The Internet Society (ISOC), which is celebrating its 30th year as a global charity fighting for an open, globally linked Internet, is calling for greater action to advance Internet growth in Africa. Dawit Bekele, Regional Vice President of the Internet Society in Africa, lauded stakeholders' progress in expanding access across the continent, while encouraging more collaborative efforts to bridge the digital divide, at the World Telecommunication Development Conference (WTDC) 2022 in Kigali, Rwanda, under the theme "Connecting the unconnected to achieve sustainable development."
Sub-Saharan Africa has had the fastest increase in worldwide Internet penetration, rising from less than 1% in 2000 to 30% now. The use of the internet in Africa increased by 23% between 2019 and 2021. Despite this amazing expansion, there is still an unmet need for dependable and cheap Internet connection for approximately 840 million people.
"The COVID-19 pandemic proved the importance of Internet access, which has served as a lifeline for businesses, healthcare, education, government, and other crucial operations." We welcome the substantial expenditures made in Internet infrastructure over the previous few decades, which have made the Internet more accessible to more people throughout the continent. The epidemic, on the other hand, exposes the digital gap that still exists, particularly in rural, distant, and even metropolitan areas.
ISOC has a local organization in Ghana that is working to establish an Internet Exchange Point and hold technical training events to support and promote Internet regulations, standards, and protocols that maintain the Internet open, globally linked, and safe.
Community networks can aid in bridging the digital gap. They are community-built, controlled, and used communications infrastructures that provide a long-term solution to connection shortages in underserved areas. The Internet Society has a long history of partnering with communities throughout the world to help fund, develop, and equip individuals with the skills they need to administer and maintain community networks.
South Africa, Zimbabwe, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Nigeria, Namibia, Morocco, Senegal, and Ethiopia are among the African countries where the Internet Society has assisted in the development of community networks.
As part of the Partner2Connect Digital Coalition, an initiative led by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) that aims to foster meaningful connectivity and digital transformation in the world's hardest-to-connect communities, WTDC will pledge to support 100 complementary solutions to connect the unconnected by 2025, as well as train 10,000 people to build and maintain Internet infrastructure.