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	41.5% of Internet users are covered by a 3G network.
	Out of 100 people in Africa, 0.4 have a fixed broadband connection.
	17.8% of households have Internet access at home and 10.7% of households have a computer at home.
	Africa currently has the lowest percentage of individuals using the Internet by region and developmental status (28.2%).

Internet Connectivity

Internet use on the African continent is on the rise. However, Africa remains a region where only a third of the population has access to broadband connectivity. Achieving universal, affordable, and good quality internet access by 2030 will require an investment of US $100 billion. This is according to a report launched at the Annual Meetings of the World Bank Group, which calls for urgent action to close the internet access gap while providing a roadmap to reach this ambitious goal.

The report from the Broadband for All Working Group gives practical insights and suggestions of what is needed to attain this objective, including an action plan for universal broadband connectivity in Africa. To achieve universal broadband access by 2030, African countries will need to bring about 1.1 billion more people online. This will require exceptional and coordinated efforts from governments, the private sector, development partners, and civil society, the report says, but the investment is worth it.

“The digital agenda is first and foremost a growth and jobs agenda,” says Makhtar Diop, the World Bank’s former Vice President for Infrastructure. “The working-age population in Africa is expected to increase by some 450 million people between 2015 and 2035. If current trends continue, less than one quarter will find stable jobs. Broadening internet access means creating millions of job opportunities.”

While the number of broadband connections in Africa crossed the 400 million mark in 2018 (nearly twenty times 2010 levels), the regional average broadband penetration including 3G and 4G connections is only 25% in 2018. Mobile broadband coverage in Africa is still at 70% of the population. Even in North Africa, there is ample room for growth with 4G networks covering only about 60% of the population. Additional challenges, such as the lack of access to reliable and affordable electricity, make accelerating Africa’s digital transformation journey even more difficult.

According to the report, nearly 80% of all required investments are directly related to the need to roll out and maintain broadband networks. However, connecting the unconnected is about more than just infrastructure: about 20% of required investments consist in building the user skills and local content foundations, and another 2-4% should be allocated to setting up the appropriate regulatory framework, the report notes. While the private sector has driven most successful broadband initiatives, public agencies play a crucial role by implementing effective sector regulation, addressing potential market failures, and creating the conditions for an open, competitive broadband sector.

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Most of Africa’s Internet activity and infrastructure exists in South Africa, Egypt and Morocco. South Africa ranks highest in internet penetration rates in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) estimated to be 71.4% in 2020. Nigeria has the most Internet users at 124 million in Africa due in large part to its large population. Kenya leads the continent in mobile Internet users, with a penetration rate of 83%.