Smart Africa committed to bridging digital divide through inclusive connectivity
Date: 2024-03-05
Didier Nkurikiyimfura, the Senior
Director and Chief Strategy and Growth Officer at Smart Africa, has reaffirmed his organization's commitment to promoting digital inclusion across the African
continent.
He made this statement during a
roundtable discussion at the Economic Commission for Africa’s Conference of
Ministers (COM24) in Zimbabwe.
The discussion was led by Amb.
Claver Gatete on "Technology for development in Africa: crafting a path to
inclusive technological advancement," and included other panellists such as
Hon. Prof. Njuguna Ndung'u, CBS, OusmanBah, and Charles Murito.
On his LinkedIn page, Mr.
Nkurikiyimfura revealed how Smart Africa, in partnership with the UN Economic
Commission for Africa (UNECA) and its member states, is addressing the issue of
the broadband usage gap in Africa.
This gap refers to the fact that 60%
of the population lacks access to smartphones, despite having internet
coverage. To enhance affordability and drive digital inclusion, they are
proposing initiatives such as removing taxes on low-end smartphones and data.
Mr. Nkurikiyimfura believes that
this will unlock numerous benefits for Africa's economic growth, including
stimulating entrepreneurship and innovation, creating new businesses, jobs, and
revenue streams, enhancing efficiency and transparency in service delivery, and
ensuring that all Africans can benefit from the opportunities offered by the
digital economy.
Smart Africa’s ultimate goal he
stressed is to double internet connectivity to 1 billion Africans, with a
special focus on increasing connectivity for women and girls to 80%.
He therefore invited member states to
partner with Smart Africa to remove taxes on low-end smart devices and data
to encourage uptake and reduce the usage gap, especially in underserved and
rural areas.
By: Nana Appiah Acquaye
