Government and developers are key to the African continent bridging the digital divide through formulation of the right policies and creation of more innovative ways of eliminating bottlenecks.
Senior research analyst at Informa Telecoms and Media Thecla Mbongue told the East Africa Com conference in Nairobi, Kenya, the continent’s transformation continues to be impeded by heavy bureaucracy as well as the distribution of required infrastructure.
The continent’s digital transformation has thus not been as fast as it would have been with streamlined procedures, hitting the digital migration process particularly hard.
“The government and developers hold the key to a faster digital transformation process,” she said. “If African governments want the process to be any faster they have the power to lessen the process. Developers on the other hand can always take advantage of the processes and ensure more streamlined processes.”
However, the continent continues to embrace technology, leading in year-on-year growth in the mobile market, which grew by 15 per cent in Q1 2013 to reach 113 million, compared to the global average of 7 per cent growth.
Other statistics indicate that the region’s mobile penetration is at 45 per cent, expected to increase in the coming years with the availability of cheaper technology, with the region’s leader Kenya expected to reach 50 million subscriptions by 2017.
And with over US$3 billion having been ejected in investments in the mobile sector, Mbongue believes this shows the huge potential the continent has to attract investors.
The right policies by government could facilitate the process, especially the availability of the right infrastructure, holding the key to unlocking the region’s potential.
