The World Bank has estimated that improving access to internet coverage over three years led to a seven percent reduction in extreme poverty in Nigeria and Tanzania.
This was revealed in a new brief titled ‘Digital transformation drives development in Africa’, noting that exposure also led to an 8 per cent increase in labor force participation and wage employment.
The World Bank said: “In 2023, a major World Bank report found that in Nigeria and Tanzania, extreme poverty fell by about seven percent after three or more years of exposure to Internet coverage, while labor force participation and wage employment increased by as much as eight percent.” percent.”
In the brief, Andrew Dabalen, World Bank’s Chief Economist for Africa, was quoted as saying: “Minimal mobile internet usage represents a missed opportunity for inclusive growth in Africa. Closing the absorption gap would increase the continent’s ability to create jobs for its growing population and promote economic recovery in a highly digital world.
The brief further highlights that over the past five years (2016-2021), Sub-Saharan Africa has seen an extraordinary 115 percent increase in Internet users, a change that has been instrumental in stimulating economic growth, promoting innovation, and creating Jobs chances.
“The coverage, access and quality of digital infrastructure in the region continues to lag behind other regions,” the brief adds. “At the end of 2021, while 84 percent of people in Sub-Saharan Africa lived in areas with 3G service, 63 percent were If they have access to 4G mobile coverage, only 22 percent were using mobile internet services.
“The gap between coverage and usage is similarly large for broadband, with 61 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa living within broadband range but not using it.”
The Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, recently noted that the cost of data in Nigeria is still one of the cheapest in the world, but lamented that many operators are not willing to lay fiber in many parts of the countries. Outside major cities because it would be unprofitable.