Over 800 million people on the African continent are unconnected
For the first time in the last decade, the latest industry data has seen the number of people who remain unconnected to the internet drop below 3 billion globally. However, Africa remains largely unconnected, with only 20% of the population now able to go online. Africa's primary barrier to globalisation is its lack of connection to the internet.
The African continent is home to over a billion people, but most of them are not connected to the internet. This lack of connection can be a major hindrance to their personal and professional lives.
There are many reasons why many Africans are not connected to the internet. One of these is the lack of infrastructure. Many places in Africa don't have the necessary infrastructure, meaning reliable electricity, good phone lines, and lots of broadband access. Without these, it remains impossible to provide a stable internet connection in the continent.
Another reason why many people on the African continent are unconnected is the high cost of internet access. In many parts of the continent, internet access is simply too expensive for most people. This is especially true in rural areas, where there is often only one provider of internet service.
One more reason why many people in the African continent are unconnected, is because they speak languages that are not commonly used on the internet. This can make it difficult for them to access and use resources online.
Even with the internet penetration rate increasing steadily in the world, most of the African continent remains unconnected today. With only 20% of Africans online, there are still more than 800 million Africans waiting to be connected.
These figures highlight why at Talk360, we are committed to connecting lives and bridging distance, especially for people in underserviced communities all around the globe. Our technology provides a reliable and affordable international calling service that is capable of connecting our users to any mobile or landline phone number in the world.
Our commitment is further emphasized by providing localized payment methods in order to remove as many barriers as possible to Africans’ connectivity. Finally, our pan-African payment platform will open up a new world of possibilities and financial inclusion to Africans, when they get access to digital services, for the first time ever.
Ethiopia and Nigeria have a very high percentage of unconnected people
Ethiopia and Nigeria rank under the top 10 most unconnected populations globally. Over 49% of Nigeria’s population is unconnected, and in Ethiopia, it’s a staggering 75% of the population.
There are several reasons why Ethiopia and Nigeria have such a high percentage of unconnected people. First, many people in these countries live in rural areas where there is no access to the internet. Second, even if people do have access to the internet, they often cannot afford to pay for it. In Ethiopia, for example, the average monthly income is only $24, which makes it very difficult to pay for internet access. Third, in both Ethiopia and Nigeria, a large percentage of the population is illiterate. This means that they cannot use the internet even if they do have access to it.
Fourth, in both countries, the government has not made a priority of connecting its citizens to the internet. In Nigeria, for example, only 1% of the government's budget is spent on information and communication technology (ICT). This low level of investment means that there is little infrastructure in place to connect people to the internet. Finally, in both countries, there is a lack of competition among providers of internet service. This lack of competition keeps prices high and prevents many people from being able to afford to connect to the internet.
Source: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-global-overview-report
