Bridging the current digital divide requires a combination of policy and regulatory interventions, matched with meaningful investment
We live in a world where more and more people are digitally connected. Connectivity means prosperity. It means opportunity. Access to the Internet is a passport to education, information, starting a business, getting health care, and finding a better-paying job.
But this increased global connectivity is uneven. Too many people are still being left behind.
ITU's 2024 estimates, released in November, show a persistent digital divide between high-income and low-income countries. Although the digital revolution is well under way in Africa, only 38% of the continent's population is using the Internet, significantly below the global average of 68%.
While 85% of the population in Africa has access to at least 3G mobile broadband services, only 60% is covered by 4G services and only 11% is covered by 5G, compared to the global average of 51%.
A deeper look into the numbers reveals inequalities within inequalities: In Africa, women are less connected than men -- 31% vs 43% -- and girls are less connected than boys. For economies to succeed, young girls need to feel comfortable and confident in their ability to use the latest technology.
Another startling statistic that emerged from ITU's new estimates shows that 25% of people living in rural areas in Africa still have no possibility at all of connecting to the Internet because of gaps in broadband coverage.
Rural people in Africa are still far less connected than urban people: 57% vs. 23%. Another main reason people don't use the Internet is their lack of digital skills and an unfamiliarity with technology.
ITU is working with stakeholders --policymakers, business and community leaders, innovators -- to bridge these gaps as quickly as possible by empowering communities with digital skills, making digital technologies and services affordable to everyone -- women, girls, people with disabilities, vulnerable groups, those in rural areas -- and guiding countries as they upgrade their regulatory frameworks and infrastructure.
Our projects in Africa are proving the power of these partnerships.
Our Digital Transformation Centres (DTCs) initiative, launched in 2019 with Cisco to improve digital literacy and capacity in underserved communities, now has 14 DTCs and has helped almost 400,000 people gain the digital skills necessary to make them more employable or help them become better entrepreneurs.
The DTCs are also teaching school children programming and other digital skills. The demographics of Africa -- the world's youngest continent; according to UN figures, 70% of the people in sub-Saharan Africa are under the age of 30 -- present tremendous potential for growth.
But this is only if new generations, boys and girls alike, are empowered to reach their potential. Technology plays a critical role in making this happen.
The DTCs are also teaching school children programming and other digital skills. The demographics of Africa -- the world's youngest continent; according to UN figures, 70% of the people in sub-Saharan Africa are under the age of 30 -- present tremendous potential for growth. But this is only if new generations, boys and girls alike, are empowered to reach their potential. Technology plays a critical role in making this happen.
Among those to participate in DTC training was Yea Acheampongmaa, a hairstylist in Ghana with no formal education. She described learning to use the Internet as a "game-changer" for marketing her services.
In Bonwire, also in Ghana, artisans are using their newfound computer skills to discover markets around the world for the town's traditional fabrics.
Throughout 2024, other special initiatives led or supported by ITU welcomed many thousands of digitally underserved young people into the vast global community of Internet users. To mention a few: 40,000 girls from 84 countries honed their digital skills during International Girls in ICT Day; 30 young change-makers from 28 countries participated in the Generation Connect Young Leadership Programme, co-led by Huawei; and more than 1,400 young women from 19 countries joined the Her Digital Skills initiative, co-founded with EY, GSMA, and W4, and the AI Skills Accelerator for Girls, co-led by EY.
The benefits of their learning will be felt for years to come.
A glimpse of how youthful energy and creativity are already flowing into new digital enterprises was on display in October during ITU's Global Innovation Forum. Among the three digital start-ups to receive the Forum's award for innovation, two were from Africa: the Muuni Fund in Malawi, for fostering entrepreneurship and building supportive ecosystems for innovation, and Bulamu Bridge AI Technologies of Uganda, which created the FemiHub app and WhatsApp chatbots to digitize access to women's health information and services.
On April 24, 2025, the world will once again celebrate International Girls in ICT Day, an annual event that encourages girls and young women to pursue education and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
I encourage communities to organize events and activities to support girls as they learn about STEM and help them benefit fully from the power of technology.
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Last year's event brought us an array of enriching experiences for girls, from an online blogging competition in Guyana, to the Girls in ICT Caribbean Hackathon, to web-based training that taught basic robotics skills to public school girls in Nigeria.
There is great hope for Africa with its current political will and vision. The year 2024 was declared by the African Union as the Year of Education, which opened doors for STEM and bridging the digital gender gap.
Furthermore, the African Union (AU) recently adopted the Continental Artificial Intelligence Strategy in keeping with global trends. But for the benefits to be reaped, connectivity is a sine qua non - without which, not.
A combination of policy and regulatory interventions, matched with meaningful investment, will get the continent where it needs to be in terms of meaningful, affordable connectivity.
Let's keep up the momentum.
Dr. Cosmas Luckyson Zavazava is Director of the Telecommunication Development Bureau at the International Telecommunication Union. With over 30 years in telecommunications, he has implemented numerous impactful ICT projects around the world.
