By: Nana
Appiah Acquaye
MTN Group has called for
greater focus on turning mobile connectivity into meaningful participation in
Africa’s digital economy, noting that nearly one billion Africans live within
reach of a mobile network but remain offline.
The issue featured
prominently during the second day of MTN Group engagements around the 81st
United Nations General Assembly (UNGA81) in New York, where discussions focused
on how connectivity can translate into digital inclusion, economic opportunity
and participation.
MTN Group Chief
Sustainability and Corporate Affairs Officer Nompilo Morafo represented the
company at the PDAA–GSMA Digital Africa Summit: Path to 1 Billion, hosted at
The Rockefeller Foundation, where she participated in discussions on what it
will take to bring the next billion people meaningfully into the digital
economy.
The MTN Group delegation
also participated in the GSMA Partners for Impact Breakfast, engaging leaders
across the mobile and development ecosystem on partnerships required to
accelerate digital inclusion across Africa.
A key message from the
discussions was that coverage alone is not the finish line for digital
inclusion. Across MTN’s markets, broadband population coverage has reached
94.2%, but the next challenge is ensuring that infrastructure translates into
affordable access, smart devices, digital skills, jobs and real economic
opportunities.
The discussions highlighted
the gap between network availability and actual participation, with
affordability, device access and digital skills remaining important elements in
enabling people to benefit from the digital economy.
MTN Group said Africa’s
digital future will require collaboration among African governments, the
private sector, institutions such as the GSMA and global development partners
such as The Rockefeller Foundation.
The company said the
partnerships and conversations held during the engagements around UNGA81 form
part of efforts to advance digital inclusion and expand opportunities for
people across Africa to participate more fully in the digital economy.
The engagements included
participation by GSMA Director General Vivek Badrinath, International
Telecommunication Union Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin and GSMA Chief
Regulatory Officer John Giusti.
