Only 38% of Africa’s population made use of the internet in 2024 – ITU

• The International Telecommunications Union said only 38 per cent of Africa’s population made use of the internet in 2024
• It said Africans accessed the internet more through mobile networks in 2024
• The ITU said internet usage reached 57 per cent in 2024 in urban areas, while it is only 23 per cent in rural areas

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) says only 38 per cent of Africa’s population used the internet in 2024, which is the lowest rate of internet usage in the world.

This was contained in the ITU’s new State of Digital Development in Africa report, stating that the level of internet usage on the continent is far below the global average of 68 per cent.

The report said costs are a major challenge to internet usage in Africa, with many Africans still offline due to expensive services, lack of digital skills, and poor network infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

“In 2024, the median price of an entry-level mobile broadband plan (2GB per month) stood at 4.2 per cent of gross national income per capita, down slightly from 4.6 per cent in 2023,” the report stated.

The price is still more than double the United Nations Broadband Commission’s target of two per cent and the highest among all ITU regions.

The report added that fixed broadband costs around 15 per cent of GNI per person, which makes it unaffordable for most people.

“These high costs hit low-income groups the hardest, deepening digital inequality across the continent,” the ITU said.

Africans accessed the internet more through mobile networks in 2024

The ITU report further stated that Africans accessed the internet more through mobile networks in 2024.

It noted that in 2024, mobile broadband covered 86 per cent of the population, but 14 per cent still had no access at all, which reached 25 per cent in rural areas.

The report said 70 per cent of Africans now have access to 4G networks, about 16 per cent still rely on slower 3G networks, while only 11 per cent of the population, who are mainly in big cities, have access to 5G.

Disparity in internet usage between urban and rural areas

The report also showed the disparity in internet usage between cities and villages in Africa.

The ITU stated that internet usage reached 57 per cent in 2024 in urban areas, while it is only 23 per cent in rural areas, the widest urban-rural gap in the world.

The report attributed the growing gap to more investments going to urban areas, while rural communities are left behind.

The ITU stressed the need for better policies and more investment to improve internet access in these underserved areas.

On Information and Communications Technology (ICT) rules in Africa, the report stated that while many African countries are working on their ICT rules, only 18 per cent have reached the most advanced level of regulation (G4), which is still far below the 38 per cent global average.

It said, “Digital transformation cannot succeed without robust digital governance.”

The report also called for better coordination in digital identification systems, digital skills training, and policies that cut across different sectors, while also urging stronger efforts in cybersecurity and data protection.

120 million Nigerians lack access to the internet due to infrastructural gaps –Report

Meanwhile, TheRadar earlier reported that according to GSMA’s State of Mobile Connectivity Report 2024, half of Nigeria’s population (120 million) lacks access to mobile internet due to infrastructural gaps.

The report noted that the usage gap is still a challenge in low- and medium-income countries (LMICs) such as Nigeria. The usage gap is the population that lives within the footprint of a mobile broadband network but does not use mobile internet.