Africa’s digital paradox: networks expand, but affordability locks millions out

Despite impressive strides in mobile network expansion across Sub-Saharan Africa, a new GSMA report reveals that millions remain offline — not due to lack of coverage, but because of high device costs and digital illiteracy.
The paradox lies in progress: while 75% of newly connected global areas last year were in Sub-Saharan Africa, the continent still has the world’s lowest mobile internet usage rates. The GSMA’s State of Mobile Internet Connectivity 2025 report identifies a “usage gap” as the central crisis in digital inclusion. Of the 3.1 billion people globally who live within coverage zones but remain offline, a significant portion resides in Africa. For the region’s poorest, an entry-level smartphone can cost up to 87% of their monthly income.
In Ghana, where mobile networks cover 99% of the population, a 62% usage gap persists. The Driving Digital Transformation of the Economy in Ghana report highlights how bridging this gap could generate over $3.4 billion in GDP gains by 2030, transforming sectors like agriculture and manufacturing. Gender disparities further complicate access. In Sub-Saharan Africa, women are 29% less likely than men to use mobile internet, exacerbating existing social divides.
The GSMA is calling for urgent action — device subsidies, digital literacy initiatives, and public-private partnerships — to make internet access genuinely inclusive. The GMSA report also identifies a key tipping point: a mobile phone priced at $30 could make handsets affordable for up to 1.6 billion people globally. Therefore, last year, the organization launched the Handset Affordability Coalition, an initiative involving major global mobile operators and other stakeholders with the aim of accelerating access to smartphones among LMIC populations.