NAIROBI, Kenya June 10-The Internet Society is calling for accelerated action to further internet development throughout Africa as the world becomes more digitally connected.
The organization has pledged to support 100 complementary solutions to connect the unconnected, and to train 10,000 people to build and maintain Internet infrastructure by 2025 as part of the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition,
During the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda, Dawit Bekele, Regional Vice President of the Internet Society in Africa, lauded the progress made by stakeholders in expanding access throughout the continent, while encouraging more collaborative efforts to bridge the digital divide.
Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest growth in global Internet penetration, increasing from less than 1 per cent in 2000 to 30 per cent in 2022.
Between 2019 and 2021 Internet use in Africa jumped by 23 per cent.
Despite this impressive growth, the Internet Society notes that there is still a coverage gap of over 840 million people who don’t have access to reliable and affordable Internet access.
“The Covid-19 pandemic demonstrated the value of Internet connectivity which has been an essential lifeline for the continuity of business, healthcare, education, government, and other critical activities.. However, the pandemic also highlights the digital divide that remains, particularly in rural, remote and even urban areas around the world,” said Dawit Bekele.
In Kenya specifically, the rapid pace of Internet ecosystem development since 2012 underscores the role that Internet Exchange Points (IXPs) and the accompanying infrastructure play in the establishment of strong and sustainable Internet ecosystems.
The Internet Society has conducted technical capacity training on Internet routing technologies for network operators in Kenya and supported the development of community networks including TunapandaNET in Kibera, AHERI in Kisumu, and Lanet-Umoja in Nakuru.
The initiative has propelled an increase of the number of internet users from 0.4 per cent in 2012 to 41.9 per cent of the population in 2020 with nearly 70 per cent of traffic localized.
Localizing Internet traffic has led to significant cost savings for participating networks and puts the country in a strong position to participate in the digital economy.
