Rédaction Africa Links 24 with Guardian Nigeria
Published on 2024-01-31 04:07:41
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has reported that Internet users in Africa have increased from 4.5 million in 2000 to nearly 600 million in 2022, but the penetration rate is only 43 per cent compared to 68.6 per cent in the rest of the world. This can be attributed to insufficient infrastructure and the high cost of data and devices in countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Egypt.
ICANN is responsible for coordinating the maintenance and procedures of several databases related to the Internet, ensuring its stable and secure operation. The 191-page 2023 Africa Domain Name Industry study by ICANN revealed that while Africa has significantly improved in internet access since 2016, it still lags behind other regions with an average penetration rate of 43 per cent compared to the global average of 68 per cent.
The study also points out that Internet usage varies widely across African countries, with some having as low as seven per cent access while others boast 85 per cent. The number of Internet users in Africa has doubled from 2014 to 2021, but the continent’s share of global Internet users has only marginally increased from 9.8 per cent to 11.7 per cent.
Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) has seen an increase in smartphone connections from 10 per cent in 2015 to 33.1 per cent in 2019, outpacing the world average increase from 47 per cent to 75 per cent during the same period. This is largely due to the fact that most Africans access the Internet through mobile phones.
ICANN projects that the number of smartphone users in Nigeria, with a population of over 200 million, will grow to over 140 million by 2025. Currently, there are an estimated 25-40 million smartphone users in the country, with the potential to triple within the next five to six years.
The organization also noted that Internet browsing via smartphones reached an average of 40 per cent in Africa, with respondents in Ghana, Nigeria, South Africa, Kenya, and Uganda averaging 51 per cent, 47 per cent, 40 per cent, 34 per cent, and 29 per cent respectively.
In conclusion, while ICANN’s report indicates growth in internet access and smartphone usage in Africa, it also highlights the disparities in Internet penetration and the impact of insufficient infrastructure and high costs on digital adoption across the continent.
