through more flexible, innovative, and agile regulatory frameworks that benefit both telecom companies and alternative solutions such as community networks and rural operators. Revising universal service funds approaches, facilitating access to spectrum, and simplifying the issuance of authorizations needed for deploying such infrastructures are examples of what could be done in Africa. Technical capacity building for local communities is needed to ensure that they have more investments from the public and private sectors to develop digital skills among citizens. Beyond acquiring technical skills, people need to be empowered to exercise critical thinking and use technology in a safe and meaningful way to advance their rights.
African countries are working on their respective national digital transformation plans, including efforts to advance the use of artificial intelligence in health, agriculture, education, transportation, and other sectors. Africa’s Internet needs transforming and development throughout the continent by fostering economic opportunities, creating jobs, and providing innovative solutions to complex challenges. Governments and the private sector should be committed to addressing inequalities related to the participation of women, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable groups in the digital economy. Stakeholders should create more opportunities for the effective, sustainable, and meaningful participation of youth, women, gender-diverse people, and other underrepresented groups in Internet governance spaces. Ensuring these spaces are safe and secure, avoiding tokenism, and allocating more resources to capacity development programs are essential.
Buba Gedo Boke, Highlight 52/2022 – African countries need advancement in digital technology and Internet connectivity, 16 December 2022, available at www.meig.ch
The views expressed in the MEIG Highlights are personal to the author and neither reflect the positions of the MEIG Programme nor those of the University of Geneva.