Page 5 - SAMENA Trends - Oct-Nov 2023

SAMENA COUNCIL ADVOCACY SAMENA TRENDS

MWC Africa

At MWC 2023 Africa, SAMENA Council Advocates “Connectivity
Collaborations” for Overcoming Infrastructure-Development and Device &
Broadband Affordability Challenges in Developing Economies

SAMENA Telecommunications Council, print for addressing digital infrastructure “Bridging connectivity
represented by Bocar BA, CEO & Board financing needs for the next decade and
Member and UN Broadband Commissioner, beyond. Here, implications and impacts of gaps requires not only
contributed to the leadership discussions the impending implementation of the infrastructural invest-
and exchange of insights that took place OECD’s long-awaited framework on Interna-
during Mobile World Congress Africa, held tional Tax Reform also merit consideration. ments but also invest-
in Kigali, Rwanda. SAMENA Council high- Bocar BA, during his keynote, remarked that ments in enhancing
lighted that the way we bring access to con- “Through a combination of connectivity
nectivity must be aligned with what our collaborations, for example, between Ter- digital literacy, curat-
world has undergone across a myriad of restrial and Satellite operators and HAPS; ing relevant content,
fronts. The investment, funding and financ- shared connectivity funding, for example,
ing models that enabled earlier telecoms from contributors other than Telecom Oper- and addressing device
infrastructure development and its utiliza- ators; technology and regional integration; affordability”
tion; that provided an environment for and by optimizing capacity-building and
today’s digital ecosystems to grow; and human development endeavors, economic Bocar BA, CEO & Board
which allowed for possibilities that citizens transformation throughout SA-ME-NA and Member of SAMENA Council
would have access to life-impacting con- Africa can be put on a path to growth and
tent and digital services, no longer suffice. sustainability.” BA further elaborated that “Bridging connectivity gaps requires not
They were created for the market realities “Because mobile technology has a direct only infrastructural investments but also
and economic perspectives of the 20th impact on inclusive progress, governments investments in enhancing digital literacy,
century, whereas we are addressing the and the private sector should keep eyes on curating relevant content, and addressing
needs of the 21st century. Recommenda- understanding and harnessing 5G’s poten- device affordability”, BA further elaborated
tions from the Broadband Commission's tial as the neighboring regions carry on for- in his message. SAMENA Council observes
21st Century Funding and Investment Mod- ward in deploying 5G.” However, he added that Africa needs to leapfrog on multiple
els Working Group, which informed recent in the context of Africa, “5G roll-out and fronts, and to accelerate fulfilment of its
discussions last month in New York at the adoption need to account for the current collective vision and that of the vision of
Annual Fall Meeting of the Commission, connectivity landscape, emerging digital each of its 54 economies. MWC in Kigali
and insights from SMART Africa, stemming services, and unique market features spe- was co-located with Africa HealthTech
from its study on “The Impact of OTT Appli- cific to Africa. Thus, the approach needs to Summit and Smart Africa. The industry
cations and Services on the Telecommuni- be targeted, collaboration-driven and event gathered all sub-regions of Africa as
cations Sector in Africa”, with a particular phased, serving needs where they arise well as international attendees from coun-
focus on taxation, provide a powerful blue- rather than opting for large-scale roll-outs.” tries looking to do business in Africa. The
event focused on four core themes: Accel-
erate Africa, FinTech, HealthTech, and Pow-
ering Digital. The GSMA marked the
opening of MWC Kigali 2023 with the publi-
cation of its annual Mobile Economy
Sub-Saharan Africa Report, which revealed
a considerable mobile internet usage gap
of 59% in Sub-Saharan Africa. While the
report acknowledged over 285 million peo-
ple in the region – representing 25% of the
population – were using mobile internet,
the significant usage gap highlights the
impact of the barriers to adoption, includ-
ing the lack of affordability and low levels
of digital skills.

5 OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2023