Exploring the digital divide is crucial for understanding its implications in the geopolitical landscape. Therefore, this article will examine the digital divide in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on its consequences for socio-economic development and analyzing both the positive and negative geopolitical outcomes.
Introduction
Digital technologies and internet connectivity are actively reshaping how we perceive and interact with the world. As we access the internet and use our devices daily, it is undeniable how they act as opportunity-makers and have improved our lives, establishing easier access to services and information. At first glance, if we analyze it from this perspective, our world is only improving in the best way possible. However, is that truly the case? While it has tangible benefits from a socioeconomic perspective, the uneven adoption of digital technologies and internet access can have the opposite effect on underserved individuals. This disparity creates “digital divides,” limiting millions of people from enjoying the advantages of the digital age and placing them in a disadvantaged position.
Addressing the digital divide is a tough task, especially concerning developing geographical regions. Digital disconnection not only deepens existing inequalities but also shapes the geopolitical landscape, with some leaders exploiting the population’s lack of digital access to consolidate power. Therefore, this article explores the current state of connectivity in Sub-Saharan Africa, focusing on its causes and consequences, and possible future outcomes if the digital divide is bridged. As the region with the highest number of Least Developed Countries (LDCs) and as the most disconnected continent in today’s digitalized world, Sub-Saharan Africa’s relevance must not be overlooked.
Digital Divide in Sub-Saharan Africa
According to Britannica, the term digital divide is employed to describe the uneven distribution of information and communication technologies in society. Within this definition, the digital divide can be categorized into distinct types. It entails disparities in access and usage between industrialized and developing nations, inequalities among socioeconomic groups within the same country, and differences in how various user groups engage politically on the internet.
To better understand the inequalities between and within regions in terms of connectivity, one useful framework comes from GSMA, an international organization advocating for universal internet access. It identifies two critical gaps describing those who remain offline: on the one hand, the coverage gap, in which people live entirely out of reach of mobile broadband networks. On the other hand, the usage gap describes those in a region covered by a mobile broadband network but who, for whatever reason, cannot or will not access mobile internet services.
The digital divide is most noticeable in LDCs, where access to digital services is still challenging. Between 2018 and 2022, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, 1.5 billion new internet users were recorded globally. During this period, the highest growth rates were recorded in middle-income countries. The period saw an astonishing 170% increase in internet users in India, as pandemic restrictions compelled the world to migrate most of their activities online. Therefore, COVID-19 brought middle-income countries closer to high-income ones regarding internet connectivty.
In 2023, internet connectivity data for Sub-Saharan Africa painted a bleak picture. Only 27% of the population had access to the internet, while a staggering 60% usage gap persisted, representing approximately 710 million people who, for various reasons, did not utilize internet services. Furthermore, Sub-Saharan Africa recorded the highest coverage gap globally, with 13% of its population being entirely disconnected from any mobile broadband network. Although this data may seem negative at first, it considers the entire population of Sub-Saharan Africa without breaking it down by age group.
As a matter of fact, this geographical region has one of the largest young populations in the world. In 2022, approximately 55% of the total population was aged between 15 and 64 years, while children under 15 years accounted for 42%. Due to the large population of babies and infants, statistics about internet usage can be misleading, as these people do not have access to any internet subscription. If we only consider the population above 18 years old, the percentage of connected people goes up to 46%, and the gap in usage goes down to 42%.
Causes and Effects of the Digital Divide
Bridging the digital divide is a complex and long process that faces several obstacles. The major issue, as mentioned earlier, is the lack of access to the internet, technology, and adequate infrastructure, particularly in underserved regions. Additionally, poor education leads to limited digital skills and literacy, preventing many individuals from understanding and engaging with the digital landscape. Economic barriers further exacerbate the issue; in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), many people cannot afford data plans due to high service costs or lack the means to purchase internet-enabled devices. In 2023, the average price of one gigabyteof mobile internet in Sub-Saharan Africa was US$3.31. However, exceptions like Zimbabwe highlighted the stark disparities within the region, where one gigabyte cost $43.75, amounting to nearly 2% of the country’s GDP per capita, which stands at US$2,110. Authoritarian regimes also play a crucial role in implementing policies that may restrict information dissemination or actively discourage internet use.
Overall, the digital divide prevents countries from developing and creating a digital market. Business in Africa relies for the most part on small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), representing more than 90% of companies. Still, they cannot exploit the same benefits that the digital revolution has brought to medium- and high-income countries. The digital divide brings not only slower economic growth but also a lower quality of life. In today’s job market, most middle-skill jobs require digital skills, while those that do not typically offer far lower pay. Moreover, as mentioned earlier, it harms education. LDCs’ students will not be able to get the same education as their counterparts with access to technology, preventing them from acquiring digital literacy skills.
Alongside these disadvantages, it reinforces the divide between urban and rural populations, worsening the rural-urban gap. According to the GSMA, this gap refers to how much less likely a person living in a rural area is to be a mobile internet subscriber than a person living in an urban area. Indeed, individuals who live in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) are 28% less likely to subscribe to mobile internet services and probably cannot afford to buy devices that can access the internet, with Sub-Saharan Africa leading the ranking, having reached a 54% rural-urban gap.
To Bridge or not to Bridge the Digital Divide?
Bridging the digital divide should be a common objective in LDCs and LMICs. These countries’ economies would benefit from accessing the digital market and empowering SMEs, especially in the case of Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to the internet brings more advantages than disadvantages, as it creates new job opportunities, innovative professional roles, and contributes to the country’s GDP. It is estimated that closing the usage gap might add up to US$3.5 trillion between 2023 and 2030, with 90% of this value coming from LMICs. With this in mind, Global South countries would become more attractive to Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs), with major economic powers eager to invest in better tech infrastructure projects.
In addition to economic growth, bridging the digital divide could increase civic engagement and social progressivity by offering new opportunities in healthcare, education, and better democratic participation. Increased internet access leads to better information and education, which in turn helps to develop a more informed citizenry. This could result in a decline in authoritarian regimes that will not be able to exploit electoral fraud as easily, as educated populations would be less susceptible to manipulation, gaining access to more reliable information from multiple sources.
Naturally, if the current situation remains as it is, we will not be able to witness any of these improvements. Therefore, we could expect stagnant economic growth, exclusion from digital economies, geopolitical marginalization, and political instability. SMEs will not be able to compete with their counterparts that have access to more advanced technologies, meaning the economic gap between enterprises in the Global North and Global South will continue to widen. From a geopolitical perspective, LDCs and LMICs will lack access to digital infrastructure and will not be able to participate equally with High-Income Countries (HICs) in global trade and political discussions that may involve them. To conclude, political instability in vulnerable areas will persist, as populations will remain uninformed and possess a lower degree of education, making them more susceptible to political manipulation.
