NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

By Yinka Adegoke

There’s a $700-billion opportunity for African countries over the next five years if they can close the gender gap in mobile-phone ownership, according to GSMA, the global mobile-trade body. It bases that estimate on the commercial opportunity for mobile operators and the expected boost to GDPs as more women get phones.

The smartphone, vital for internet connections on the continent, will become increasingly affordable as new entrants bring cheaper (under $50) smartphones and “smart feature phones” (under $20) to market.

There will be 500 million mobile internet users in Africa by 2020, GMSA estimates, with up to 70% of mobile subscriptions to be internet-connected by 2030.

Photo courtesy of eva_lutter.