Mobile economy holds out bright promise for Africa but hurdles abound

Sub-Saharan Africa seems to be ticking all the right boxes in the adoption of mobile technology. This is at least according to the GSMA conference held in Kigali, Rwanda, which heard that the region will continue to record the fastest growth in subscription rates, with Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania and Ethiopia in the driving seat behind these trends.

The conference, held on July 16-19 painted a rosy future for sub-Saharan Africa’s “vibrant” digital use, projecting that mobile technologies will by 2023 contribute $185 billion to the region’s economy, representing 9.1 percent of GDP. This is an increase from $144 billion — 8.6 percent of GDP — in 2018.