Using Geospatial Analysis to Overhaul Connectivity Policies

How to expand mobile internet coverage and adoption in Sub-Saharan Africa

Increasing access to the internet is one of the great challenges of our time and has grown in importance since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic. Almost half the world’s population remains offline, while in Sub-Saharan Africa the figure rises to almost three quarters. The region also accounts for almost half of the 450 million people around the world who do not live in areas covered by 3G or 4G mobile networks.

To gain a better understanding of the policies and interventions needed to accelerate connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, this study maps mobile coverage and adoption in seven African countries at the highest possible resolution and simulates the effects of different policies on both the location of infrastructure and demand for mobile and internet services. The findings from this study can be used to directly inform policy making in the seven study countries, while the analysis can also be leveraged to understand the impact of policies and investments in other locations.

This report was prepared by the World Bank as part of a series of studies on broadband connectivity that will inform the Africa Digital Transformation Report in support to the Digital Economy for Africa Initiative. The underlying country studies and analysis for the report was carried out by GSMA and GSMA Intelligence.

The report is available on the World Bank website here, as is further information on the Digital Economy for Africa Initiative.