BY EMEKA AGINAM

Cape Town, South Africa: Africa’s journey to digital inclusion may be derailed  unless many issues including network work infrastructure and  government  policy , taxation,  locally relevant content among others were resolved, the Senior Director, Mobile for Development of   GSMA, David Taverner  has said.

The GSM Association  is an association of mobile operators and related companies devoted to supporting the standardising, deployment and promotion of the GSM mobile telephone system.

The Mobile 360 Africa conference has  convened  key stakeholders in African mobile ecosystem  to examine the practical steps which can, and need to, be taken by all parties to help bring about collaboration, including: coordinating and enabling policies promoting digital and financial inclusion, extending affordable access to mobile and internet services, empowering citizens to make the most of new opportunities, supporting the required investment at macro and micro levels, among others.

From left: Pikie Monaheng, Chief Executive Officer, Amdocs, South Africa, Dion Jerling, Chief Executive Officer, Connect Africa, Sifisco Dabengwa, Group Chief Executive Officer, MTN Group and Anne Bouverot, Director General, GSMA, yesterday in Cape Town, South Africa at the ongoing GSMA 360 Series Africa. Photo by Emeka Aginam.

Taverner,   who stated this  in his presentation  at the ongoing GSMA Mobile 360  series holding in Cape Town, South Africa said that digital inclusion would support the mobile industry to increase mobile internet adoption and usage, while reducing the digital divide and driving economic  growth of the continent.

Under the theme of ‘Driving Digital and Financial inclusion’ the   event where Nigeria operators  are also  participating is currently exploring the key opportunities and challenges facing stakeholders across Africa. It would provide an opportunity for attendees to share experiences and expand the positive impact of mobile across the continent.

The goal of the digital inclusion programme based on the GSMA report is to support the connection of an additional one billion people to the mobile internet by 2020.

To resolve the issue on network infrastructure and policy, he said that African governments must expand rural network coverage of mobile internet by promoting regulatory and technical best practice.

To achieve digital inclusion, he also said that governments in the region must increase adoption and usage of mobile internet by addressing taxes and fees paid by the operators.

To further achieve mobile internet penetration in the region, he said that there was need to increase adoption and usage of mobile internet by addressing literacy and internet awareness barriers.

According to him, promoting locally relevant content to attract people to use the mobile internet was imperative for digital inclusion.