Internet Accessibility in Africa

Reliable access to the internet and other forms of communication technology remains a major challenge facing Africa today. With so much in today’s world dependent on the internet, rural Africans are at risk of falling behind unless international organizations can work with local governments to extend internet access. Indeed, when one normally thinks about internet access, the first things that come to mind generally are opportunities to know what's going on in the world, as well as the ability to access social media. Yet, internet connectivity is so much more than remaining in touch with friends and keeping up with stories around the world.

Many job opportunities today require internet access, and if Africa wants to be competitive in the economy of tomorrow internet access is a must.

This creates availability in the tech sector, and provides plentiful room for local economies to buy and sell items, extending the power of the market by linking even more people together. Besides the expanded opportunities that are offered in the job market, internet access has wide ranging effects across the health sector as well. Using the internet to access medical resources and advice is critical, especially when considering the advent of telehealth. Beyond traditional health risks, the internet is a vital lifeline in the event of natural disasters such as a river flooding, or a monsoon.

Nigeria currently is one of several leading African countries in internet access. However, even in Nigeria, there are many millions of people who still lack access to the internet, demonstrating the scale of the issue. Other nations, such as South Sudan, have extremely low internet penetration rates. The uneven progress across the continent will propagate further inequality among different African societies in the decades to come. The question thus arises: how can the African Union marshall resources from across the continent to mitigate critical gaps in internet and co? One of the many solutions is increasing mobile internet access to increase the number of internet users. That can be done through allocating funds towards broadband networks that provide increased coverage. It is important for every constituent nation across Africa to pitch in, partly because of the enormous cost associated with improving internet and communication infrastructure.

Overall, the lack of internet accessibility is a major issue that is impeding further development on the African continent. Many rural communities have no access to the internet, while in other areas the bandwidth remains stubbornly low. The UN and other international organizations must examine all possible solutions to this problem, in order to increase the timeframe for closing the digital divide between developing and developed countries.

Of course, global corporations can also contribute solutions to this crisis. SpaceX for example is expected to launch satellite internet in Africa sometime in 2022. The program, called Starlink, aims to connect rural African communities with Broadband internet. In fact, this company has already applied to be an ISP (Internet Service Provider) in South Africa. Other global tech giants such as Google also have programs to increase internet access in Africa that already have had positive impacts.

It is clear that this is a difficult, expensive problem. Yet, lives and livelihoods are at stake, as internet access is a major step towards modernization and forward economic progress. Governments, corporations and international organizations must prove that they are up to this task.

Best,

Eytan Goldstein

Assistant Director