More than 340 million people are
connected to mobile broadband across Sub-Saharan Africa and, in just
five years, this number will almost double. This is according to
Ericsson’s Mobility, which finds that, by 2025, mobile data traffic in
Africa
will rise by more than 50% every year – by far the highest growth rate
worldwide.
So, Africa isn’t just catching up. There is a real buzz here and technology adoption is improving.
However, it’s not about what we
have, it’s about what we will do with it. It’s about the extent to
which connectivity can accelerate finding solutions to our challenges in
Africa whether economic or social.
The power of connectivity is
addressing one of those major challenges and, in my view, an essential
one to solve all other challenges;
Education.
We all know that education
brings growth and progress into society. The more the people in a
society are educated, the more they can provide beneficial contribution
to their environment.
Another fact that adds value to
the importance of education, is that it has an essential role in
improving individuals’ lives and the communities. Education fosters
inclusion and ultimately enables sustainable development
goals and human development, creates opportunities for the people of
Africa and sustainable development.
Quoting the late Nelson Mandela, “Education is the great engine of personal development. It is through education that the daughter of a peasant can become a doctor, that the son of a mineworker can become the head of the mine, that a child of farm workers can become the president of a great nation. It is what we make out of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another.”
Read more on the next page about how digital inclusion can be enabled.
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