Africa’s ambitions for universal, affordable and good-quality Internet access by 2030 will require an investment of at least $100-billion over the next decade.

About 1.1-billion more people across Africa, where less than a third of the population has access to broadband connectivity, need to be brought online to achieve that “elusive” universal broadband access, a new report by the Broadband for All Working Group shows.

“The digital agenda is first and foremost a growth and jobs agenda,” says World Bank infrastructure VP Makhtar Diop, noting the need for “exceptional and coordinated efforts” from governments, the private sector, development partners and civil society.

The number of broadband connections in Africa surpassed the 400-million mark in 2018 – nearly 20 times the 2010 level.

However, the regional average broadband penetration rate, including third-generation (3G) and fourth-generation (4G) connections, only had a penetration rate of 25% in 2018.

“In large parts of Africa, we are witnessing a lack of progress in extending access and network coverage.

“Promoting greater digital inclusion is going to require more effective and innovative collaboration,” says Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development executive director and International Telecommunication Union telecommunication development bureau director Doreen Bogdan-Martin.

Further exacerbating the difficulty of a seamless digital transformation journey for Africa is the lack of access to reliable and affordable electricity, among many other challenges.

In addition, if the current trends continue, less than one-quarter of the working-age population across the continent will find stable jobs, equating to over 300-million unemployed as the population grows.

The working-age population in Africa is expected to increase by 450-million people between 2015 and 2035.

However, broadening Internet access can unlock millions of job opportunities, the group outlines.

“To just double broadband connectivity by 2021, nearly 220-million new people must come online and an estimated $9-billion in investment is required.”

The report indicates that nearly 80% of all required investments are directly related to the need to deploy and maintain broadband networks.

“This is unquestionably a significant infrastructure undertaking, requiring the deployment of nearly 250 000 new 4G base stations and at least 250 000 km of fibre across the region.”

The deployment of satellites, WiFi-based solutions and similar technologies will be required to bring online nearly 100-million of the population that live in remote rural areas, which cannot be reached by traditional cellular mobile networks.

Beyond the infrastructure roll-outs, about 20% of the required investment needs to be allocated to the building of user skills and local content foundations, with another 2% to 4% directed to the formulation of the appropriate regulatory frameworks, the report notes.

The achievement of the 2030 target and the burden of a $100-billion investment funding requirement cannot be carried “by one actor alone”.

“Connecting the 100-million people in rural and remote areas that live out of reach of traditional cellular mobile networks will require strong private-sector involvement, innovative business models and alternative technologies, such as satellite and WiFi-based technical solutions, the report notes.

“All stakeholders must come together and collaborate to realise universally affordable access to the Internet for all Africans,” World Bank Africa region VP Hafez Ghanem points out.