Kenya President William Ruto has stepped up his appeals for African business and government leaders to embrace technology in order to prepare the continent for the future.
William Ruto addressed delegates at the Africa Connected Summit 2024 in Nairobi, emphasising that Africa could benefit greatly from the digital revolution if key decision-makers prioritise the right choices.
“Africa’s digital infrastructure coverage, access, and quality lag behind other regions yet it does not have to be this way because the most transformative interventions are just but a few decisions away. We must all be concerned by the fact that our rate of connectivity is poorer than the existing potential,” he said.
ICT thought leaders and policymakers from all over the continent have gathered for a five-day summit to evaluate ideas and collaborations.
In his inaugural speech, William Ruto outlined the major obstacles that, if resolved, would greatly unleash the enormous unrealised economic potential in Africa.
He singled out Africa for having a lower internet penetration rate than the rest of the world, which is 66%. This translates to 470 million users on a continent home to 1.4 billion people.
However, William Ruto noted that only 19 undersea cables connect Africa to the rest of the world’s internet, a fact he deemed insignificant in comparison to other continents like Europe and Asia.
“Fixed broadband penetration in Africa is only about 5% which leaves us far behind other regions of the globe. This has critical implications for our ambition for both connectivity and economic transformation through the digital economy,” he said, arguing that a 10% increase in the continent’s broadband connectivity could lead to a 1.4% growth in Africa’s GDP.
President William Ruto also cited low internet speeds, expensive data plans, and a lacklustre adoption rate for internet-capable devices as additional obstacles.