ADDIS ABABA, June 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) on Friday emphasized the urgent need to expand affordable internet access in Africa as the continent contributes less than 1 percent of the world's digital economy.
The ECA, noting that the African continent contributes less than 1 percent to the world's digital economy that accounts for about 15 percent of the global GDP.
Jean-Paul Adam, Director of Technology, Climate Change and Natural Resources Management at the ECA, said that Africa needs about 100 billion U.S. dollars to achieve universal, affordable and good quality internet access by 2030.
Figures from the ECA shows that only 17.8 percent of households in Africa have internet at home. Estimates also show that over a quarter of a billion school children in Africa have been affected by COVID-19 and most of them lack the digital tools to continue their education online.
"This is very concerning and conveys a strong message that broadband connectivity is absolutely crucial for educational institutions and businesses to continue to provide essential services," an ECA statement quoted Adam as saying on Friday.
"Reliable, high-speed internet is key to ensuring that hospitals and medical institutions can access the global information network and resources necessary to fight COVID-19," the ECA director said.
The ECA director also cited affordability as one of "the biggest barriers" to internet access in Africa, stating that the average cost of 1-GB of data on the continent is 7.12 percent of average income, with some countries having rates as high as 20 percent, which is way above the 1-2 percent deemed to be affordable.
Adding to the issues of access and bandwidth is what the ECA referred to as a "deplorable digital gender gap in Africa," with a 33.8 percent internet penetration rate for men and only 22.6 percent for women in 2019.
Despite the limited connectivity across the continent (with close 40 percent of the population online), the ECA Director, however, stressed that the "digital response to COVID-19 has been great."
He cited Ghana's COVID-19 Tracker App, which traces contacts of persons infected by the virus and shows where they have been in recent times through various telephone-related data. Such persons are then linked to health professionals for urgent action to be taken.
Another positive example is in Nigeria where an ICT company created the COVID-19 Triage Tool, as a free online tool to help users self-assess their coronavirus risks category based on their symptoms and their exposure history.
Adam also emphasized that as the world races with implementing digital technologies to accelerate social-economic activities due to a slowdown with COVID-19, there's a need for concerted government action in partnership with the private sector and other stakeholders to be able to achieve universal, affordable and high-quality broadband access.
"While the private sector can drive broadband initiatives, the government can play a crucial role by implementing effective sector regulation, addressing potential market failures, and creating the conditions for an open, competitive broadband sector," he said.
According to the latest figures from the Africa CDC, the number of confirmed COVID-19 positive cases across the African continent reached 216,446 as of Friday morning.
The death toll from the pandemic also reached 5,756 as of Friday morning, while 97,068 people who have been infected by COVID-19 have also recovered from the virus across the continent, according to the Africa CDC. Enditem
