Africa needs $900 billion in investment by 2030 to achieve universal connectivity, according to telecommunications leaders who gathered in Kigali for the third consecutive Mobile World Congress on the continent.
GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath and ITU Secretary General Doreen Bogdan-Martin delivered keynote addresses at MWC25 Kigali on October 21, calling for greater collaboration and investment in Africa’s digital economy while warning that the continent’s growth hinges on connectivity, inclusion and local innovation.
Badrinath highlighted mobile’s already substantial impact, noting the sector contributed $220 billion to GDP in 2023 while serving 710 million subscribers across the continent. But Africa faces the world’s largest usage gap, where millions live within network coverage yet don’t use mobile internet due to device affordability and limited digital skills.
Artificial intelligence could reshape the continent’s economic landscape entirely. Badrinath said AI technology could add $2.9 trillion in value to African economies by 2030, though he warned the continent remains underrepresented in global datasets. Africa has over 2,000 languages, yet they comprise just 0.02 percent of online content, risking AI models that are unfit for African realities.
To address this gap, GSMA announced a continent-wide collaboration called “AI Language Models in Africa, By Africa, For Africa” involving 14 technology industry players. The partners include mobile operators MTN, Orange, Vodacom, Airtel, Axian Telecom and Ethio Telecom, alongside AI specialists Lelapa AI, Pawa AI, Awarri and Qhala, research organizations Masakhane African Languages Hub and African Population for Health Research Center, plus Cassava Technologies and the World Sandbox Alliance.
On the same day, Africa’s leading mobile operators joined forces to push for $30 4G smartphones as part of the GSMA Handset Affordability Coalition. MTN, Airtel, Orange and Vodacom committed to driving down device costs, recognizing that smartphone affordability remains the biggest barrier to mobile internet adoption across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Badrinath emphasized South Africa recently scrapped luxury taxes on smartphones, a move he encouraged other African governments to follow. He also pointed to the GSMA’s Mobile Internet Skills Training Toolkit, which has helped train 80 million people worldwide, and the Connected Women Initiative, which has brought mobile internet to over 80 million women in Africa since 2016.
Investment challenges loom large over these ambitions. Badrinath cautioned that the continent’s current funding model isn’t sustainable, noting African operators will spend an additional $77 billion by 2030 as mobile data traffic doubles. Although 2G and 3G still dominate, 4G and 5G are gaining ground and are expected to represent 75 percent of all mobile connections by 2030.
Energy access emerged as another critical bottleneck. Badrinath emphasized that digital Africa is not possible without access to reliable, scalable and affordable energy. He called for regulatory frameworks that create fair operating environments and incentivize infrastructure investments.
Bogdan-Martin echoed this message, estimating Africa will need $900 billion to achieve universal, meaningful connectivity by 2030. The ITU chief stressed that investment must extend beyond physical networks to include skills development, noting that skills will turn network coverage into the ability to benefit from digital.
Local innovation matters more than imported solutions, Bogdan-Martin argued, stating that Africa’s digital future must be led by African entrepreneurs solving local problems. She added that when connectivity, skills and support align, innovators can deliver impact exactly where it’s needed most.
The ITU secretary general concluded with a collaborative vision. “The digital future of this continent will not be built by one actor alone,” she stated, emphasizing that only together can stakeholders connect every African community meaningfully.
Badrinath framed Africa’s digital trajectory around three defining forces: intelligence through AI adoption, investment in infrastructure and energy, and inclusion that closes the usage gap. He noted that closing the usage gap could add $625 billion to Africa’s GDP by 2030.
The conference, which runs through October 23 at the Kigali Convention Centre, brings together regional and global leaders to discuss ways to shape the future of digital transformation across Africa. Rwanda President Paul Kagame formally opened the event, underscoring the host nation’s emergence as a technology leader on the continent.
Source: newsghana.com.gh
